“The best person to beat Donald Trump” — Biden sends letter to Democrats confirming he’ll stay in the race

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — President Biden released a letter Monday morning to fellow Democrats on Capitol Hill saying he is committed to running the race to the end — and to defeating Donald Trump.

In part, the letter saying, “I wouldn’t be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024.”

With some democrats still calling for Biden to step aside after a lackluster debate, ABC Columbia’s Lee Williams spoke with University of South Carolina Political Science Professor Kirk Randazzo about Biden choosing to not back down.

“I think Biden has made it clear, not just that he’s in it for the long haul, but also that the debate is 1 data point that you need to weigh against the previous 3.5 years of his term, where he’s been incredibly successful at getting through legislation to help average Americans, to bring the US out of Covid, faster and stronger than any other country, and that he has worked really hard to rebuild our allies and our networks overseas. That’s a record that for any other candidate would probably be a slam dunk for re-election,” he says.

But should the president change his mind in the near future, Randazzo believes there is only one clear choice the DNC could make for Biden’s replacement.

“If they were to elevate a governor over Harris, that might affect the folks of SC a bit more, especially given that Kamala Harris is incredibly well liked within this state. If she’s not the immediate successor, then I think it makes a fair number of South Carolinians very unhappy,” says Randazzo.

And with the Supreme Court’s recent decision to provide presidents with absolute immunity for exercising core constitutional powers, and a presumption of immunity for other official acts, Randazzo says November’s election becomes more paramount.

“It’s not clear how those decisions are gonna play out in the next four years, but that’s exactly why this election becomes even more important. You have one candidate, Biden, who is promising to rebuild those guard rails and another presidential candidate, Trump, who is trying to dismantle those guardrails, those are really stark contrasts,” he says.

Christale Spain, the SC Democratic Party Chair, agrees, releasing a statement that says in part, “Make no mistake, Trump is willing to do anything in his quest for revenge and retribution — and the Supreme Court just made it easier for Donald Trump to pursue his path to a Trump dictatorship.”

Now 42 days until the Democratic Convention, Biden closed his letter to democrats by saying “Any lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps trump and hurts us. It is time to come together… and defeat Donald Trump.”