TAMPA, Fla. – TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jill Biden on Monday he declared himself “all in” on the president Joe Biden tried to remain the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee despite calls from some Democrats for him to drop out following his damaging debate performance against donald trump it shook her trust in him.
The president himself rejected these calls and insisted again on Monday that he would not abandon the race.
“Despite all the talk about this race, Joe has made it clear that he is all in,” the first lady told a military-style crowd in Wilmington, North Carolina, the first of three swing states she was visiting.
“That was the decision he made, and just as he has always supported my career, I agree too,” said Jill Biden, who teaches English and writing as a community college professor.
Later Monday, in remarks at an American Legion post in Tampa, Florida, she said her husband considers supporting the military and veterans a “sacred obligation” that she said contrasts with Trump.
“As commander in chief, President Biden wakes up every morning ready to work for you,” said Jill Biden. “Donald Trump wakes up every morning thinking about one person and one person only: himself.”
Danny Fuqua, chairman of the Florida Democratic Veterans Caucus, said Biden’s ties to the military make him the clear choice in November.
“The Bidens are a military family. They are one of us. They not only see the uniform, but also the person in it,” Fuqua said.
Jill Biden was on her way to an event in Columbus, Georgia, home of the Army’s sprawling Fort Moore.
His day trip was part of the Biden campaign’s broader effort to recover from the president’s faltering performance against Trump in last month’s debate.
The debate has led some Democratic congressmen and others to call on him to let another candidate challenge Trump because they no longer believe the 81-year-old president is mentally and physically capable of defeating the former Republican president in November.
Jill Biden also announced the formation of an organizing group, Veterans and Military Families for Biden-Harris, at her stop in Tampa.
“We cannot take anything for granted. We have to face this moment because our freedoms are at risk,” she said.
The president has insisted since the June 27 debate that he will continue in the race. He did so again on Monday, in a letter to congressional Democrats and during a live phone interview with MSNBC.
Jill Biden used her appearance to draw contrasts between her husband’s and Trump’s attitudes toward US military personnel, veterans and their families.
The president’s late son Beautiful served in Iraq as a member of the Delaware Army National Guard, and the first lady’s father was a Marine signalman during World War II.
“This is personal for us,” she said, describing the wait to connect by phone with a service member stationed overseas or having to smile during a loved one’s absence on holidays.
“Let me ask you something…does Donald Trump know what it’s like?” she said.
The first lady cited reports that Trump, during a trip to France in 2018, referred to the service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice as “suckers” and “losers”. Trump denies making the comments.
“It’s shameful, but it’s not surprising,” she said. And, noting that the Supreme Court has held that presidents are immune from prosecution for acts committed while in office, the first lady asserted that “our democracy cannot withstand a President Trump with virtually no limits.”
“Members of our armed forces honor their oath to support and defend the Constitution. We cannot trust Donald Trump to do the same,” she said. “You deserve a commander in chief who serves with integrity, wisdom and character, and that is my husband, Joe Biden.”
A Trump campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
During the debate, Biden and Trump argued over who cares more about veterans. Biden noted that recently visited an American military cemetery in Francethe final resting place of American soldiers who fought in World War I, which Trump notably skipped on his 2018 trip.
Trump claimed during the debate that the Democratic president is coddling migrants while neglecting the needs of veterans and military personnel, and blamed Biden for the chaotic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.
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Superville reported from Washington.
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