Seeking to revive his struggling reelection campaign, President Joe Biden held a rare rally in Detroit on Friday (July 12), telling a cheering crowd he isn't leaving the race and warning that Republican Donald Trump poses a serious threat, Reuters reports.
Biden, 81, is trying to shift the conversation from his mental sharpness to the impact of another Trump presidency, as his campaign struggles after his shaky debate performance on June 27.
"I am running and we're going to win," he said to a crowd that carried "Motown is Joetown" signs and chanted "Don't you quit" before he spoke. "I'm the nominee," he said.
Pointing to the press area in the gym, Biden said: "They've been hammering me," to which the crowd booed.
"Guess what, Donald Trump has gotten a free pass," he added, then declared Trump a "threat to this nation."
A heckler who tried to interrupt him was shouted down by the crowd, which chanted "Four more years."
"I know Americans want a president, not a dictator," Biden said.
Biden also laid out what he intended to do with his first 100 days of a second term, including codifying abortion rights.
