US President Joe Biden vows to fight on amid calls to end campaign, fundraising woes

US President Joe Biden vowed on Friday to continue his reelection campaign even as more fellow Democrats in Congress urged him to end his floundering campaign, fearing that it could cost the party dearly in the November 5 election.

More than one in 10 congressional Democrats have now publicly called on the 81-year-old incumbent -- who is isolating at his Delaware home with a case of COVID -- to drop out following a disastrous June debate against Republican Donald Trump that raised questions about Biden's ability to win or to carry out his duties for another four years.

Biden remained defiant, saying he would resume campaigning soon.
"I look forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week to continue exposing the threat of Donald Trump’s Project 2025 agenda while making the case for my own record and the vision that I have for America," he said in a statement, referring to a policy plan developed by Trump's conservative allies.

So far, 32 of the 264 Democrats in Congress have openly called for Biden to end his campaign, while other senior Democratic leaders have pushed him behind the scenes to do so, according to sources and media reports.

Democrats are increasingly worried about a Republican sweep in the November 5 election that could leave Trump and his allies not only in charge of the White House but also with majorities in both chambers of Congress.

After weeks of insisting he will remain in the race, sources say Biden is now taking calls to step aside seriously, and multiple Democratic officials think an exit is a matter of time.

Several of US President Joe Biden's reelection campaign fundraisers are on hold, multiple Democratic sources involved in the events told Reuters on Friday, even as the Democratic Party planned to accelerate his nomination and he vowed to continue in the 2024 race.

Biden had planned to raise money in Austin, Denver, and California next week, but these plans have been shelved, at least for now, the sources said. The president tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday but said Friday he would return to the campaign trail next week.

Several big donors are closing their checkbooks amid questions about whether Biden should remain at the top of the Democratic Party ticket, the sources said, using their financial clout to tell Biden to drop out of the November 5 race, potentially in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from Reuters)

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