Washington, United States:
President Joe Biden reiterated on Monday that he has no plans to withdraw from the US presidential campaign after the White House denied he has Parkinson’s disease following his disastrous debate performance.
The 81-year-old Trump challenged Democratic critics to either challenge him at next month’s party convention in Chicago or support him against Donald Trump on the November ballot.
The president made the blistering denunciation in both a letter to Congress and an extraordinary television telephone appearance at the start of a crucial week in which he will face fresh scrutiny at a NATO summit in Washington.
“I am determined to continue my campaign,” Biden wrote in the letter.
“Now is the time to come together, to move forward as a united party and defeat Donald Trump,” he said. “It’s time for this to end.”
The embattled president then appeared by phone on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and said he was “very frustrated with the elites” in his party.
“Anyone who thinks I shouldn’t run can run against me. Announce your candidacy for president and challenge me at the convention,” he added.
Trump has been uncharacteristically silent since the debate, but on Fox News on Monday he said Biden was resisting pressure and would continue to campaign.
“He has an ego and he doesn’t want to quit,” Trump said in an interview with Sean Hannity.
But despite his extra efforts, pressure continued to mount on the oldest president in U.S. history.
Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, became the sixth Democrat to publicly say Biden should resign.
“I think it’s become clear that he’s not the best person to carry the Democratic message,” he told CNN.
But other Democratic leaders voiced their support for Biden.
“I made it very clear that day after the debate that I support Joe Biden for President and the Democratic nominee, and my position has not changed,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told CNN.
Denial of Parkinson’s disease
Biden’s onslaught was an apparent attempt to allay concerns about his health that grew after his June 27 debate with Trump, a Republican who is trailing in the polls.
During the debate, Biden frequently lost his train of thought, stared blankly and spoke in a husky, incoherent voice at times, which he blamed on jet lag and a cold.
The White House is also feeling the pressure, with some tense exchanges at a press conference on Monday.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called for “respect,” but reporters took issue with her denial of reports that a Parkinson’s disease specialist had visited the White House eight times.
The visit by Kevin Canard, a neurologist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where Biden is being treated, was recorded in publicly available visitor logs.
“Has the president ever been treated for Parkinson’s? No. Is he receiving treatment for Parkinson’s? No. Is he taking medication for Parkinson’s? No,” Jean-Pierre said.
The White House released a letter from Biden’s physician, Kevin O’Connor, on Monday night, alleging that the president had not seen a neurologist outside of his three-yearly physicals.
The White House also denied reports that NATO allies attending a 75th anniversary summit in Washington this week had expressed concerns about Biden.
“We’re not getting any indication from our allies,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
But with polls predicting Trump will win in November, NATO leaders are seeking reassurance anyway.
The former president has long been a critic of the defense alliance, expressed admiration for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and argued that he could bring a quick end to the war in Ukraine.
“All in”
The NATO summit begins on Tuesday, the same day Democrats return to Congress from a brief recess to hold a caucus to debate Biden’s fate.
Democratic candidate Trump trails in most polls, despite his rival’s recent felony conviction in a porn star hush money scandal.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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