US President Joe Biden has said he "screwed up" in last weeks election debate but has vowed to fight on.
Following the debate last week, Mr Biden said he intended to defeat Republican rival Donald Trump in the November presidential election, and gave no sign that he would consider dropping out of the race after a feeble debate performance that dismayed his fellow Democrats.
In an interview on 'The Earl Ingram Show' radio program yesterday, Mr Biden said: "I screwed up, I made a mistake. That's 90 minutes on stage. Look what I've done for the last three-and-a-half years."
Mr Biden met with a group of Democratic governors yesterday at the White House to make his case. Some told reporters afterward they were sticking by his side.
"President Joe Biden is in it to win it," New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul told reporters after the talks.
Maryland Democratic Governor Wes Moore said: "We know that we have work to do. It's going to take all of us to make it happen."
Gavin Newsom, the California governor whose name is often floated as an alternative to Mr Biden, said on X, formerly Twitter, he was "all in" for Mr Biden.
Arizona's Raul Grijalva called for Mr Biden to drop out of the race while Representative Seth Moulton from Massachusetts pointed to Mr Biden's age as a liability.
"The unfortunate reality is that the status quo will likely deliver us President Trump," Mr Moulton said in a statement. "President Biden is not going to get younger."
'I had a bad debate'
Asked whether there was any reason for the American people to be concerned after his halting performance in last week's debate with Mr Trump, Mr Biden demurred.
"No, I had a bad debate," he said, adding that this should not erase what he has done as president for three-and-a-half years.
He recited multiple statistics on issues ranging from funding for historically Black colleges and universities to student loan relief.
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He reiterated his case against Mr Trump. "The guy I'm running against is a convicted felon who is, said he wants to be a dictator on Day One. Not a joke, he means it," Mr Biden said.
Mr Biden's already shaky standing in opinion polls against Mr Trump took a slight hit after the debate in Atlanta, but a new Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Mr Biden pulled even with Mr Trump this week, a sign the contest remains close.
Both Mr Trump and Mr Biden each had 40% support among registered voters in the two-day poll that concluded on Tuesday. A prior Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted 11 - 12 June showed Donald Trump with a marginal 2 percentage point lead, 41% to 39%.
Mr Biden is 81 and would be 86 when his second term ends. He is being asked by some former supporters to step aside to preserve his legacy and lessen the chances of a second Trump presidency.
If he is going to survive pressure to abandon his re-election campaign after a poor showing in his debate with Mr Trump, he needs to ace a gauntlet of events in the coming days.
As calls grow from some of his own Democrats to step aside, and support coalesces around the idea of Vice President Kamala Harris taking his place in the November election, Mr Biden needs to demonstrate stamina and mental acuity to voters and donors.
Mr Biden is hosting families at the annual 4 July Independence Day festivities at the White House today, he will be interviewed on ABC News tomorrow and will also travel to Wisconsin tomorrow for a campaign rally with hundreds of supporters.
On Sunday, Mr Biden and his wife Jill will speak to thousands at the National Education Association in Pennsylvania. Next week he hosts dozens of world leaders at the NATO summit in Washington, and will hold a rare solo news conference. He has also done several radio interviews.
Dozens of House Democrats are watching closely, prepared to ask Mr Biden to step aside if he falters in the ABC interview, a source told Reuters.
In a radio interview with WURD that aired on this morning, Mr Biden spoke about his record delivering for Black Americans as president. He stuttered occasionally.
