President Biden coming to Detroit amid pressure to suspend presidential campaign

President Joe Biden will visit Detroit on Friday, making another campaign stop in a Democratic stronghold in a battleground state in the wake of growing pressure from Democrats hoping he'll suspend his campaign against former President Donald Trump.

Since his debate against Trump prompted calls for him to drop out, Biden has campaigned in Wisconsin, delivering a defiant speech Madison in which he vowed to stay in the race. He also stopped by Pennsylvania, speaking briefly to supporters Sunday in Philadelphia and joking about his age without referencing any of the last-minute efforts to replace him at the top of the ticket.

In 2016, Trump won Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — previously dubbed "blue wall" states — because before that year, they hadn't backed a GOP presidential candidate since the 1980s. Biden won all three in 2020 to defeat Trump and the trio of swing states are critical to his reelection campaign.

Since the debate, Democratic fears have continued to mount that Biden can't defeat Trump this fall. But Biden has repeatedly said he won't leave the race. In a letter to congressional Democrats on Monday, Biden once more reiterated that he won't bow out.

Over the weekend, the number of Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives calling for Biden to drop out grew. So far, no Democratic members of Michigan's congressional delegation have joined the growing chorus. But U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, has acknowledged the active debate about Biden's candidacy.

"There are a lot of very strong opinions out there," Dingell said during a weekend television appearance on CNN's "State of the Union." "We need to get back to talking about Donald Trump." Biden has asserted that he is the best candidate to defeat Trump, arguing that the former president poses a fundamental threat to American democracy. But Biden's poor debate performance against Trump surfaced fresh fears about Biden's age and mental acuity as he tries to defeat Trump a second time.

"President Biden should withdraw his candidacy for President and allow the party to find a new candidate," former Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lon Johnson wrote in a post on the social media platform X last Wednesday. "It's clear the President is suffering from cognitive decline, and the actions by him, his family, and staff since the debate have only reinforced that belief."

But not all Michigan Democrats agree. "I am happy to have President Biden at the top of the ticket," Democratic National Committee Black Caucus Chair Virgie Rollins told The New York Times. "I will take President Biden in a wheelchair before I take the convicted felon," she said, referring to Trump.

Meanwhile, Mark LaChey, the former first vice chair of the Michigan Democratic Party told the Times that Biden should step aside. "It would be good for him to realize that no one is irreplaceable," he told the newspaper. "A lot of people would be very enthused with someone else running on the Democratic ticket as president. And I think there’s an enthusiasm gap presently, and I think that gap is getting worse."

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Under Democratic Party rules, it would be nearly impossible to replace Biden as the party's presidential nominee without his permission since Biden has amassed enough delegates to secure his party's nomination.

Biden's forthcoming stop in Detroit marks his fourth visit to Michigan this year. Most recently, he addressed thousands attending the Detroit Branch NAACP's annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner in Detroit, crediting Black voters for his election in 2020.

Free Press staff writer Paul Egan contributed to this report.

Contact Clara Hendrickson: [email protected] or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Biden to campaign in Detroit amid calls to end presidential bid