NORTHVILLE: President Joe Biden sought to revive his struggling reelection campaign on Friday in the crucial swing state of Michigan, where the 81-year-old tried to reassure voters about his mental sharpness and warned of the dangers of Republican rival Donald Trump.
Biden made a surprise stop at a garage-themed restaurant in a western suburb of Detroit, where he told diners he planned to “finish the job,“ and said of Trump “the alternative is not much of an alternative.”
Addressing recent health concerns, Biden said “I promise you…I’m okay.” When one woman diner laughed heartily at his joke that he was “only 41,“ Biden quipped “God love you, you’re like my sister.”
As Air Force One flew to the Motor City, campaign spokesperson Michael Tyler told reporters that donations “exploded” during Biden’s Thursday night press conference to seven times the usual level.
Biden got a boost earlier in the day when two prominent Democrats – Representative James Clyburn and California Governor Gavin Newsom – said he should stay in the race.
But there were signs that his support was weakening elsewhere, as two more lawmakers called on him to drop out.
“It is time to move forward. With a new leader,“ Representative Mike Levin, from California, said in a statement. Levin, like many others who have called on Biden to drop out, faces a competitive re-election battle of his own this year.
At least 19 lawmakers have urged him to step aside so the party can pick another candidate following his halting June 27 debate performance against Republican rival Donald Trump.
The Sunrise Movement, an environmental group, also called on him to end his campaign, citing low enthusiasm for his campaign among young voters.
Biden has repeatedly said he intends to remain his party’s standard bearer, and he retains support from key figures in the party.
“I’m riding with Biden no matter which direction he goes,“ Clyburn said on NBC’s “Today” program. Newsom likewise said he was sticking with Biden in an interview excerpt released by CBS.
Clyburn, 83, is a respected voice among Black Americans whose support is essential to Biden’s 2024 campaign, while Newsom, 56, is one of several younger governors who are widely seen as the future of the party.
CRUCIAL CALLS
Democrats are worried that Biden’s low approval ratings and growing concerns that he is too old for the job could cause them to lose seats in the House and Senate, leaving them with no grip on power in Washington should Trump win the White House.
As he worked to stem further defections, Biden held separate phone calls with groups of Hispanic, Asian and Democratic lawmakers, according to aides. While the Hispanic group’s top two leaders have endorsed Biden, some other members have not stated their positions.
Democratic officeholders, donors and activists are trying to determine whether Biden is their best bet to defeat Trump in the Nov. 5 election and serve another four-year term in the White House.
The New York Times reported that unnamed donors have told a pro-Biden Super PAC that roughly $90 million in pledges will remain on hold as long as he remains in the race.
Biden and other Democrats have warned that a sweeping policy agenda crafted by conservative allies called Project 2025 would give Trump a blank check to pursue his whims. Trump has distanced himself from the project.
Trump will be in the national spotlight next week, when the Republican Party holds its convention in Milwaukee to award him the presidential nomination.
JEFFRIES MEETS BIDEN
Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, said he met with Biden on Thursday night to convey the range of thoughts his 213-member caucus held about Biden’s candidacy. He did not say whether he personally thought Biden should stay in the race.
“I directly expressed the full breadth of insight, heartfelt perspectives and conclusions about the path forward,“ Jeffries wrote in a letter to colleagues. He did not say whether he personally thought Biden should stay in the race.
With most U.S. voters firmly divided into ideological camps, opinion polls show the race remains close.
Thursday’s press conference provided fodder for Biden supporters and doubters alike.
At one point, Biden referred to his vice president, Kamala Harris, as “Vice President Trump.” Hours earlier he introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as “President Putin” at the NATO summit, drawing gasps from those in the room.
Biden occasionally garbled his responses at the press conference but also delivered detailed assessments of global issues that served as a reminder of his decades of experience on the world stage.
An NPR/PBS poll released on Friday found Biden leading Trump 50% to 48%, a slight increase from his position before the June 27 debate.
But some analysts have warned that Biden is losing ground in the handful of competitive states that will determine the outcome of the election.
“If current trends continue, Mr. Trump could rack up one of the most decisive presidential victories since 2008,“ Democratic strategist Doug Sosnik wrote in the New York Times.
