President Joe Biden says he ‘absolutely wants’ to win the November election at a fiery campaign rally in North Carolina, brushing aside calls to resign.

US President Joe Biden tried to project an image of optimism during a rally in North Carolina after raising concerns about his age and mental acuity in a debate with Donald Trump.

In comments on Friday, Biden brushed aside suggestions that he step down to make way for a younger candidate to face Trump in the November election.

“I intend to win this election. If you get knocked down, you get back up,” Biden said, referring to his debate performance earlier in the day.

The lively crowd chanted “Four more years, four more years” and “America, America, America.”

The speech followed what many political observers called a disastrous performance by Biden during Thursday’s debate against Trump, who made false claims and inflammatory rhetoric but was at times overshadowed by Biden’s responses.

Friends, I can’t walk as easily or talk as smoothly as I used to.

I may not debate as much as I used to.

But I know how to tell the truth.pic.twitter.com/ep5D0EhT5P

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 28, 2024

‘A Bad Night’

Trump, meanwhile, criticized Biden’s performance and leaned into the pretentious rhetoric that has come to define his style of politics in remarks at a political rally in Chesapeake, Virginia, on Friday.

“It should be taken back from that party [the Democrats] – It is an evil party,” he said. “Crooked Joe Biden spent an entire week at Camp David [a presidential retreat] Rest, Work, Study. He studied very hard and didn’t know what he was doing.

Trump later said: “Joe Biden’s problem isn’t his age, it’s his talent.”

Many voters expressed concerns about Biden’s age before the debate, and a shaky performance led to a wave of calls for him to step down and make way for an alternative candidate.

It’s unclear how potential voters will respond to Biden’s debate performance, but media reports paint a picture of panic among Democratic officials. Concerns about Biden’s age have been seen as a political vulnerability for years.

“I’m afraid they’re going to replace him [Biden] And put somebody more competitive,” Trump supporter Mike Boatman said before a Virginia rally on Friday.

Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler said there had been no discussions about that possibility. “We’d rather have a bad night than a candidate with a bad vision of where to take the country,” he told reporters.

Seeking to regain his composure and reassure supporters, Biden launched a fiery tirade against Trump at his rally on Friday.

“I know I’m not a young man, frankly,” Biden said. “I wouldn’t run again if I didn’t believe wholeheartedly and wholeheartedly that I could do this job. The stakes are very high.

‘Overactivity is dangerous’

The 81-year-old president also slammed Trump — his conservative rival — for his history of attacks on democracy and false claims that the 2020 election results were “rigged” against him.

“The choice in this election is simple: Donald Trump will destroy our democracy. I will protect it.”

For now, officials in the Democratic Party seem determined to stick with Biden, but doubts about his strength as a candidate are growing.

“People were worried. And I said it’s healthy for everyone to be concerned, and it’s dangerous to overreact,” said Democratic lawmaker Emanuel Cleaver. “I don’t think I would advise anyone to make hasty decisions right now.”