Joe Biden has been lambasted for appearing to mix up Christmas Day with Independence Day in what marks the latest in a string of gaffes for the under-fire President.
After being introduced at a Wisconsin rally by Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden greeted crowds with an exuberant “ho, ho, ho” – raising concerns among some commentators that the Commander-in-Chief got a touch confused between the two holidays.
After a pause, Biden eventually wished attendees a “Happy Independence Day” – before taking his time on stage to attempt to assuage fears over his capacity to serve a further four years as President.
Later in his speech, Biden made reference to his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump last week, but slammed speculation with a clear answer.
The President acknowledged his poor performance in debates
Reuters
The 81-year-old said: “We had a little debate last week. Can’t say it was my best performance. But ever since then there’s been a lot of speculation. ‘What’s Joe gonna do? Is he gonna stay in the race? Is he gonna drop out?
“Well here’s my answer: I am running and gonna win again.”
Biden had fallen victim to questions over his ability to beat Donald Trump at the polls on November 5 – with House Representative Lloyd Doggett becoming the first congressional Democrat to call for him to step aside in a statement saying he was “hopeful” the President “will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw”.
And now, Senator Mark Warner – a well-respected moderate Democrat – is inviting his party’s senators to a meeting on Monday to discuss Biden’s campaign, with the Washington Post reporting Warner will ask the group to press Biden to exit the race.
MORE ON JOE BIDEN:
Biden said defiantly: “I am running and gonna win again”
Reuters
And even some of the Democrat-supporting crowd voiced their concerns over the President’s plan to run for re-election.
One person at the Madison rally held up a sign behind Biden that said “Pass the torch, Joe”, while another could be seen sporting a banner reading: “Save your legacy, drop out!”
With Biden looking to face down Donald Trump later this year, he made some pointed jabs at his predecessor on stage.
The President knocked Trump’s intelligence and called him a liar, delivering stinging attacks that were absent when he appeared on the Atlanta debate stage.
Even some of the Democrat-supporting crowd voiced their concerns over the President’s plan to run for re-election
Reuters
Pivoting back to Independence Day discourse, Biden referenced a comment in which Trump mistakenly said George Washington’s revolutionary army had taken over British airports in 1776, jabbing: “He is a ‘stable genius'”.
But he had sharper words for those in his party who have raised doubts about his ability to lead them to victory over Trump in the November 5 election.
“I’m the nominee of this party,” Biden said. “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!”