When Joe Biden took the stage for a rally in Detroit, Michigan, on Friday night, one of the loudest crowds seen at any US presidential event in recent years chanted: “Don’t resign!”
The Democratic candidate was greeted with deafening cheers by hundreds of supporters as he promised: “I will run! And I will win!”
As he left the stage, the strains of Tom Petty’s hit “I Won’t Back Down” filled the high school gymnasium where the event was held, an implicit message of rejection toward the growing list of elected officials from his party who have called on the president to step aside, amid concerns about his age.
Despite the barrage of headlines about the latest politician, donor or actor to turn against Biden, an even longer list of Democrats continues to support him.
At least 80 Democratic politicians have publicly backed the 81-year-old, and more are joining in as the re-election hopeful insists he isn’t going anywhere.
The past has its weight
For many, Biden’s political record, his principles and his victory over Donald Trump in 2020 outweigh the damage done by a rambling performance in any debate or public appearance or fears for his health during a hypothetical new four-year term.
In his first solo press conference of the year, Biden gave detailed answers about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and his plans for a second term.
However, many headlines focused on his mistake in referring to his deputy, Kamala Harris, as “Vice President Trump”.
His allies, at least for now, praised the performance of the embattled commander in chief, which was seen live on more than 23 million peoplea larger audience than this year’s Oscars ceremony.
“He showed a real command of foreign policy, really extraordinary,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper told reporters Friday.
“I don’t think Donald Trump can talk about foreign policy coherently. not for a minute“, he added.
For his part, Gavin Newsom, the governor of California who has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Biden, told CBS that he is “totally behind” the president and added that “there is no distance” between them.
Congressman Brendan Boyle (Pennsylvania) said Biden “He proved that he knows a million times more about politics” than Trumpwhom he described as a “convicted fraudster.”
Experts say these politicians have reasons to maintain their support, including Biden’s record in office, his 2020 victory over Trump and the risk that would be involved in presenting a new candidate so close to the November elections.
“The president has made it clear that he wants to continue his candidacy and I think people are being very respectful of that,” said Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg.
“And it is also true that in our system, Replacing a presidential candidate so late is difficult and unprecedented.so there is a huge reluctance to make a big change,” he said.
He also said there had already been a “healthy debate” about who should be the candidate.
Trump, the unifier
A variety of Democratic groups have reiterated that Biden should continue to be the nominee, including the Congressional Hispanic and Black Caucuses, which have around 40 and 60 members respectively.
Biden met with both groups earlier this week.
Ameshia Cross, a former campaign adviser to former President Barack Obama, said the black caucus, as well as many black voters, view Biden as a president committed to civil rights, unlike his rival, Trump.
“(Voters) understand the risk that a Donald J. Trump presidency poses”he claimed.
“This is a man who has opposed efforts toward diversity, equity and inclusion,” she concluded.
Biden has received public support from several left-wing politicians, including New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who previously criticized Biden for pursuing an agenda they viewed as too moderate.
Cross asserted that Many recognize the risks that a Trump presidency will entail for civil and LGBTQ rights and for the fight against climate change..
“These are things that the progressive left cares about, and the president has really worked on them,” he said.
A debate that continues
To date, most of Biden’s support has come from politicians running for reelection in traditionally Democratic districts, while they remain Support from those who fear Biden could hurt his own electoral chances remains elusive in more difficult seats.
Rosenberg said the White House “needs to be respectful of their concerns and address them, I think, in a much more aggressive manner.”
Even as calls for Biden to drop out of the race mount, the latest polls seem to suggest that has not lost much support among voters.
Biden’s campaign has touted a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll released this week that shows him and Trump in a dead heat, similar to the results of the pre-debate poll.
However, that same study also revealed that Two-thirds of Americans want Biden to step aside.
The president has lost the support of some members of the Hollywood elite. Actress Ashley Judd called on Biden to resign in an op-ed published Friday in USA Today, saying the party needed to a “robust” candidate.
This text followed another, even harsher one against Biden, signed by George Clooney.
Longtime Democratic donor Whitney Tilson was the latest to announce she would stop funding the campaign, telling the BBC on Friday that she was increasingly certain Biden should drop out.
Other Democratic donors told Future Forward, a pro-Biden fundraising group, that The promised donations worth some US$ 90 million were on hold until he left, the New York Times reported.
Other major financiers, however, continue to support the president.
Shekar Narasimhan, who has been organizing fundraisers for Democrats for more than two decades, said there had been no change in his plans.
“Our eyes can see what’s going on, our ears can hear what’s being talked about, but we keep our heads down to get the job done,” said Narsimhan, founder of the Asian American Pacific Islander Victory Fund Super-PAC.
“It is the president’s decision whether he wants to run or not, and We will accept whatever he decides”, said.
“But it is better to end this discussion as soon as possible.”he admitted, while assuring that his support for Biden came from his belief that he can win the election.
“This election will be decided by no more than 50,000 total votes in three states – Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – and we have the terrain and infrastructure to win there,” he said.
National Finance Committee member Frank Islam said he had planned a fundraiser at his home in Maryland later this month.
“I am fully committed to moving forward because I know he (Biden) will win,” he said.
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