Enraged and resolute. That is how the United States president, Joe Biden, frames a pivotal week for his political life, his presidency, and the Democratic path toward November’s election against Donald Trump.
As Congress returned to business this Monday after a recess, the president sent a letter to his party reiterating a “firm commitment to staying in the race until the end” and urged them to end the internal bickering about whether he should stay in the race, which became public amid the chaos triggered by his clash with Trump during the debate ten days earlier.
“Now is the moment to unite, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump,” Biden writes in a two-page letter that follows a weekend during which nine lawmakers publicly called for his withdrawal, including four committee leaders in the House who joined in a Sunday leadership gathering to press that request.
Biden also on Monday reached out to MSNBC, the most outspoken liberal cable channel. It was a tactic he has rarely used during his term, unlike Trump, who made frequent use of Fox News. In a brief interview, delivered with a blend of energy and clarity but also with some pages of notes visible, he laid out his challenge, criticizing party elites and openly issuing a dare for an alternative to arise at the Democrats’ convention in Chicago in August. “If anyone thinks I should not run, let them enter the race against me. Go ahead, announce your candidacy for president. Challenge me at the convention,” Biden said.
There is a push to spark fears about an open convention that could harm Democrats by exposing internal wars. Some argue, however, that a staged contest for succession, especially if Biden signaled confidence in Kamala Harris as the nominee, could have its own advantages—gaining the media attention that benefits Trump or elevating Harris or any future candidate before the national electorate.
Primaries and the Elites
The core argument Biden makes, both in the call and in the letter, is that he bears a duty to the Democratic voters who backed him in the primaries. He recalled receiving more than 14 million votes, about 87 percent of the total, and nearly 3,900 of the almost 4,000 delegates. He also noted the three challenges he faced from Robert Kennedy Jr., who soon left to run as an independent, Dean Phillips, and Marianne Williamson. “The party has spoken. They chose me. Should we pretend the process didn’t matter, that voters had no say?” he asked.
What Biden overlooks, in this framing, is that concerns about his physical and mental fitness were not invented. They had been part of conversations with Democrats and in polling for months, and after the debate they surged. For instance, a The New York Times poll taken after the Atlanta debate showed that 74 percent of Democratic voters viewed him as too old for a second term.
Lawmakers and donors
Biden is also pressing to quell doubts within his own ranks, addressing fears voiced by lawmakers facing re-election in November who worry that his continued presence could hurt their chances and by major donors who have begun asking him to step aside or to shift funds to other campaigns in the House if the fight persists, or to reserve resources for an alternate candidate.
For Biden, the idea that he might retire only if God requests it, as he quipped in a Friday interview, makes every moment feel crucial. This Tuesday, the NATO summit begins in Washington, where in addition to meetings he plans to hold a solo press conference on Thursday—the first such briefing since late 2022. The campaign has also announced a Friday rally in Detroit, Michigan, and after a weekend on the coast, plans to travel next week to Texas and Nevada.