Biden says he is ‘firmly committed’ to staying in the race

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday dared his critics to “challenge me at the convention” if they want him out of the presidential race, refusing to step aside in a defiant letter to Democratic members of Congress and in fiery remarks on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program.

Declaring himself “frustrated by the elites” who have called for his exit from the race, Biden engaged in an offensive blitz aimed at saving his candidacy. But it also laid bare the fractures in his party over whether his position as the Democratic standard-bearer will help or hurt its fortunes this fall.

In effect, Biden decided to engage in a no-holds-barred fight with his allies for the world to see. He was at turns defiant, furious, indignant, exasperated and dismissive. He insisted he would not withdraw from the race but accused those who have suggested he step aside of being routinely wrong about politics.

The president used the friendly venue of the morning news show — hosted by Joe Scarborough, a longtime supporter who recently has been critical — to respond to demands that he demonstrate the kind of vigor that was missing from his listless and at times incoherent debate performance June 27.

Biden raised his voice repeatedly during the brief phone interview, including after Mika Brzezinski, co-host of the show and Scarborough’s wife, asked him whether he had undergone neurological exams after the debate. Sounding exasperated and angry, Biden rejected assertions that his stamina and mental abilities have not been tested in a real way.

“It drives me nuts, people talking about this,” he said.

In the days after the debate with former President Donald Trump, Biden tried to be conciliatory. He admitted that he had “a bad night” and tried to explain that his performance was the result of a cold and jet lag.

As Biden’s explanations have fallen flat with some of his allies, the president has grown more impatient. That was evident Friday night, during his prime-time interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News. During the interview, Biden was defiant, even bragging about his relatively small crowds at campaign rallies.

“How many people draw crowds like I did today?” he asked Stephanopoulos. “Find me more enthusiastic than today? Huh?”

On MSNBC on Monday, he went even further, repeating his long-standing answer whenever anyone has questioned whether his age means he does not have the energy to run an effective campaign.

“Come out with me. Watch me. Watch people react,” he demanded. “You make a judgment. You make a judgment.”

Less than an hour before Monday’s interview, Biden’s campaign released a letter to congressional Democrats in which the president wrote that he was “firmly committed to staying in the race,” a pointed answer to allies on Capitol Hill who have been increasingly going public with calls for him to drop out.

“The question of how we move forward has been well aired for over a week now,” Biden wrote in the two-page letter. “And it’s time for it to end. We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump.”

On “Morning Joe,” the president repeated his refusal to back down, saying he did not care about any of the high-ranking lawmakers or pundits who were calling for him to step aside, including Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass.

“I don’t care what those big names think,” Biden said, his voice rising considerably.

“If any of these guys don’t think I should run, run against me,” he added. “Go ahead, announce for president. Challenge me at the convention.”