DETROIT (WXYZ) — President Joe Biden held a high-stakes press conference Thursday night less than 24 hours before he’s set to touchdown in Detroit for yet another visit to Michigan ahead of the election.
His visit to Detroit comes as the president is not only trying to calm fears among top leaders in his party but also voters in key swing states like Michigan. His stop Friday will be his fourth stop in Michigan this year.
During Thursday's press conference, Biden hoped to ease concerns about his age as some Democrats including members of Congress call for him to exit the 2024 race.
VIDEO: Oakland University Political Science professor Dave Dulio discusses Biden's visit to Detroit
“I believe I’m the best qualified to govern and I think I’m the best qualified to win," Biden said during the press conference. "There are other people who could beat Trump too, but it’s awfully... to start from scratch.”
Some metro Detroit voters we spoke with before the press conference on Thursday disagree with those calls for Biden to step down.
“I don't think he should step down. I think he should still run the race,” Roderick Payton from Southfield said. "It's too late in the campaign for him now to step down."
"I do not believe Biden should step down. It's too late for any of that,” Terrance Jackson of Harper Woods said. "Maybe in four years, we can have a better Democrat and a better Republican but for now, Biden is definitely the safe bet.”
However, earlier in the day, Congresswoman Hillary Scholten from Grand Rapids became the first Michigan Democrat to call for Biden to step aside.
After the press conference, we spoke with Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who’s firmly standing by the president and is pushing back on the calls from her colleagues.
"I don't agree with them at all, but I don't disparage them,” Stevens said. "I expect him to stay as the nominee. I have never doubted for a minute his campaign, this operation, what we've been building here in Michigan.”
The congresswoman says she will be in Michigan Friday as Biden makes another trip to Detroit, following a visit in May where he spoke at the NAACP Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner less than two months earlier.
Watch our coverage from Biden's previous visit below:
“I'm glad he’s giving our state the attention that we need,” Detroit resident Joanna Martin said. “I want him to stay the course, and I think he'll be the victor in November.”
“That's exactly what he needs to be doing. In fact, he should be doing a lot more of it to counter his opponent,” Jackson said.
Some Biden supporters like Jackson still back the president, which he says is mostly because of the opponent.
“Biden got me no matter what because I understand the threat the other guy brings not only to the United States but the world,” Jackson said.
But in the end, the race comes down to winning over voters like Dwayne Brydie.
"Still not made up. I'm undecided,” Brydie said. "Show that he (Biden) has a little more energy, that he is more aware of what's going on. That might sway me.”
While Brydie says he's not thrilled about either choice, he will be paying close attention as both candidates make their message clear to Michigan voters leading up to November.
Final details of the president's visit to Detroit have not yet been released by his campaign.
Former President Donald Trump's Michigan campaign released the following statement ahead of Biden's visit:
“Joe Biden will sleepwalk through his trip to Detroit. But Michiganders will not be dreaming when they see how the Biden-Harris economic policies have made it harder for families to put food on the table or afford to provide for their children. Joe Biden’s record of failing Michiganders is why he is unfit to be President, and why Michigan voters can’t wait to stand with President Trump and elect him in November.”
-Victoria LaCivita
Team Trump Michigan Communications
