Only ‘the Lord Almighty’ can make Biden quit the presidential race

"Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can and as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running,” president Biden said according to a CBS News report.

“I'm the nominee of the Democratic Party. No one's pushing me out. I'm not leaving," he added, despite calls from Democrats for him to step down after his stumbling performance in the June debate against Trump.

Earlier in the week, The New York Times had reported that a close Biden ally said the president told them he was considering stepping down.

On the 4th of July, however, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to that allegation saying that Biden was “absolutely not” stepping down, according to CNN.

Regarding Biden’s poor performance in the debate, the president blamed it on a “bad episode” during a tv interview with ABC News that aired on July 5th.

"It was a bad episode," Biden said. "No indication of any serious condition. I was exhausted. I didn't listen to my instincts in terms of preparing and I had a bad night," he stated.

Biden had traveled internationally in mid-June to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day in France. However, he spent nearly a week at Camp David after that in the run-up to the debate in order to rest and prepare.

Ultimately, Biden told Stephanopoulos defiantly, that only God could make him quit.“Look. I mean, if the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get outta the race,’ I’d get outta the race. The Lord Almighty’s not comin’ down,” he said.

Though some democrats have stated their support for Biden, others continue to push for him to step aside. At least 25 Democrat lawmakers are planning to sign a letter, which is coming “in a matter of days” calling for Biden to withdraw from the race, a Democrat told CBS News.

Meanwhile, donors are also concerned. One Democratic donor, Whitney Tilson, who is openly advocating for the president to withdraw, told CBS News that there are "non-stop phone, email and text conversations going on."

The concern is also visible among voters. According to three post-debate polls, Trump went from a 3-point lead over Biden, to a 6-point lead, putting Biden in his “worst electoral shape of the 2024 election,” Politico reported.

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