Biden Will “Absolutely Not” Resign, White House Press Secretary Declares; “Not Leaving,” POTUS Tells Staff As Debate Blast Radius Expands

deadline.com:

Joe Biden says he’s not going anywhere despite his self-admitted bad performance at the debate with Donald Trump last week. “Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running,” the increasingly besieged POTUS told his staff on a conference call Wednesday, a source on the call tells Deadline. “I’m not leaving.

I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win.” Fighting what sources tell Deadline is “very low morale” in the White House and the campaign and potentially “critical” next couple of days, 81-year-old Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris followed up the Executive Mansion meeting with a call with reelection staffs Emphasizing the June 27 debate “wasn’t a great night” for her boss, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Biden would “absolutely not” resign even if he would step back from running for reelection — not that he has any intention of making such a move. “The President is clear eyed, and he is staying in the race,” Jean-Pierre said to the White House Press Corp in remarks carried live on all het cable newsers and others. “I don’t have anything else beyond that.

He is staying he’s staying in the race.” Jean-Pierre deflected questions about why Biden has started to blame his terrible debate performance on jet lag and fatigue from a number of overseas trips when he returned Stateside over a week before the meet-up with Trump.

Just an hour or so after Biden and the Vice President met for a long scheduled lunch, the press secretary also praised Kamala Harris as a top Democratic leader and strong “partner” for the President. “We are living in an important moment right now,” the Press Secretary did say of the extremely close