WASHINGTON — Four years ago, candidate Joe Biden stood before supporters at a Detroit high school, flanked by Kamala Harris and other rising Democratic stars, and called himself a bridge to the next generation of leaders.
Biden, now a president seeking re-election, returns to the city on Friday to many in his party pleading with him to make good on that promise and step aside. But Biden insists he will stay in the race despite a disastrous debate performance which led to a wave of calls to end his candidacy.
During a press conference on thursdayWhen asked why he no longer saw himself as a “bridge” to the next generation of leaders, Biden replied that “what changed was the severity of the situation that I inherited in terms of the economy, foreign policy and domestic divisions.”
“We’ve never been here before,” Biden continued. “And that’s the other reason I didn’t, you know, hand it off to another generation. I’ve got to finish the job.”
In the two weeks since his debate debacle, Biden and his team have been on a relentless sprint to convince anxious lawmakers, nervous donors and a skeptical electorate that, at 81, he is still capable of being president. But a series of trips to swing states, interviews with reporters and a rare solo press conference have done little to assuage fears within the party about Biden’s candidacy and his prospects against Donald Trump in November.
So far, one Democratic senator and 16 Democrats in the House of Representatives have publicly called on Biden to step aside, with the latest statements — from Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, California Rep. Scott Peters and Illinois Rep. Eric Sorensen — coming as the president’s much-anticipated news conference wrapped up Thursday night. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has indicated that Biden has yet to decide whether to run, even as the president has made it clear he is still in the race.
Meanwhile, his re-election campaign has indirectly acknowledged that Biden’s path to the White House is narrowing, saying the so-called “blue wall” of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania is now the “clearest path” to victory, while other swing states like Arizona and Nevada are not out of reach.
That strategy is reflected in the way Biden is doubling down on Midwestern states, hitting Detroit nearly a week after he campaigned in Madison, Wisconsin; Philadelphia; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The enthusiasm in Detroit and among its sizable Black population could prove crucial to Biden’s chances of winning Michigan, which Biden recaptured in 2020 after Donald Trump carried it by just over 10,000 votes four years earlier.
But at a crucial moment when Biden needs to consolidate support, key Democratic leaders in the state will be noticeably absent from Friday’s event, where Biden plans to talk about the “Project 2025” agenda, a large-scale proposed overhaul of the federal government, drafted by longtime allies and former officials in the Trump administration.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is co-chairing Biden’s campaign, will be leaving the state. Sen. Gary Peters, a steadfast Biden supporter, and Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is vying for Michigan’s open Senate seat, will also be absent from the event. United Auto Workers Chairman Shawn Fain, who actively courted Biden during last year’s strikes and met with him and other union leaders on Wednesday, is traveling for a conference.
Meanwhile, Rep. Hillary Scholten, who is running for re-election in a western Michigan district, joined a growing list of national Democrats who have called on Biden to step aside in favor of another candidate.
“Given the challenges our country faces in 2025 and beyond, it is essential that we have the strongest possible candidate at the top of the list — not just to win, but to govern,” Scholten said in a statement on Thursday.
But in a swing state he won by nearly 3 percentage points in 2020, Biden continues to gain support. Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell, Rep. Haley Stevens, Rep. Shri Thanedar and AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler are all expected to attend the Detroit event, marking Biden’s fourth trip to the state this year. Academy Award-winning actress Octavia Spencer also plans to attend. And more than a dozen Detroit state lawmakers signed a joint letter Thursday “declaring our unwavering support for President Joe Biden.”
“As the Detroit Caucus, we are committed to mobilizing our communities, raising awareness, and advocating for policies that benefit Black Michigan residents,” the state lawmakers wrote in the letter. “We encourage all of our members and allies to join us in supporting President Biden and Vice President Harris.”
In his return to Michigan, Biden wants to rekindle the energy he felt in March 2020 when he performed at Detroit’s Renaissance High School, a performance that featured Harris, Whitmer and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.
“I see myself as a bridge, not as anything else,” Biden said. “There’s a whole generation of leaders that you saw standing behind me. They are the future of this country.”
In 2016, Trump won by a narrow margin in Michigan, partly attributed to lower turnout in predominantly black areas such as Detroit’s Wayne County, where Hillary Clinton received far fewer votes than Barack Obama in previous elections.
Biden regained much of that support four years ago when he defeated Trump in Michigan by a margin of 154,000 votes, but he still has his work cut out for him. Detroit, which is nearly 78% Black, saw 12% turnout in the Feb. 27 primary, nearly half of the state’s 23% overall turnout.
Key parts of Biden’s Michigan coalition are also angry with him over Israel’s offensive following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. Michigan has the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the country, which helped push more than 100,000 people to vote Uncommitted in Michigan’s Democratic primary in February.
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Cappelletti reported from Lansing, Michigan.