US President Joe Biden traveled to the battleground state of Wisconsin on Friday to tell voters he is staying in the presidential race. He delivered a speech and promised to “beat Donald Trump.”
Biden has been pushing back at people who say he should drop out of the election in November. He has heard those calls even from members of his own Democratic Party after fumbling his way through a televised debate last week against the former president.
Biden held a rally on Friday in Wisconsin, where he is trying to hold on to the support of voters. He won the state in the 2020 election, four years after Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton lost it to Trump. He told supporters he is “running and gonna win again.”
Biden said he is not going to let one debate wipe out “three-and-a-half years of work” and stressed the dangers of putting Trump back in office, calling him the “biggest threat” to democracy in American history.
The New York Times had reported that Biden plans to change his daily routine. The article says he told Democratic governors he is cutting back on events after 8pm so he can “get more sleep.” Biden has repeatedly said jet lag and extensive overseas travel affected his debate performance.
Still, White House officials say he knows being president is a “24/7 job” but that he recognizes the importance of “striking a balance.”
Many polls now show his challenger moving ahead. A group called RealClearPolitics averaged those polls on Friday, finding support for Trump at 47.5 percent and Biden at 44.2 percent.