"I promise you victory." Biden reassures donors after his debate with Trump

US President Joe Biden participated in three campaign fundraising events on Saturday, and despite his poor performance in the debate against his predecessor Donald Trump on Thursday night, he tried to reassure the most generous donors, saying that he is capable of winning the presidential election.

“It wasn’t a great night for me or Trump,” the Democratic candidate said at a fundraising event in the northeastern states of New York and New Jersey. “I promise you we’re going to win this election,” he added.

On Saturday, the US President and his wife headed to New Jersey to attend a fundraising event attended by the state’s governor, Phil Murphy (Democrat), and Biden said: “I understand your concern after the debate. I will fight harder.”

Jill Biden has strongly defended her husband, 81, against calls to withdraw his nomination, saying he is not only the right person but the "only one" for the job.

Biden's candidacy is in doubt after his poor performance in his debate against Trump on Thursday night.

On Friday, the editorial board of the prestigious American newspaper The New York Times called on Biden to withdraw from the race for the White House, the day after the debate.

In an editorial titled “To Serve the Country, Biden Must Leave the Race,” the paper wrote: “Biden has been an impressive president. Under his leadership, the nation has thrived and begun to address a series of long-standing challenges. The wounds opened by Trump have begun to heal. But Biden’s greatest public service now is to announce that he will not continue to seek reelection,” calling Biden a “shadow leader” after failing his “own test.”

Analysts believe that choosing the Democrats as an alternative to Biden will entail several political risks, and the withdrawal will have to be a personal decision for Biden to make room for another candidate before the party conference.

Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton reiterated their support for Biden on Friday, while no figure in the Democratic Party has yet joined the voices calling on Biden to withdraw from the race.

If Biden decides to withdraw, the Democrats will meet in August in what is known as the “open” conference in Chicago, where the cards will be rearranged, especially the votes of those who voted for the president.

This scenario would be unprecedented since 1968, when the party had to find a replacement for President Lyndon Johnson after the latter withdrew his candidacy during the Vietnam War.