After a number of congressional Democrats called for him to exit the 2024 presidential race, President Joe Biden is pushing back in a letter sent to his party on Capitol Hill.
This morning, I sent a letter to my fellow Democrats on Capitol Hill. In it, I shared my thoughts about this moment in our campaign.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 8, 2024
It’s time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/ABtAaJrr0n
In the letter, published Monday morning, Biden vows to stay in the race and claims he's the man to beat former President Donald Trump in November.
"Now that you have returned from the July 4th recess, I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump," Biden said.
"I have had extensive conversations with the leadership of the party, elected officials, rank and file members, and most importantly, Democratic voters over these past 10 days or so. I have heard the concerns that people have - their good faith fears and worries about what is at stake in this election. I am not blind to them. Believe me, I know better than anyone the responsibility and the burden the nominee of our party carries," he continued. "I can respond to all this by saying clearly and unequivocally: I wouldn't be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024."
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Biden also claimed the Democratic Party had a fair and open primary after freezing out RFK Jr. by refusing debates and suing to keep him off the ballot.
"We had a Democratic nomination process and the voters have spoken clearly and decisively. I received over 14 million votes, 87% of the votes cast across the entire nominating process. I have nearly 3,900 delegates, making me the presumptive nominee of our party by a wide margin. This was a process open to anyone who wanted to run. Only three people chose to challenge me," Biden claimed. "One fared so badly that he left the primaries to run as an independent. Another attacked me for being too old and was soundly defeated. The voters of the Democratic Party have voted. They have chosen me to be the nominee of the party."
"Do we now just say this process didn't matter? That the voters don't have a say? I decline to do that. I feel a deep obligation to the faith and the trust the voters of the Democratic Party have placed in me to run this year. It was their decision to make. Not the press, not the pundits, not the big donors, not any selected group of individuals, no matter how well intentioned. The voters - and the voters alone - decide the nominee of the Democratic Party," he continued. "How can we stand for democracy in our nation if we ignore it in our own party? I cannot do that. I will not do that."
Meanwhile, the fallout of Biden's debate performance against Trump and his follow up interview with ABC News continues.
EXCLUSIVE: President Biden tells @GStephanopoulos the debate was “a bad episode,” adding that he was “feeling terrible” after a busy month.
— ABC News (@ABC) July 5, 2024
The full exclusive interview airs at 8/7c on ABC.https://t.co/hlL4FaVp80 pic.twitter.com/unJF13rrQ7
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