Determined to defeat Trump: Biden

Washington: A defiant US President Joe Biden has insisted that he is “determined” and fit to seek re-election and defeat his Republican rival Donald Trump in November, even as two excruciating gaffes marred his efforts to dismiss concerns over his age and fitness.

During a high-stakes solo news conference on Thursday at the conclusion of the NATO Summit here, Biden said that no poll or person is telling him that he can't win reelection currently. That is the only way he would consider ending his presidential bid. “I'm determined to run,” 81-year-old Biden, the oldest sitting US President, said.

“The fact is that the consideration is that I think I'm the most qualified person to run for president. I beat him (Trump) once, and I will beat him again. Secondly.. the idea that senators and congressmen are running for office worrying about the ticket is not unusual and I might add, there were at least five presidents running or incumbent presidents who had lower numbers than I have now later in a campaign,” Biden said. “So there's a long way to go in this campaign, and so I'm just going to keep moving, keep moving,” he said.

He continued to defy the pleas from a growing number of Democrats to step down from the Democratic ticket.

Asked if he was determined to stay in the race despite the fears of some Democratic lawmakers, Biden said, “I'm determined on running, but I think it's important that I realise allay fears by seeing - let them see me out there. Let them see me out.”

“Working-class people still need help. Corporate greed is still at large. Corporate profits have doubled since the pandemic. They're coming down and so I'm optimistic about where things are going,” he asserted. Biden added that he is seeking his re-election not for his legacy. “I'm in this to complete the job I started. As you recall, understandably, many of you and many economists thought my initial initiatives that I put forward can't do that because it's going to cause inflation. Things are going to skyrocket.

The debt's going to go up. What are you hearing now from mainstream economists?” “Sixteen economic Nobel laureates said I've done a hell of a job, that under my plan so far and what's going to happen in the future if I'm reelected, that things are going to get much better. Our economy is growing. I was determined when I got elected to stop the trickle-down economic theory that if the wealthy did very well, everybody else would do well,” the president said.