Joe Biden Calls Into ‘Morning Joe’ And Tells Hosts, “I Am Not Going Anywhere”

President Joe Biden started the week by insisting that he’s staying in the presidential race, calling into MSNBC’s Morning Joe and telling hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, “I am not going anywhere.”

Biden’s remarks came as some major prominent donors and more House Democrats have called for him to step aside following a dismal debate performance and a fresh round of concerns over his age. An interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Friday failed to quell continued anxiety that Biden is on his way to a defeat against Donald Trump in November.

Morning Joe is generally friendly territory for the president, although Scarborough, in the immediate aftermath of the debate, said that Biden should consider exiting the race. He later tempered the remarks, saying that Democrats needed to take some time given the stakes of the race.

“The bottom line is, we’re not going anywhere. I am not going anywhere. I wouldn’t be running if I didn’t absolutely believe am the best candidate to beat Donald Trump in 2024. We had a Democratic nominating process where the voters spoke clearly.”

Biden also insisted that his debate performance was an aberration, telling the hosts that he has “not had many of those nights” in his career.

He also dismissed calls for getting out of the race as coming from party elites, while citing his crowds at recent campaign events in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. “Any of these guys that don’t think I should run, run against me,” Biden said. “Announce for president, challenge me at the convention.”

Biden’s call in to the show is a bit of a rarity, as his interviews are generally on camera taped sit downs. Trump popularized the tactic, calling into Fox & Friends and numerous outlets during his 2016 campaign and ever since, maximizing his media exposure by just picking up the phone.

Biden also sent a letter to congressional Democrats this morning, saying that he is committed to staying in the race. “The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now. And it’s time for it to end. We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump,” Biden wrote.

More to come.