Joe Biden warns the Democratic Party: "I was the best person to beat Donald Trump"

After several Democrats urged Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race due to concerns about his cognitive abilities and poor performance in the first debate against Donald Trump, the president responded by sending a letter to his party colleagues. It it, he told him that he will not step down and that he will fight at the polls to win another term in the White House. 

"Fellow Democrats, now that you have returned from the July 4th recess, I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump," Biden wrote in his letter.

The president acknowledged that he has had "extensive conversations" recently with people in the Democratic Party, from leaders to voters, to hear "their concerns" about whether he is the right candidate to continue governing the country.

"I wouldn't be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024," the president said.

Before Biden even appeared in the first presidential debate, there were already doubts about Biden's ability to be the Democratic challenger and endure four more years in office. Those concerns were heightened after his performance in the debate against Trump, where he faced criticism for his insufficiently compelling arguments compared to Trump's more direct and clear messaging.