Biden vows to stay in race, warns of Trump's 'Project 2025' threat
President Joe Biden attended an election rally in Detroit on Friday, where he assured that he will not withdraw from the presidential race. He added that Donald Trump poses a serious threat. At the same time, donations to Biden's campaign have "exploded".
- I am in the race, and we will win. (…) It’s high time we stopped treating politics like entertainment or a reality show – said President Joe Biden at the rally in Detroit. The city, located in the state of Michigan, is known as "Motor City" due to the Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler car factories.
Supporters of the incumbent president gathered at the rally in Detroit, holding banners that read "Motown is Joetown" and chanting "Don't leave".
Biden hits Trump
During his speech, President Biden criticised the Republican "right-wing Project 2025". In Biden's opinion, it is "the greatest attack on our system of government and our personal freedom ever proposed in this country's history", conducted and funded by people loyal to Donald Trump.
NBC News explained that Project 2025 is a 900-page policy action plan developed by Trump supporters and former administration officials, including Paul Dans and Spencer Chretien.
The implementation of this plan would lead to personnel changes in the current government administration, replacing current federal employees with people loyal to Trump’s vision, radically changing the tax code, and introducing restrictions on abortion. The project is headed by the Heritage Foundation and supported by dozens of conservative groups, noted NBC News.
In a poll published by NPR/PBS/Marist on Friday, 16 percent of voters positively assessed the document, while 42 percent negatively.
Still counting on Biden
According to NBC News, during the rally, some of Biden’s supporters expressed frustration over Democrats' attempts to eliminate the incumbent president from the election race. In their opinion, this weakens the party and benefits his political opponent, Donald Trump.
Those calling for Biden to step down were criticised by Michigan's Deputy Governor Garlin Gilchrist, among others. - He noted that some people are having too much fun appearing on TV and talking nonsense about our president. On Friday, two prominent Democrats – Member of the House of Representatives James Clyburn and California Governor Gavin Newsom – declared that Biden should remain in the race for the White House.
Biden campaign spokesperson Michael Tyler estimated that during Biden’s press conference on Thursday evening, donations to the incumbent president's campaign fund "exploded", reaching seven times the usual amount.
Biden's problems in "swing states"
According to an NPR/PBS poll published on Friday, Biden leads Trump by 50 to 48 per cent, a slight increase compared to a survey conducted before the presidential candidate debate on 27 June. However, Reuters points out that since then, at least 19 Democratic lawmakers have called for Biden to step down. Democrats could then choose another candidate.
Some analysts are pointing out that Biden is losing ground in several "swing states" that will determine the outcome of the November election. "If current trends continue, Trump could achieve one of the most decisive presidential victories since 2008," predicted Democratic strategist Doug Sosnik in the "New York Times".
