White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declared on Tuesday that President Joe Biden is “on fire” when asked about his recent efforts to garner support within the Democratic Party following his disastrous debate performance late last month. During a briefing, one reporter noted that Biden had been very aggressive in the past 24 hours with his letter to House Democrats, calls with donors and the Congressional Black Caucus, as well as his appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
When asked if this increased outreach was a decision made by the president, Jean-Pierre responded affirmatively, stating that “he’s ready, he’s on fire, he’s ready to go, and he wants to get out there and continue to show that he has more work to do.” She added that Biden looks forward to getting out there and speaking directly to the American people. The press secretary further mentioned that the president wants “to talk more to the press” and that the White House will “continue to create opportunities to do that.
This comes as public support for President Biden has grown in recent days, coinciding with a surge in his odds of being the nominee on betting markets. Leftist politicians, including vulnerable senators running in red states and safe House Democrats in deep blue districts, have either refused to abandon Biden or come out in support of him. Some notable figures backing him include Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), Jon Tester (D-MT), Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN), as well as the chairs of both the Congressional Black and Hispanic Caucuses.
Despite concerns expressed by some Democratic politicians in private settings or anonymously to the press, Biden’s chances of being the nominee have grown considerably on betting platforms like Polymarket. As of Tuesday afternoon, the platform gave him a 71 percent chance of securing the nomination, compared to Vice President Kamala Harris’ 18 percent. The indication is that the effort to replace Biden may be struggling as August’s Democratic convention in Chicago draws closer.