Biden Signals He’s Staying In White House Race As Yet More Democrats Defect

President Joe Biden sent a message Friday: He’s not going anywhere.

Beset by poor polls, calls from within his own party to step aside and, as of Wednesday, even COVID-19 , Biden said Friday he was eager to return to campaigning.

“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: one where we save our democracy, protect our rights and freedoms, and create opportunity for everyone,” Biden said in a campaign statement.

“The stakes are high, and the choice is clear. Together, we will win.”

The message appeared to be a rebuke to a growing number of rank-and-file Democrats who have said publicly they would like to see him step aside in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris or another Democrat at the top of the party’s presidential ticket.

Speculation had risen ahead of the weekend that Biden may be reconsidering his decision to stay in the race. Axios reported several unspecified “top Democrats” believed the pressure from within the party to step aside would keep rising and persuade Biden “as soon as this weekend” to quit.

That idea was quickly and publicly rejected by the White House.

“Wrong. Keep the faith,” posted White House spokesperson Andrew Bates on social media early Friday in response to a story that Biden’s family had discussed an exit strategy for him. Bates had similarly described another account of exit preparations as “fan fiction.”

Still, despite the Biden camp’s public steadfastness, defections continued to grow to around 30 Democrats on Capitol Hill. Friday morning saw one of the most significant yet in Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), a