Biden Letter To Congressional Democrats

JosepH R. BIDEN, JR.
July 8, 2024,
Fellow Democrats,
Now that you have returned from the July 4th recess, I want you to know that despite all the
speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running
this race to the end, and to beating Donald Tramp.
1 have had extensive conversations with the leadershipof the party, elected officials, rank and
fle members, and most importantly, Democratic voters over these past 10 days or so. I have
heard the concerns that people have ~their good faith fears and worries about what is at stake
in this election. Tam not blind to them. Believe me, T know better than anyone the responsibility
and the burden the nominee of our party carries. Icarried it in 2020 when the fateof our nation
was at stake. Lalso know these concerns come from a place of real respect for my lifetime of
public service and my record as President, and I have been movedbythe expressions of affection
for me from so many who have known me well and supported me over the courseofmy public:
life. T've been grateful for the rock-solid, steadfast support from so many elected Democrats in
Congress and all across the country and taken great strength from the resolve and determination
T've seen from so many voters and grassroots supporters cven in the hardestofweeks.
Tcan respond to al this by saying clearly and unequivocally: I wouldn't be running again if I did
not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024,
‘We had a Democratic nomination process and the voters have spoken clearly and decisively. I
received over 14 million votes, 87% of the votes cast across the entire nominating process. | have
nearly 3,000 delegates, making me the presumptive nomineeofour party by a wide margin.
‘This was a process open to anyone who wanted to run. Only three people chose to challenge me.
One fared so badly that he left the primaries to run as an independent. Another attacked me for
being too old and was soundly defeated. The votersof the Democratic Party have voted. They
have chosen me to be the nominee of the party.
Do we nowjust say this process didn't matter? That the voters don't have a say?
Idecline to do that. I feela deep obligation to the faith and the trust the votersof the Democratic
Party have placed in me to run this year. It was their decision to make. Not the press, not the
‘pundits, not the big donors, not any selected group of individuals, no matter how wel
intentioned. The voters — and the voters alone ~ decide the nominceof the Democratic Party.
How canwestand for democracy in our nation ifwe ignore it in ourown party? Icannot do that.
Twill not do that,
Ihave no doubt that I ~ and we ~ can and will beat Donald Tramp. We have an historic record
of success to run on. From creating over 15 million jobs (including 200,000 just last month),
reaching historic lows on unemployment, to revitalizing American manufacturing with 800,000
jobs, to protecting and expanding affordable health care, to rebuilding America’s roads, bridges,
highways,ports and airports, andwatersystems, to beating Big Pharma and loweringthecost of
prescription drugs, including $35 a month insulin for seniors, to providing student debt relief
for nearly 5 million Americans to an historic investment in combatting climate change.
More importantly, we have an economic vision to run on that soundly beats Trump and the
MAGA Republicans. They are siding with the wealthy and the big corporations and we are siding
with the working people ofAmerica. It wasn't an isolated momentforTrump to stand at Mar-A-
Lago and tell the oil industry they should give him $1 billion and he will do whatever they want.
“That's whose side Trump and the MAGA Republicans are on. Trump and the MAGA
Republicans want another $5 trillion in tax cuts for rich peoplesothey can cut Social Security
and Medicare. We will never let that happen. Its trickle-down economics on steroids. We know
the way to build the economy is from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down. We
are finally going to make the rich and big corporations pay their fair share oftaxes in this
country. The MAGA party is also still determined to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which could
throw 45 million Americansoff their coverage. We will never let that happen either. Trump got
rich denying rental housing to Black people. We have a plan to build 2 million new housing units
in America. They want to let Big Pharma charge as much as they want again. What do you think
America's seniors will think when they know Trump and the MAGA Republicans want to take
away their $35 insulin — as wel as the $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket prescription costs we
Democratsjust got them? Or what do you think American families are going to think when they
find out Tramp and the MAGA Republicans want to hit them with a new $2,500 national sales
tax on all the imported products they buy.
We are the ones lowering costs for families ~ from health care to prescription drugs to student
debt to housing. We are the ones protecting Social Security and Medicare. Everything theyre
proposing raises costs for most Americans — except their tax cuts which will go to the rich.
‘We are protecting the freedoms ofAmericans. Trump and the MAGA Republicans are taking
them away. They have already for the first time in history taken away a fundamental freedom
from the American people by overturning Roe v. Wade. They have decided politicians should
make the most personalofdecisions that should be made by women and their doctors and those
closest to them. They have already said they won't stop there ~ and are going after everything
from contraception to IVF to the right to marry who you love. And they have made it clear they
will ban abortion nationwide. We wil let noneof that happen. I have made it lear that if
Kamala and Iare reelected, and the nation elects a Democratic House and Senate, we will make
Roe v. Wade the lawofthe and again. We are the ones who will bring real Supreme Court
reform; Donald Trump and his majority want more ofthe same from the Court, and the chance
to add to the right-wing majority they built by subverting the norms and principles of the:
nomination and confirmation process.
And we are standing upforAmerican democracy. After January 6th, Trump has proven that he
is unfit to ever hold the office of President. We can never allow him anywhere near that office
again. And we never will.
My fellow Democrats — we have the record, the vision, and the fundamental commitment to
America’s freedoms and our Democracy to win.
“The questionof how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now. And it's time for
itto end. We have onejob. 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. Its time to come together, move
forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump.
Sincerely,
Je
Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Presidentof the United StatesofAmerica

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JosepH R. BIDEN, JR.

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