DETROIT (AP) 鈥� President Joe Biden on Friday forcefully defied the who have called on him to exit the race, pivoting to warnings about a second Donald Trump term and declaring he was 鈥渘ot done yet.鈥�
As a raucous Detroit crowd chanted 鈥渄on鈥檛 you quit!鈥� and 鈥渨e got your back!鈥� Biden said 鈥� again 鈥� that he was still running for reelection and vowed to 鈥渟hine a spotlight on Donald Trump" and what the Republican would do if he returned to the White House. Biden lambasted an crafted by conservative think tanks that Trump has scrambled to distance himself from, while ticking off several items on his own wish list for the first 100 days of his second term.
At the same school where, four years ago, then-candidate Biden positioned himself as a bridge to the next generation of Democratic leaders, the embattled president, who has been under pressure for more than two weeks to step aside, made it clear he was going nowhere.
鈥淵ou made me the nominee, no one else 鈥� not the press, not the pundits, not the insiders, not donors," Biden said, to cheers. 鈥淵ou, the voters. You decided. No one else. And I'm not going anywhere.鈥�
The show of force from Biden at the evening rally was part of his team's relentless sprint to convince fretting lawmakers, nervous donors and a skeptical electorate that at the age of 81, he is still capable of being president. But a spate of travel to battleground states, interviews with journalists and a rare have not tamped down the angst within the party about Biden's candidacy and his prospects against Trump in November.
So far, one Democratic senator and roughly 20 House Democrats have publicly called on Biden to step aside. told Democrats he had met privately with Biden after the news conference, sharing the 鈥渇ull breadth鈥� of views from lawmakers about the path forward in the president鈥檚 campaign for reelection. Earlier Friday, in a virtual meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Biden was told directly by California Rep. Mike Levin that he should step down as the Democratic nominee, according to three people familiar with that call who were granted anonymity to discuss it.
But the support Biden retains among Democrats was clear among the hundreds of supporters at the rally, who waved signs that read 鈥淢otown is Joetown鈥� and enthusiastically cheered the president's remarks 鈥� and jeered at any mention of Trump.
鈥淗e inherited millions of dollars only to squander it. He鈥檚 filed for bankruptcy six times," Biden said. "He even went bankrupt running a casino. I didn鈥檛 think that was even possible. Doesn鈥檛 the house always win in a casino?鈥�
He also singled out Project 2025, a of the federal government drafted by longtime allies and former officials in the Trump administration that Trump has insisted he knows 鈥渘othing鈥� of.
鈥淵ou heard about it? It鈥檚 a blueprint for a second Trump term that every American should read and understand," Biden said, accusing his opponent of trying to run from the plan 鈥渏ust like he's trying to distance himself from overturning Roe vs. Wade because he knows how toxic it is. But we're not gonna let that happen.鈥�
Biden also criticized the media, claiming was focusing on his errors and not on Trump鈥檚. It prompted his supporters to boo reporters in the room 鈥� a staple of Trump rallies 鈥� though Biden tried briefly to calm the jeers, saying 鈥渘o, no, no.鈥�
He smiled, though, when the audience repeatedly chanted 鈥渓ock him up鈥� in reference to Trump, who was convicted on felony charges in New York relating to his hush money payments to an adult film actress around the 2016 election. Trump frequently encouraged the same chant regarding his political opponents.
The Biden campaign and the White House did not immediately respond when asked if Biden condoned the chant.
Biden's campaign has indirectly acknowledged that Biden's route to the White House is narrowing, saying the so-called 鈥渂lue wall鈥� of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania is now the 鈥渃learest pathway鈥� to victory even while insisting other battleground states like Arizona and Nevada are not out of reach.
That strategy is reflected in how Biden is redoubling his efforts in the Midwestern states, hitting Detroit nearly one week after he campaigned in Madison, Wisconsin; Philadelphia; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Rallying enthusiasm in Detroit and among its sizable Black population could prove decisive for Biden鈥檚 chances of winning Michigan, which Biden reclaimed in 2020 after Trump won it four years prior by just over 10,000 votes.
Campaign aides underscored the enthusiasm for Biden after his news conference at the conclusion of this week's NATO summit. Communications director Michael Tyler said donations 鈥渆xploded," saying there were 40,000 contributions on Thursday night 鈥� a clip that was seven times the average.
But at a critical juncture when Biden needs to consolidate support, key Democratic leaders in the state were notably absent Friday.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is co-chair of Biden鈥檚 campaign, was out of the state. Sens. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, and Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is vying for Michigan鈥檚 open Senate seat, were also not there. United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, whom Biden actively courted during last year鈥檚 strikes, was traveling for a conference.
Rep. Hillary Scholten, who is seeking reelection in a battleground district in western Michigan, is among the lawmakers who've called on Biden to step aside.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, one of the more prominent Democratic leaders appearing with Biden on Friday, refused to say whether she believed Biden should still be the party鈥檚 presidential nominee.
鈥淚鈥檓 just focused on making sure people know what鈥檚 at stake this year and know how to exercise their vote,鈥� she said.
But in a swing state that he won by close to 3 percentage points in 2020, Biden continued to command support. Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell, Rep. Haley Stevens, Rep. Shri Thanedar and AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler accompanied Biden on Air Force One from Washington to Detroit, in Biden's fourth trip to the state this year. Also attending was Academy Award-winning actress Octavia Spencer. And over a dozen Detroit-area state lawmakers signed onto a joint letter Thursday 鈥渢o express our unwavering support" for Biden.
After the rally, Ken Jacobs, 71, said Biden鈥檚 speech, which stretched to over 30 minutes, should put to rest any talk that he couldn鈥檛 handle another four years in office.
鈥淗e should repeat that exact speech at the Democratic convention,鈥� said Jacobs. 鈥淚t shows that he has the stamina for this.鈥�
Anne Baxter, 62, said Biden is correct in staying in the race and decried the media, celebrities and other Democratic leaders calling on him to step down.
鈥淚鈥檓 glad he鈥檚 not listening to these knuckleheads, because it's not the base,鈥� the retired teacher said. 鈥淵ou heard these people here.鈥�
In 2016, Trump won Michigan by a thin margin attributed in part to reduced turnout in predominantly Black areas like Detroit鈥檚 Wayne County, where Hillary Clinton received far fewer votes than Barack Obama did in previous elections.
Biden reclaimed much of that support four years ago, when he defeated Trump in Michigan by a 154,000-vote margin, but he has work to do. Detroit, which holds a population that is nearly 78% Black, saw a 12% turnout in the Feb. 27 primary, almost half that of the 23% total turnout in the state.
Key parts of Biden鈥檚 coalition in Michigan are also upset with him over Israel鈥檚 offensive following Hamas鈥� Oct. 7 attack. Michigan holds the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the nation, contributing to over 100,000 people voting 鈥淯ncommitted鈥� in Michigan鈥檚 Democratic primary in February.
___
Kim reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Isabella Volmert in Detroit and Farnoush Amiri, Mary Clare Jalonick and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.
Zeke Miller, Joey Cappelletti And Seung Min Kim, The Associated Press
