Biden Defiant Amid Calls for His Withdrawal from Presidential Race

Despite growing pressure from Democratic allies, President Biden remains resolute in his bid for re-election, dismissing speculation and anonymous sources claiming otherwise.

President Biden has resolutely resisted mounting calls from within his party to withdraw from the presidential race, defying speculation that he would bow out as early as this weekend. The Biden campaign has denounced anonymous sources and rejected rumors that the president would end his campaign in the coming days, suggesting that a pressure campaign was underway to force his hand.

"There are a lot of anonymous sources out there this week telling y’all what is and isn’t happening on Team Biden-Harris. I’m here – on the record (!) – to give you an overview of what actually happened, what’s to come, and a few thoughts on the very bad things coming out of the Republican National Convention," Biden campaign spokesman Kevin Muonoz said in a press release late last week.

Biden Defiant Amid Calls for His Withdrawal from Presidential Race

The comment came shortly after Newsmax's Mark Halperin reported that unnamed Democratic sources had informed him that Biden would drop out of the race this weekend, would not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor, and would call for an open convention during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month.

"It will happen as early as this weekend. A speech has been drafted for him. He will continue on as president, is his intention. He also will not, I'm told, endorse Vice President Harris as his successor. They're hoping that he will endorse an open process in which the convention will be open to Vice President Harris and a few other candidates in Chicago to pick the Democratic nominee for president," Halperin said on Thursday.

Biden Defiant Amid Calls for His Withdrawal from Presidential Race

Axios also speculated that the president would drop out this weekend, with unnamed Biden aides allegedly saying that the president was warming up to the idea of giving into the calls to bow out.

However, the Biden campaign has so far remained steadfast in its denial of the speculation and calls for the president to drop out. Campaign and White House officials have shot down the rumors on social media, released press releases, and continued to announce fundraising efforts.

Biden Defiant Amid Calls for His Withdrawal from Presidential Race

Biden’s deputy campaign manager doubled down on Sunday, stating that reports of the president dropping out are "false" and that Biden has been clear that he is remaining in the race.

“It is false. And I think that it is false to continue to try to gin up this narrative. Joe Biden has said he is in this race,” deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks said on MSNBC on Sunday. “He is in this race to win it. He is instructing us to continue to carry out a plan to make sure that we are communicating [to as] many voters as possible. Actions speak louder than words, although sometimes, in this case, I wish that our words would speak louder so that people would stop asking this question. But we are doing both. The president has doubled down and said that he is running in this race to win it, and that he is not going anywhere.”

Biden Defiant Amid Calls for His Withdrawal from Presidential Race

Despite his COVID-19 diagnosis, Biden has been actively campaigning in recent weeks, holding rallies and meetings across the nation. He delivered a well-received speech during the NATO summit and received mixed reviews for his first solo press conference of the year. However, these events have not swayed Democrats that he's fit for the job, as traditional allies continue to release statements calling for him to drop out.

“While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch. And in doing so, secure his legacy of leadership by allowing us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election," California Rep. Adam Schiff said in a statement last week.

Biden Defiant Amid Calls for His Withdrawal from Presidential Race

Despite speculation that Biden would drop out as early as this weekend, the New York Times reported that the president will not drop out ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Nentanyahu's visit to the nation's capital this week. The president also has a fundraiser scheduled with former late-night host David Letterman on July 29 in Hawaii and has received support from Squad members to remain in the race.

"There have been lots of Democrats who have been giving little anonymous quotes to the press, to some journalist to print, and I'm not here to knock the press on it," she said. "I'm here to knock my colleagues on it, because to me, I think that's, and I'm sorry, I'm going to say because it's after midnight. That's bulls---. Like, if you have an opinion, say it with your chest and say it in public," Squad member, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, said last week in defense of Biden.

Biden Defiant Amid Calls for His Withdrawal from Presidential Race

The chair of the Democratic National Committee, Jamie Harrison, has also notably not called for Biden to pull out of the race, instead saying earlier this month that Biden is the party's nominee."This ain’t the West Wing… we have had a process, millions voted for Joe Biden and we have our nominee!" Harrison tweeted on July 2.

Biden is not yet the official nominee for the ticket, but is expected to be formally nominated in a virtual roll call on Aug. 7, DNC Rules Committee members voted Friday. The move leaves Democrats with roughly two weeks to rally renewed support for Biden as their nominee, or for Biden to drop out and let another candidate step up to the job.

Biden Defiant Amid Calls for His Withdrawal from Presidential Race

The speculation surrounding Biden's possible withdrawal comes as former President Trump was officially nominated as the Republican Party's choice for president. Trump joined the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, last week, where he announced Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate and accepted the nomination.