First Lady says in NC that Joe Biden is ‘all in’ as president sends letter to Democrats

First Lady Jill Biden, seen here at a state dinner at the White House in June, has tested positive for COVID-19. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

First Lady Jill Biden told supporters in North Carolina on Monday that President Joe Biden was “all in” for November, as the president rejects calls from some Democrats to step aside as the nominee.

“Joe has made it clear that he’s all in,” the first lady said at a campaign speech in Wilmington, as she touted the administration’s record on military families and veterans. “That’s the decision that he’s made. And just as he has always supported my career, I am all in too.”

Her speech is the latest signal from the White House that Biden is not planning to step aside as he runs for a second term. Since he took the stage alongside former President Donald Trump for the first televised debate on June 27, anxiety has mounted about his mental and physical state as he prepares for a rematch of the 2020 race.

That anxiety has included calls for him to step aside from several U.S. House Democrats, with others voicing concern and urgency. North Carolina’s U.S. Rep. Don Davis said in a statement last week that Biden needed to “step up” if he was going to stay in the race. And U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel said “we need to see him” make the case for why he should remain the nominee, WRAL reported.

Biden said he was “firmly committed” to staying in the race in a letter penned to House Democrats on Monday.

“The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now,” Biden wrote. “And it’s time for it to end. We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump.

“We have 42 days to the Democratic Convention and 119 days to the general election. Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. It is time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump.”

North Carolina will hear from Biden’s re-election campaign again before the week is over. Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Greensboro on Thursday for a campaign event.

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