Biden says he's not going anywhere amid calls to withdraw from election race

(Patria) - US President Joe Biden said "I'm not going anywhere" as he faced calls from many Democrats to end his re-election bid, using a July 4th celebration on Thursday to address doubts about his stamina and mental sharpness needed for a campaign, Reuters reported.

The uncertain performance of the 81-year-old Democrat in a June 27 debate with Republican rival Donald Trump means that every appearance he makes is now closely scrutinized.

Many Democratic voters are concerned about whether he can maintain the demanding pace of work for the next four and a half years, and some in his party have called on him to withdraw.

Biden hosted the annual US Independence Day celebrations at the White House on Thursday, including a barbecue for several thousand active-duty service members and their families. Biden, in a suit without a tie, began his remarks with a strong "Happy Independence Day!"

Reading from a teleprompter, Biden did not make major mistakes in delivering brief remarks, but at one point he seemed to go off-script to refer to a war cemetery that Trump had refused to visit while in office.

"By the way, you know, I was at that World War I cemetery in France. The one that one of our colleagues, a former president, didn't want to go to...", he said, his voice trailing off. "I probably shouldn't have said that," he added, before continuing his speech.

As Biden mingled and took selfies with guests, someone called out to him to "keep fighting".

"You got me, man. I'm not going anywhere!", Biden said, repeating his pledge to stay in the race despite growing calls for him to step down.

Biden's standing in opinion polls has been affected following the debate. About 59% of Democrats who responded to a Reuters/Ipsos poll said he was too old to be an effective government official, a concern that has consistently shown up in opinion polls over the past year.