Would you like to receive notifications on latest updates of the following headlines?

Biden Acknowledges Age, Bad Debate Performance but Vows to Beat Trump

POSTED ON June 29, 2024 •   Breaking News      BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara
US President Joe Biden l Credit: The AP

President Joe Biden said on Friday he intended to defeat Republican rival Donald Trump in the November presidential election, giving no sign he would consider dropping out of the race after a feeble debate performance that dismayed his fellow Democrats.

"I know I'm not a young man, to state the obvious," an ebullient Biden said at a rally one day after the head-to-head showdown with his Republican rival, which was widely viewed as a defeat for the 81-year-old president.

"I don't walk as easy as I used to, I don't speak as smoothly as I used to, I don't debate as well as I used to," he said, as the crowd chanted "four more years."

"I would not be running again if I didn't believe with all my heart and soul that I could do this job. The stakes are too high," Reuters quoted Biden saying.

Biden's verbal stumbles and occasionally meandering responses in the debate heightened voter concerns that he might not be fit to serve another four-year term and prompted some of his fellow Democrats to wonder whether they could replace him as their candidate for the Nov. 5 US election.

Campaign spokesperson Michael Tyler said there were no conversations taking place about that possibility. "We'd rather have one bad night than a candidate with a bad vision for where he wants to take the country," he told reporters aboard Air Force One.

The campaign held an "all hands on deck" meeting on Friday afternoon to reassure staffers that Biden was not dropping out of the race, according to two people familiar with the meeting.

Though Trump, 78, put forward a series of falsehoods throughout the debate, the focus afterward was squarely on Biden, especially among Democrats.

Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic Party leader in the US House of Representatives, avoided answering directly when asked whether he still had faith in Biden's candidacy.

“I support the ticket. I support the Senate Democratic majority. We're going to do everything possible to take back the House in November. Thank you, everyone,” he told reporters.

Some other Democrats likewise demurred when asked if Biden should stay in the race. "That's the president's decision," Democratic Senator Jack Reed told a local TV station in Rhode Island.

But several of the party's most senior figures, including former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, said they were sticking with Biden.

"Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and somebody who only cares about himself," former Democratic President Barack Obama wrote on X.

The Biden campaign said it raised $14 million on Thursday and Friday and posted its single best hour of fundraising immediately after the Thursday night debate. The Trump campaign said it raised $8 million on the night of the debate.

One possible bright spot for Biden: preliminary viewership data showed that only 48 million Americans watched the debate, far short of the 73 million who watched the candidates' last face-off in 2020.

Biden, already the oldest American president in history, faced only token opposition during the party's months-long nominating contest, and he has secured enough support to guarantee his spot as the Democratic nominee.

Trump likewise overcame his intra-party challengers early in the year, setting the stage for a long and bitter general election fight.

If Biden were to step aside, the party would have less than two months to pick another nominee at its national convention, which starts on Aug. 19 - a potentially messy process that could pit Kamala Harris, the nation's first Black female vice president, against governors and other officeholders whose names have been floated as possible replacements.

 

READ ALSO
NEMA Mobilizes Teams to 15 States Amid Flood Warnings
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 4, 2025 0

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has sent officials to 15 high-risk states to educate...

READ ALSO
Road Maintenance Crisis: FERMA Requires N880 Billion Yearly Amid Budget Shortfalls
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 3, 2025 0

ABUJA, Nigeria - The Federal Government needs approximately N880 billion each year for the upkeep of...

READ ALSO
FG Declares Friday, Monday public holiday for Eid-el-Kabir
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 2, 2025 0

The Federal Government has declared Friday, June 6, and Monday, June 9, 2025, as public holidays to...

READ ALSO
Lagos Govt. Threaten Closure of Market, Over Non-Compliance of Environmental Regulations
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 2, 2025 0

LAGOS, Nigeria - The Lagos State Government issued a warning on Sunday to traders at Alabarago Marke...

READ ALSO
FG Unveils 77,400 Units to Combat Nigeria's Housing Shortage
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 2, 2025 0

The Federal Government has launched a groundbreaking initiative as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda,...

READ ALSO
LASG Set to Revive Monthly Environmental Sanitation Exercise
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 2, 2025 0

LAGOS, Nigeria - Determined to ensure Lagosians adhere strictly to the hygiene standards that befits...

READ ALSO
Bandits to Take Control of Governance - El-Rufai
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 1, 2025 0

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has stated that Nigerians have permitted bandits to as...

READ ALSO
Tinubu Launches Lagos-Calabar Highway, Ignoring Sanwo-Olu Amidst Economic Challenges
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 1, 2025 0

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Saturday overlooked Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu during th...

OUR CHANNELS:

70-Year-Old Faces Manslaughter Charges After Fatal Accident
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 4, 2025 0

LAGOS, Nigeria - A 70-year-old man, Isiaka Afolayan, has been detained for careless driving and the...


Police Arrest 49 years old Suspect for Abduction of Two-Month-Old Baby
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 4, 2025 0

DELTA, Nigeria - The police in Delta reported the arrest of a suspect named Joy Temitope for the abd...


43 Lives Lost in Benue Armed Attacks
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 4, 2025 0

BENUE, Nigeria - At least 43 individuals lost their lives when armed assailants targeted communities...


Health Equity: Nigeria's Push for Universal Health Coverage
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 4, 2025 0

In alignment with the global effort towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Nigeria is striving to...


Road Maintenance Crisis: FERMA Requires N880 Billion Yearly Amid Budget Shortfalls
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 4, 2025 0

ABUJA, Nigeria - The Federal Government needs approximately N880 billion each year for the upkeep of...


Okocha Urges Victor Osimhen to Consider Staying at Galatasaray
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 4, 2025 0

Nigerian football icon Jay-Jay Okocha has shared advice with Victor Osimhen amid growing speculation...


60,000 Nigerians Abroad Register on Diaspora Data Mapping Portal
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 4, 2025 0

Approximately 60,000 Nigerians residing overseas have registered on the Diaspora Data Mapping Portal...


PDP Leaders Slam Minister for Backing Tinubu's 2027 Campaign
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 3, 2025 0

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Coalition of United Pol...


Gunmen Shot Dead Real Estate Investor, Abduct Wife
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 4, 2025 0

OWERRI, Nigeria - A real estate investor lost his life after being attacked and fatally shot by a gr...


JUST IN: Former Super Eagles Star Emmanuel Udoh Passes Away
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 4, 2025 0

The team manager of Akwa United and a former defender for the Super Eagles, Emmanuel Udoh, has been...


More Articles

Load more...

Menu