After a dismal debate performance raised doubts about his campaign, US President Joe Biden reassured Democratic funders that he can still defeat Donald Trump in the presidential race.
The 81-year-old president defended his performance in CNN's Presidential Debate while attending a number of fundraising fundraisers on Saturday in New York and New Jersey.
Speaking at one of the functions, Mr. Biden acknowledged that Thursday night "I didn't have a great night, but neither did Trump."
"I promise you we're going to win this election," he said.
After the debate on Thursday, the president acknowledged the concerns raised by his performance and vowed to push back.
Alongside Mr. Biden and the first lady, Democratic governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy expressed his support for Mr. Biden at the event by saying, "We are all with you 1,000%".
Rejecting demands to stand down, Biden promises to continue fighting.
"I feel so bad for him and for America," voters express concern about Biden.
Katty Kay: Democrats are weighing Biden's future with anxiety and uncertainty
After giving a difficult-to-follow and unsteady performance in the debate against former President Donald Trump, several Democrats are now questioning whether Mr. Biden is the best candidate to run in this election.
Former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi termed Joe Biden's debate performance “really disappointing,” while his former communications director Kate Bedingfield described it as “nothing great” in an interview with the BBC's Katty Kay.
Although the Biden team acknowledged that the debate did not go as planned, they insisted that he would not withdraw in favor of a different candidate.
According to campaign chairperson Jennifer O'Malley Dillon, "voters' opinions were not changed" according to internal post-debate polling. "It will not be the first time that overblown media narratives have driven temporary dips in the polls," she said.
A personal friend of Mr. Biden's, former President Barack Obama, said on social media that "bad debate nights happen".
"This election is still a choice between someone who fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself," the president wrote.
Shortly after the debate, Mr. Trump said to his followers that he saw it as a "huge win" for his campaign and called Joe Biden "grossly incompetent."
"There's nothing wrong with Joe Biden's age," said the 78-year-old Trump.
Politicians were not the only ones to criticize Mr. Biden's performance.
It was deemed a "reckless gamble" by a well-known editorialist in the New York Times over his resolve to run again.
It suggested that Democrats "acknowledge that Mr Biden can’t continue his race, and create a process to select someone more capable to stand in his place" .
After Thursday's debate, voters across have also voiced reservations about supporting either candidate.
Veteran Democrat Lori Gregory questioned, "Is this the best our country can do?" to the BBC after saying she "could not handle" watching the discussion.
Although it was "painful to watch," Republican Crystal Myers-Barber said, "Trump came across very level-headed and presidential and Biden came across very weak."
According to Democrat Shana Ziolko, there was no obvious victor in the discussion and she was "frustrated" by it.
62% of probable voters who watched or read about the debate said Trump had won, according to a post-debate survey conducted by lefty pollster Data for Progress. Mr. Biden won the debate, according to only 30% of those surveyed.
Fundraising may be another sign of sustained support for Mr. Biden's campaign until further polling is done.
The campaign earned more than $27 million (£21.3 million) between the Thursday debate and Friday night, according to a report sent by chairperson Jennifer O'Malley Dillon.
"After the debate on Thursday night, Joe Biden is being counted out by the Beltway elite. But the statistics in the states that are considered battlegrounds shows a different narrative," she added.
"This election was incredibly close before Thursday, and by every metric we’ve seen since, it remains just as close" , she said.
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