Biden issues challenge to his critics during unexpected call to morning TV
By Farrah Tomazin
Washington: Embattled US President Joe Biden has doubled down against party “elites” who have called for him to drop out of the election, daring any of his critics to challenge him at next month’s Democratic convention.
As members of Congress returned to Washington for the first time after Biden’s dismal debate performance 11 days ago, the president made an unexpected phone call to MSNBC’s Morning Joe program to express his frustration and once again declare he is not going anywhere.
Joe Biden and Pastor Louis Felton pray at a church service at Mt Airy Church of God in Christ in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Credit: AP
“I’m getting so frustrated by the elites … in the party,” he told hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, occasionally raising his voice.
“They know so much more? If any of these guys don’t think I should run – run against me. Go ahead. Announce for president; challenge me at the convention.”
The Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which takes place over four days in August, is where the party officially nominates a candidate for president and vice president, and adopts the policy platform it will take to the election in November.
Former president Donald Trump pats Marco Rubio on the shoulder at a campaign rally at the Miami-Dade County Fair in Miami in 2022.Credit: AP
The Republican convention, meanwhile, will take place next week, in which Trump will reveal his running mate from a shortlist that includes, among others, former North Dakota governor Doug Bergum, Florida senator Marco Rubio, and author-turned-politician JD Vance.
Biden’s latest defiant comments came a few hours after he sent a letter to congressional Democrats, telling them it was time to end the pressure campaign against him, and insisting that he is the best person to perform the duties of the presidency and take on Trump.
He also warned that anyone trying to push him out of the race would be undemocratically denying the wishes of members who participated in the presidential primary process earlier this year, where the majority of members chose him to be their candidate for the White House.
“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,” Biden wrote.
The president’s doubling down against critics comes at a critical time, as America’s oldest president prepares to host leaders of more than 31 nations at the NATO summit in Washington this week.
Some of those nations have expressed concerns, privately and publicly, about how Trump would approach the alliance if he returns to office in November.
But while much was already riding on the president’s performance at the summit this week, his debate disaster last month put him under even greater pressure to allay global fears.
Some, such as Polish Foreign Minister Radalow Sikorski, were scathing after Biden’s debate, writing on X: “Marcus Aurelius was a great emperor but he screwed up his succession by passing the baton to his feckless son Commodus (He, from the Gladiator). Whose disastrous rule started Rome’s decline. It’s important to manage one’s ride into the sunset.”
Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will open the summit on Tuesday evening (Wednesday AEST) with a 75th anniversary commemoration event.
On Wednesday, he will welcome Sweden as the newest member of the alliance at a meeting of NATO 32 allies, and on Thursday he will hold a meeting with the EU and NATO’s Indo-Pacific partners – Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and New Zealand.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will not attend the summit, with Defence Minister Richard Marles travelling to the US in his place.
The president will also have a one-on-one meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and will meet with newly-appointed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, days after the Labour Party won a landslide election in the UK.
“Our allies are looking for US leadership,” Biden said during his fiery Morning Joe phone call.
“Who else do you think could step in here and do this? I expanded NATO … I made sure that we were in a position where we have a coalition of nations around the world to deal with China, with Russia, with everything that’s going on in the world. We’re making real progress.
“But I’m not going to explain any more about what I should or shouldn’t do. I am running.”
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