US: Amid rising calls to step down, Biden vows to stay on to defeat Trump

Washington, Jun 30 (PTI) Following a disastrous performance at the debate stage in Atlanta, there is a growing clamour within the ruling Democratic party and the mainstream American media for President Joe Biden to step down from the presidential race.

However, the 81-year-old president and his campaign have asserted that he is not giving up and is determined to successfully run for the November 5th presidential elections.

“Biden is the nominee (of the Democratic party. No switching of the nominee,” campaign leadership has asserted.

Biden, the 46th president of the United States, has won the Democratic presidential primary.

As of June 29, he had 3,894 delegates as against 1,975 delegates required to win the nomination of the party. These delegates would meet in Chicago from August 19 to 22 to formally nominate the winner of the primaries to run for the November 5 presidential elections.

Biden, seeking a second term in the White House, stumbled and fumbled during the televised presidential debate with his predecessor Donald Trump on Thursday night in Atlanta, setting off alarm bells among top Democrats about whether he can stay atop the gruelling months ahead of the elections on November 5.

The 78-year-old Trump, who is the presumptive Republican Party candidate for the presidential election, clashed right from the start with Biden and by the end of the 90 minutes debate, gave enough fodder for serious editorials and opinions as well as memes on social media.

Over the last 50 hours after the first presidential debate in Atlanta on Thursday night, wherein his performance was seen far below par against his rival Trump, multiple media outlets, including The New York Times and his own party supporters and key decision makers, are calling him to step down from the race.

“Dropping out is Biden’s most patriotic option,” The Atlantic said Saturday.

“To serve his country, President Biden should leave the race,” The New York Times editorial board wrote Following the debate.

The New York Times wrote, “That is no longer a sufficient rationale for why Mr. Biden should be the Democratic nominee this year.” Similar messages are coming from inside the party as well.

However, his inner circle is standing by the side of Biden.

A post-debate poll says that 10 per cent of the independent voters have moved towards Biden after the debate, a point that is being made by his team.

“It wasn’t my best debate ever as Barack (Obama) pointed out. I understand the concern after the debate," Biden told his fundraisers in New Jersey. "I get it. I didn't have a great night, but I’m going to be fighting harder,” he said.

"Research during the debate shows us converting more undecided voters than Trump did, in large part because of his conduct on January 6," Biden said. He argued Trump’s lies were the biggest takeaway: “People remember the bad things during his presidency” “I didn’t have a great night but neither did he," he said again of Trump.

Several prominent columnists -- Paul Krugman, Tom Friedman, Nicholas Kristof, Jonathan Alter, and David Ignatius – argued that the chance of a diminished Biden losing to Trump is too high to risk. PTI