More Democrats called for Biden to bow out of the race.
President Joe Biden faced a critical point in his reelection bid as Democratic calls for him to exit the 2024 race continued to mount despite his efforts to shut them down.
A poor debate performance against Donald Trump in June reignited questions about Biden's age and fitness to carry out his campaign and serve another four years. While Biden defiantly insisted he was staying the course, he later announced on July 21 that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.
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One reporter asked the president, "Have you spent time thinking about what it would mean for your legacy, which you've worked decades to build, if you stay in the race, despite the concerns that voters say they have, and you lose to someone who yourself have argued is unfit to return to the Oval Office?"
Biden replied, "I’m not in this for my legacy. I’m in this to complete the job I started."
Biden began his question and answer session by responding to a question about the growing calls for him to step aside from his campaign.
The president said there was "a long way to go in this campaign."
"So, I am just going to keep moving, keep moving, because look, I've got more work to do, more work to finish," he said.
Asked about what concerns he had about Vice President Kamala Harris' ability to beat Donald Trump, if she were ever to appear on the top of the ticket, Biden confused her with Donald Trump.
"Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if I didn’t think she was not qualified to be president. So I'll start there," Biden said.
"The fact is that the consideration is that I think I'm the most well-qualified person to run for president. I beat him once and I will beat him again," he added.
"Now, the future of American policy is up to the American people," Biden said. "This is much more than a political question. It's more than that. It's a national security issue. Don't reduce this to the usual testament that people talk about, issues of being a political campaign."
"It is far too important," he continued. "It's about the world we live in for decades to come. Every American must ask himself or herself. Is the world safer with NATO? Are you safer? Is your family safer?"
