As angry Democrats attack President Biden, he has a message: He’s angry, too.
“I’m getting so frustrated with the elites… the party elites that — they know so much better,” Biden said sarcastically, calling into MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” his favorite cable news program. “Any of these guys think I shouldn’t, run against me: go ahead. Challenge me at the convention.”
Pressure has been mounting on Biden to drop out of the race since his poor debate performance last month. The television call was part of a larger effort to react against the internal pressure rallying his party’s base and channeling the national anger at elites that cuts across both parties. Although public opinion polls show that the vast majority of Americans want Biden out of the race, he launched the movement to persuade him to step aside, viewing him as top-down and undemocratic.
“Democratic Party voters voted. They chose me to be the party’s nominee,” he wrote in a letter to congressional Democrats on Monday, laying out his argument for staying in the race. “Do we now say that this process doesn’t matter? That voters don’t have a say?”
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Biden calling the morning news to criticize his party’s establishment was reminiscent of former President Trump’s favorite method of communication. For years, even before running for election, he called into “Fox & Friends” to speak his mind to friendly hosts.
Trump has held just one public event in the 11 days since then, allowing Democrats to publicly debate Biden’s future and keep the focus on Biden’s fragility rather than Trump’s convictions or policy proposals. Congress is back in session this week and more Democratic lawmakers are expected to weigh in, which could put even more pressure on Biden to drop out.
“It drives me crazy when people are talking about this,” Biden said, asking “where the hell has Trump been?”
But he declined to answer whether he was tested for Parkinson’s or other age-related diseases.
“I had a bad night,” he said with a deliberate laugh. “That’s why I’ve been away. I’ve been testing myself.”
This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.
