President Joe Biden defiantly says he's "not going anywhere" during Michigan trip
President Joe Biden on Friday forcefully defied the growing number of critics in his own party who have called on him to exit the race, pivoting to warnings about a second Donald Trump term and declaring he was "not done yet."
Mr. Biden, now a president seeking reelection, returned to the city Friday with many in his party now pleading for him to fulfill that very promise and step aside. He has remained defiant that he'll remain in the race despite a disastrous debate performance that triggered a wave of calls for him to end his candidacy.
As a raucous Detroit crowd chanted "don't you quit!" and "we got your back!" Biden said — again — that he was still running for reelection and vowed to "shine a spotlight on Donald Trump" and what the Republican would do if he returned to the White House. Biden lambasted an expansive far-right policy agenda crafted by conservative think tanks that Trump has scrambled to distance himself from, while ticking off several items on his own wish list for the first 100 days of his second term.
At the same school where, four years ago, then-candidate Biden positioned himself as a bridge to the next generation of Democratic leaders, the embattled president, who has been under pressure for more than two weeks to step aside, made it clear he was going nowhere.
"You made me the nominee, no one else — not the press, not the pundits, not the insiders, not donors," Biden said, to cheers. "You, the voters. You decided. No one else. And I'm not going anywhere."
The show of force from Biden at the evening rally was part of his team's relentless sprint to convince fretting lawmakers, nervous donors and a skeptical electorate that at the age of 81, he is still capable of being president. But a spate of travel to battleground states, interviews with journalists and a rare solo news conference have not tamped down the angst within the party about Biden's candidacy and his prospects against Trump in November.
During a news conference on Thursday, when asked why he no longer considered himself a "bridge" to the next generation of leaders, Mr. Biden responded that "what changed was the gravity of the situation I inherited in terms of the economy, foreign policy, and domestic division."
"We've never been here before," Mr. Biden continued. "And that's the other reason why I didn't, you say, hand off to another generation. I gotta finish the job."
In the two weeks since his debate debacle, Mr. Biden and his team have been on a relentless sprint to persuade fretting lawmakers, nervous donors and a skeptical electorate that at the age of 81, he is still capable of being president. But a spate of travel to battleground states, interviews with journalists and a rare solo news conference have done little to tamp down the angst within the party about Mr. Biden's candidacy and his prospects against Donald Trump in November.
So far, one Democratic senator and 20 House Democrats have publicly called on Mr. Biden to step aside, with the latest statements — from Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, California Rep. Scott Peters and Illinois Rep. Eric Sorensen — coming as the president's highly anticipated news conference ended Thursday night. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has indicated Mr. Biden still has a decision to make on whether to run, even though the president has made it clear he remains in the race.
Meanwhile, his reelection campaign has indirectly acknowledged that Mr. Biden's route to the White House is narrowing, saying the so-called "blue wall" of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania is now the "clearest pathway" to victory even as other battleground states like Arizona and Nevada are not out of reach.
That strategy is reflected in how Mr. Biden is redoubling his efforts in the Midwestern states, hitting Detroit nearly one week after he campaigned in Madison, Wisconsin; Philadelphia; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Rallying enthusiasm in Detroit and among its sizable Black population could prove decisive for Mr. Biden's chances of winning Michigan, which Mr. Biden reclaimed in 2020 after Donald Trump won it in four years prior by just over 10,000 votes.
He also singled out Project 2025, a massive proposed federal government overhaul drafted by longtime allies and former Trump administration officials that Trump has insisted he knows "nothing" about.
"You heard about it? It's a blueprint for a second Trump term that every American should read and understand," Biden said, accusing his opponent of trying to run from the plan "just like he's trying to distance himself from overturning Roe vs. Wade because he knows how toxic it is. But we're not gonna let that happen."
Biden also criticized the media, claiming was focusing on his errors and not on Trump's. It prompted his supporters to boo reporters in the room — a staple of Trump rallies — though Biden tried briefly to calm the jeers, saying "no, no, no."
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is co-chair of Mr. Biden's campaign, will be out of the state. Sen. Gary Peters, a steadfast supporter of Mr. Biden, and Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is vying for Michigan's open Senate seat, will also be absent from the event. United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, whom Mr. Biden actively courted during last year's strikes and who met with him and other union leaders Wednesday, is traveling for a conference.
Meanwhile, Rep. Hillary Scholten, who is seeking reelection in a battleground district in western Michigan, joined a growing list of national Democrats who have called on Mr. Biden to step aside for another candidate.
"With the challenges facing our country in 2025 and beyond, it is essential that we have the strongest possible candidate leading the top of the ticket — not just to win, but to govern," Scholten said in a statement Thursday.
But in a swing state that he won by close to 3 percentage points in 2020, Mr. Biden continues to command support. Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell, Rep. Haley Stevens, Rep. Shri Thanedar and AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler will all attend the Detroit event, which marks Mr. Biden's fourth trip to the state this year. Also planning on attending is Academy Award-winning actress Octavia Spencer. And over a dozen Detroit-area state lawmakers signed onto a joint letter Thursday "to express our unwavering support for President Joe Biden."
"As the Detroit Caucus, we are committed to mobilizing our communities, raising awareness, and advocating for policies that benefit Black Michiganders," the state lawmakers wrote in the letter. "We encourage all our members and allies to join us in supporting President Biden and Vice President Harris."
In 2016, Trump won Michigan by a thin margin attributed in part to reduced turnout in predominantly Black areas like Detroit's Wayne County, where Hillary Clinton received far fewer votes than Barack Obama did in previous elections.
Mr. Biden reclaimed much of that support four years ago, when he defeated Trump in Michigan by a 154,000-vote margin, but he has work to do. Detroit, which holds a population that is nearly 78% Black, saw a 12% turnout in the Feb. 27 primary, almost half that of the 23% total turnout in the state.
Key parts of Mr. Biden's coalition in Michigan are also upset with him over Israel's offensive following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack. Michigan holds the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the nation, contributing to over 100,000 people voting "Uncommitted" in Michigan's Democratic primary in February.