In a letter to congressional Democrats on Monday, President Joe Biden doubled down on his commitment to staying in the presidential race after several high-profile representatives, such as Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), called for the president to step aside and allow a more youthful candidate to take his place at the top of the ticket. In response to those calls, Biden challenged any potential contenders to announce for president and challenge him at the convention.
"I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump," Biden began. The president then cited various conversations he's had in recent days with elected Democrats, party officials, and voters who have expressed their concerns, explaining that his response to the criticism is that he wouldn't be running again if he didn't believe that he could beat Trump in November.
The president then explained that a key tenet of his campaign, protecting democracy, would be threatened if he were to withdraw from the process and allow party elites to choose a nominee after voters went to the polls earlier this year to select him as the party's candidate.
"We had a Democratic nomination process, and the voters have spoken clearly and decisively," Biden explained. "This was a process open to anyone who wanted to run. Only three people chose to challenge me. One fared so badly that he left the primaries to run as an independent. Another attacked me for being too old and was soundly defeated. The voters of the Democratic Party have voted. They have chosen me to be the nominee of the party."
"Do we now just say this process didn't matter? That the voters don't have a say?" Biden stated. "I decline to do that. I feel a deep obligation to the faith and the trust the voters of the Democratic Party have placed in me to run this year. It was their decision to make. Not the press, not the pundits, not the big donors, not any selected group of individuals, no matter how well intentioned."
President Biden then testified to his record as proof that he could persuade the American people to grant him a second term, pointing to his various legislative accomplishments and contrasting his record with his opponent's. The president concluded his letter by explaining that it was time for the party to come together and the internal division that was dividing the party and weakening his candidacy.
"The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now. And it's time for it to end," Biden wrote. "And that is to beat Donald Trump. We have 42 days to the Democratic Convention and 119 days to the general election. Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. It is time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump."
You can read Biden's letter below:
https://twitter.com/jakesherman/status/1810300398713880627
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