President Biden called into MSNBC’s "Morning Joe" on Monday and defiantly proclaimed that he would be staying in the 2024 presidential race.
"The bottom line here is that we’re not going anywhere. I am not going anywhere," Biden told hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, both avid White House supporters.
"I wouldn’t be running if I didn’t absolutely believe that I am the best candidate to beat Donald Trump in 2024," he said. "We had a democratic nominating process where the voters spoke clearly. I won 14 million of those votes."
After Brzezinski introduced Biden as the "presumptive Democratic nominee," the president laughed and boldly stated, "I’m more than the presumptive. I’m going to be the nominee."
Biden, via telephone from the White House, noted that he has been traveling on the road over the last 10 days to make sure his "instinct" was right about the Democratic Party still wanting him as the nominee. He has faced calls from media allies and members of his own party to step aside after his halting debate showing and behind-the-scenes reports of mental and cognitive decline.
He also suggested that he has been traveling around the country to dispel the notion that former President Trump has made substantial gains among voters since the June 27 debate.
Asked by Brzezinski about his brutal debate and how he could assure it wouldn't happen again, Biden said, "Look at my career. I have not had many of those nights. It was a terrible night and I really regret it happened."
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