RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters) - President Joe Biden said on Friday (Jun 28) he intended to defeat Republican rival Donald Trump in the November presidential election, giving no sign that he would consider dropping out of the race after a feeble debate performance that dismayed his fellow Democrats.
"I know I'm not a young man, to state the obvious," an ebullient Biden said at a rally one day after the head-to-head showdown with his Republican rival, which was widely viewed as a defeat for the 81-year-old president.
"I don't walk as easy as I used to, I don't speak as smoothly as I used to, I don't debate as well as I used to," he said, as the crowd chanted "four more years".
"I would not be running again if I didn't believe with all my heart and soul that I could do this job. The stakes are too high," Biden said.
Biden's verbal stumbles and occasionally meandering responses in the debate heightened voter concerns that he might not be fit to serve another four-year term and prompted some of his fellow Democrats to wonder whether they could replace him as their candidate for the Nov 5 US election.
Campaign spokesperson Michael Tyler said there were no conversations taking place about that possibility. "We'd rather have one bad night than a candidate with a bad vision for where he wants to take the country," he told reporters aboard Air Force One.
The campaign held an "all hands on deck" meeting on Friday afternoon to reassure staffers that Biden was not dropping out of the race, according to two people familiar with the meeting.
Though Trump, 78, put forward a series of falsehoods throughout the debate, the focus afterward was squarely on Biden, especially among Democrats.
Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic Party leader in the US House of Representatives, avoided answering directly when asked if he still had faith in Biden's candidacy.
“I support the ticket. I support the Senate Democratic majority. We're going to do everything possible to take back the House in November. Thank you, everyone,” he told reporters.
Other Democrats likewise demurred when asked if Biden should stay in the race. "That's the President's decision," Democratic Senator Jack Reed told a local TV station in Rhode Island.
The Biden campaign said it raised US$14 million on Thursday and Friday and posted its single best hour of fundraising immediately after the Thursday night debate. The Trump campaign said it raised US$8 million on the night of the debate.
One possible bright spot for Biden: preliminary viewership data showed that only 48 million Americans watched the debate, far short of the 73 million who watched the candidates' last face-off in 2020.
Biden, already the oldest American president in history, faced only token opposition during the party's months-long nominating contest, and he has secured enough support to guarantee his spot as the Democratic nominee.
Former President Trump likewise overcame his intra-party challengers early in the year, setting the stage for a long and bitter general election fight.
Three columnists from the New York Times' left-leaning opinion section called on Biden to drop out of the race.
One Biden donor, who asked for anonymity, called his performance "disqualifying" and predicted that some Democrats would revisit calls for him to step aside.
That would give the party time to pick another nominee at its national convention, which starts on Aug 19 - a potentially messy process that could pit Kamala Harris, the nation's first Black female vice president, against governors and other officeholders whose names have been floated as possible replacements.
“If he made this decision, it’s important that we use it to our advantage,” Democratic Representative Katie Porter said at a conference in Colorado.
Democratic officials played down that possibility.
"It's not likely to happen," Biden campaign co-chair Mitch Landrieu said on CNN.
One campaign staffer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they were frustrated by Biden's performance and hoped it would prompt top strategists to rethink their approach.
But other aides and allies said privately they did not think the blowback would threaten his chances of winning the nomination.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other senior Democrats - including possible replacements like California Governor Gavin Newsom - said they were not abandoning Biden.
"Stay the course. Chill out," Representative Jim Clyburn said.
A BAD NIGHT FOR BIDEN, UNDECIDED VOTERS SAY
Interviews with undecided voters confirmed that it was a bad night for Biden. They described his showing as feeble, embarrassing and difficult to watch.
The Trump campaign released a video on Friday highlighting Biden's stumbles. "Last night the world saw who he is. He is unfit to serve," spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said.
One Republican adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the debate would help them compete in Democratic-leaning states like Virginia and Minnesota.
Trump fundraisers said they were fielding enthusiastic calls from donors. "Anyone who raises money knows there's a time to go to donors, and this is one of those watershed moments," said Ed McMullen, who served as ambassador to Switzerland during Trump's presidency.
As Trump supporters lined up hours ahead of a rally in Virginia, some said they were struck by Biden's poor performance. “I’m scared they are going to replace him and put up somebody more competitive,” said Mike Boatman, who said he had attended more than 90 Trump rallies.
Questions about Trump's fitness for office have also arisen over his conviction last month in New York for covering up hush money payments to a porn star, his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his chaotic term in office.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11, just days before his party convenes to formally nominate him. He still faces three other criminal indictments, though none appears likely to reach trial before November.
Biden's shaky performance in the debate drew stunned global reactions on Friday, prompting public calls for him to step aside and likely leaving some of America's closest allies steeling for Trump's return.