President Biden called on “Morning Joe” on Monday for a challenging interview in which he rejected what he called “big names” and “elites” in the Democratic Party who have called on him to step aside as a candidate.
“I’m getting frustrated with the party elites, ‘Oh, they know so much better,’” Biden said on the MSNBC morning show. Advertise for president, challenge me at the convention.”
Biden told co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski that he was running regardless of what pundits and editorial boards said, arguing that he cared about ordinary voters.
Biden laughed off a question about whether he had been tested for age-related illnesses and criticized former President Trump for staying out of the public eye over the past week.
“I won’t care what these big names think. …Come with me and watch people’s reactions. You make a judgment,” Biden said in his first interview since his highly anticipated interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, which aired Friday.
“I’m not going to explain any more about what I should or shouldn’t do. I am running. I’m running and if you want to stop me, come…” he said, before Scarborough interrupted him.
The president also spoke about the enthusiastic crowds he has seen at rallies since the debate, including in North Carolina and Wisconsin, to argue that voters want him to stay in the race.
“I wanted to make sure I got it right. That the average voter still wanted Joe Biden. And I’m confident it will,” Biden said.
“The bottom line here is we’re not going anywhere. I’m not going anywhere,” she added. “I’m not giving up, Joe. I won’t give up one bit.”
A series of polls since last month’s disastrous debate have shown growing concerns about Biden’s age and whether he will maintain or increase his lead in key swing states.
Five sitting House Democrats have now called for Biden to step aside after Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) wrote Saturday on Social Platform X that he should step aside. She joined fellow House Democrats Reps. Lloyd Doggett (Texas), Mike Quigley (Ill.), Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.) and Seth Moulton (Mass.) in publicly calling for him to withdraw from the race. Several senior House Democrats reportedly said Biden should scrap a private call over the weekend.
The president is a regular viewer of the MSNBC program, and Scarborough, his co-host, has previously suggested that Biden consider ending his candidacy.
Scarborough questioned Biden about an answer he gave in the ABC interview, during which he said that if he lost to Trump in November, he would want to make sure he gave it his all.
“It’s not an option and I didn’t lose it. I did not lose. I beat him last time, I will beat him this time,” said the president on Monday.
He then criticized Trump, calling him a liar and arguing that the former president hasn’t been campaigning since the debate but instead has been “riding around in a golf cart for 10 days.”
Biden repeated that he was feeling terrible on debate night and acknowledged his poor performance during the debate, which included him speaking in a soft, hoarse voice and struggling to complete sentences.
“I had a terrible night. I’m really sorry this happened,” Biden told “Morning Joe.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
