In his first significant rally amid heightened calls for him to withdraw, President Biden defiantly pushed back against his critics, emphatically stating his intention to remain in the 2024 race despite the pressure for him to step aside.
"There's been a lot of speculation – what's Joe going to do?" said Biden. "Here's my answer: I am running and am gonna win again."
"Despite that some folks don't seem to care who you voted for, well guess what, they're trying to push me out of the race. Well, let me say this as clearly as I can. I'm staying in the race," Biden said.
Further, he also dismissed concerns about his age.
"We've also noticed a lot of discussion about my age," said Biden as quoted by The Guardian. "Let me say something. I wasn't too old to create over 50m new jobs."
He also highlighted his age by citing a series of accomplishments, prefacing each with a question to the crowd about whether he was too old when he forgave student loan debt, generated jobs, and lowered healthcare costs.
He then proceeded to criticize former President Trump, condemning him for his involvement in the January 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol and for various legal issues, including a criminal conviction.
"Donald Trump isn't just a convicted criminal," Biden exclaimed. "He's a one-man crime wave."
Biden's campaign has framed the 2024 presidential election as a decision between democracy and dictatorship, citing Trump's attempted self-coup in 2020 and the Heritage Foundation's authoritarian Project 2025 as examples.
Biden was accompanied by a group of Democrats, including progressive Congressman Mark Pocan and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, both of whom addressed the rally.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D) endorsed President Biden before Biden's speech at the event. Evers was reportedly absent from a highly anticipated governors' meeting with Biden at the White House on Wednesday due to the debate fallout.
"Democrats are getting things done and delivering for Wisconsin," Evers stated. "The choice this November is absolutely clear. There's only one president who has consistently delivered for Wisconsin, and his name is Joe Biden."
