Campaign chair says Biden still determined to beat Trump

President Biden is “more committed than ever” to defeating former President Donald Trump, despite rising calls from Democrats to step aside, his campaign chair said.

Jen O’Malley Dillon, speaking Friday on MSNBC, said Mr. Biden provides a winning contrast to Mr. Trump, who addressed the GOP convention in Milwaukee late Thursday.

“Absolutely, the president’s in this race,” Ms. O’Malley Dillon said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program. “You heard him say that time and time again, and I think we saw on display last night exactly why. Because Donald Trump is not going to offer anything new to the American people. He’s the same person he was in 2020, he’s the same person he was at the debate stage.”

She said, “Joe Biden is more committed than ever to beat Donald Trump.”

Ms. O’Malley Dillon said Mr. Biden remains the best candidate to take on the GOP nominee despite the pressure for the president to quit the race.

“We also have to take seriously the concerns that people are expressing, but the way to get past them is to get back to the business of beating Donald Trump and setting up that clear choice about the president’s vision versus Donald Trump’s vision,” Ms. O’Malley Dillon said.

Despite her optimism, there is a growing sense among Democrats that Mr. Biden’s candidacy is doomed.

Former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have expressed doubts about his viability and the impact on down-ballot candidates after his disastrous debate performance on June 27.

The debate exposed long-simmering concerns about Mr. Biden, 81, and his cognitive abilities as the oldest U.S. president in history.

Some pundits think Mr. Biden, who is quarantining in Delaware with COVID-19, will give way by the weekend. Online commentators are mulling possible running mates for Vice President Kamala Harris if she is the one to step into the top slot on the ticket.

Ms. O’Malley Dillon acknowledged the campaign’s challenges, even as she tried to project strength.

“We’ve definitely seen some slippage in support,” she said, “but it’s been a small movement.”