Biden vows to ‘race to the end’ despite criticism

BBC:

US President Joe Biden has promised he will be “running this race to the end” of the November election, despite private calls from some Democrats to drop out.

In a letter sent to congressional democrats on Monday, Mr Biden said he “wouldn’t be running again if I did not absolutely believe” that he could beat Donald Trump.

The letter comes after a group call with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, in which four congressmen were explicit in urging Mr Biden to step aside, according to outlets including the BBC’s US partner CBS News.

The quartet were joined by others who voiced concerns about Mr Biden’s fitness for office after a recent stumbling debate performance, but stopped short of asking for the president to clear the way, CBS added.

Scrutiny of Mr Biden’s candidacy is expected to intensify on Monday with the return of lawmakers to Capitol Hill. The president will also be in the spotlight in the days ahead as he hosts a summit in Washington for leaders of Nato countries.

In the letter, Mr Biden said he has “heard the concerns that people have” and “is not blind to them”, but that Democratic voters in the primaries have “spoken clearly and decisively” that he should run.

“This was a process open to anyone who wanted to run,” Mr Biden wrote. “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….I decline to do that,” he added. “How can we stand for democracy in our nation if we ignore it in our own party? I cannot do that. I will not do that.”

In addition to the letter, the president also called into MSNBC’s Morning Joe programme, telling host Joe Scarborough that he is “not going anywhere”.

American media reports slightly diverged on which Democratic representatives said what during the private conversation with Mr Jeffries on Sunday.

Jerry Nadler, Mark Takano and Adam Smith all said Mr Biden should step aside, according to multiple outlets, citing people on the call or familiar with what was said.

Joe Morelle added his voice, according to CBS and the New York Times, but the Associated Press said that the fourth person was Jim Himes.

Others expressed concerns about Mr Biden’s electoral chanc