WASHINGTON (AP) – Four years ago, candidate Joe Biden stood before supporters at a Detroit high school, flanked by Kamala Harris and other rising Democratic stars, and billed himself as a bridge to the next generation of leaders.
Biden, now a president seeking re-election, returns to the city on Friday with many in his party imploring him to make good on that promise and step aside. But Biden remains defiant that he will remain in the race despite a disastrous debate performance this triggered a wave of calls for him to end his candidacy.
During a press conference on ThursdayWhen asked why he no longer considered himself a “bridge” to the next generation of leaders, Biden responded that “what has changed is the gravity of the situation I inherited in terms of the economy, foreign policy and internal division.”
“We’ve never been here before,” Biden continued. “And that’s the other reason why, you say, I didn’t pass it on to another generation. I need to finish the work.
In the two weeks since his debate flop, Biden and his team have been in a relentless race to convince concerned lawmakers, nervous donors and a skeptical electorate that, at 81, he is still capable of being president. But a series of trips to swing states, interviews with journalists and a rare one-on-one news conference did little to quell angst within the party over Biden’s candidacy and prospects against donald trump in November.
So far, one Democratic senator and 16 House Democrats have publicly called on Biden to step aside, with the latest statements — from Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, California Rep. Scott Peters and Illinois Rep. Eric Sorensen — being the highly anticipated news of the president. the conference ended on Thursday night. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., indicated that Biden still has a decision to make about whether to run, although the president has made clear he remains in the race.
Meanwhile, his reelection campaign indirectly acknowledged that Biden’s path to the White House is narrowing, saying the so-called “blue wall” of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania is now the “clearest path” to victory, even as other swing states like Arizona and Nevada are not out of reach.
That strategy is reflected in the way Biden is redoubling his efforts in Midwestern states, hitting Detroit almost a week after campaigning in Madison, Wisconsin; Philadelphia; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Raising enthusiasm in Detroit and among its sizable black population could be decisive for Biden’s chances of winning Michigan, which Biden reclaimed in 2020 after Donald Trump won four years earlier by just over 10,000 votes.
But at a critical time when Biden needs to consolidate support, the state’s top Democratic leaders will be absent from Friday’s event, where Biden plans to speak about the “Project 2025” agenda, a massive overhaul proposed of the federal government drafted by longtime allies and former Trump administration officials.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who is co-chair of Biden’s campaign, will be out of the state. Sen. Gary Peters, a staunch Biden supporter, and Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is running for a Michigan Senate seat, will also be absent from the event. United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, whom Biden actively courted during last year’s strikes and who met with him and other union leaders on Wednesday, is traveling to a conference.
Meanwhile, Rep. Hillary Scholten, who is seeking re-election in a swing district in western Michigan, has joined a growing list of national Democrats who have called on Biden to step aside in favor of another candidate.
“With the challenges facing our country in 2025 and beyond, it is essential that we have the strongest possible candidate leading the way at the top of the ticket – not just to win, but to govern,” Scholten said in a statement Thursday.
But in a swing state he won by nearly 3 percentage points in 2020, Biden continues to gain support. Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell, Rep. Haley Stevens, Rep. Shri Thanedar and AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler will attend the Detroit event, which marks Biden’s fourth trip to the state this year. Also planning to participate is Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer. And more than a dozen Detroit-area state lawmakers signed a joint letter Thursday “to express our unwavering support for President Joe Biden.”
“As the Detroit Caucus, we are committed to mobilizing our communities, raising awareness, and advocating for policies that benefit Black Michiganders,” the state lawmakers wrote in the letter. “We encourage all of our members and allies to join us in supporting President Biden and Vice President Harris.”
In his return to Michigan, Biden aims to rekindle the energy felt in March 2020, when he performed at Detroit’s Renaissance High School. During that appearance, Biden held hands with Harris, Whitmer and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker.
“I see myself as a bridge, not anything else,” Biden said. “There is a whole generation of leaders that you saw supporting me. They are the future of this country.”
In 2016, Trump won Michigan by a small margin, attributed in part to declining turnout in predominantly black areas such as Detroit’s Wayne County, where Hillary Clinton received far fewer votes than Barack Obama in previous elections.
Biden regained much of that support four years ago when he defeated Trump in Michigan by a margin of 154,000 votes, but he has work to do. Detroit, which has a population that is nearly 78% black, had a 12% turnout in the Feb. 27 primary, nearly half the state’s total turnout of 23%.
Key parts of Biden’s Michigan coalition are also upset with him over Israel’s offensive following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. Michigan has the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the country, contributing to more than 100,000 people voting “Uncommitted” in the Michigan Democratic primary in February.
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Cappelletti reported from Lansing, Michigan.
