Biden vows to stay in US election race amid speculation he will step down
After Biden's concerning debate performance, the White House has been forced to deny rumours he is considering standing down, ITV News US Correspondent Dan Rivers reports
President Joe Biden has insisted he will stay in the US election race, after a shaky performance in a television debate have fuelled calls for him to step aside.
The US president raised concerns during a head-to-head debate with Donald Trump last Friday, when he lost his train of thought, stumbled over his words and spoke incoherently at times.
On a call with campaign staffers, he said: “Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running … no one’s pushing me out.
"I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win.”
When asked if Biden was considering stepping down, the White House's press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: "Absolutely not."
Democrat Congressman Raúl Grijalva said he would back the US president for as long as he was a candidate, but described the current situation as an "opportunity to look elsewhere".
He told the New York Times: "What Biden needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat - and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race.”
Another Congress Democrat, Jim Clyburn, has been a long-time Biden ally - but he said he would back a mini-primary election to select another candidate if Biden left the race.
He called the current president's debate performance "concerning".
This follows a new poll which revealed three-quarters of voters believe the Democrats would have better chances in the election if someone other than Joe Biden was their candidate.
The data was collected by SSRS on behalf of CNN.
Among only Democrats and Democratic-leaning registered voters, 56% say the party has a better shot at the presidency with someone other than Biden, while 43% say the party stands a better chance with him.
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