Pointing to large crowds at weekend rallies in battleground states across the U.S., President Joe Biden laughed off the notion that he is seriously ill and pushed back against naysayers across the political and entertainment industries calling for him to step down from the Democratic presidential ticket, assuring all that he’s “not going anywhere” on a defiant phone call to MSNBC on Monday.
“The bottom line here is that we’re not going anywhere,” an energized Biden said on the phone call into Morning Joe, where he spoke directly to hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. “I am not going anywhere. I wouldn’t be running if I didn’t absolutely believe that I am the best candidate to beat Donald Trump in 2024.”
“I don’t care what those big names think. They were wrong in 2020, they were wrong in 2022 about the red wave, and they’re wrong in 2024,” Biden said. “Come out with me. Watch, watch people react. You make a judgment.”
Biden added, “I’m getting so frustrated by the elites … the elites in the party who — they know so much more. Any of these guys don’t think I should, run against me: Go ahead. Challenge me at the convention.”
After Biden’s phone call, at least one high-profile Hollywood figure shared her support for the president. On The View, moderator Whoopi Goldberg firmly stood by the president in his reelection bid — at least for now.
“I don’t care if he’s pooped his pants. I don’t care if he can’t put a sentence together. Show me he can’t do the job, and then I’ll say, ‘OK, maybe it’s time to go.’” Goldberg said, going on to recall how, in his first debate in a wide field of Democratic challengers ahead of the 2020 election, Biden stumbled while sparring with his future vice presidential pick, Kamala Harris, and people wanted him to quit.
“He came back and said, ‘You know what? I got it,’ and gave four years,” Goldberg added. “So, yeah, I have poopy days all the time. … I step in so much poo. Now, I’m not running the world, but I don’t know anybody who doesn’t step in stuff at some point.”