President Biden speaks to supporters at Renaissance High School on July 12, 2024 in Detroit.
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Bill Pugliano/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
DETROIT — President Biden launched a blistering attack on his Republican rival and laid out his own plan for his first 100 days in office on Friday, debuting a reworked campaign speech that criticized media coverage for mistakes that have endangered his campaign.
Biden, 81, is struggling to revive his bid for a second term after a host of Democrats questioned whether he had the strength to win in November following a debate two weeks ago, when he struggled to make his case.
“You’ve probably noticed a lot of speculation lately: ‘What is Joe Biden going to do — is he going to stay in the race? Is he going to drop out?’” he said.
“I’m running and we’re going to win. I’m not going to change that,” he said at a raucous rally in the high school gym, where his supporters chanted “Don’t give up!” and “We support you!”
“You made me the nominee. No one else. Not the press, not the pundits, not the insiders, not the sponsors,” he said. “And I’m not going anywhere.”
Biden’s Michigan trip comes as he continues to make appearances in the “Blue Wall” states he needs to win again. He visited Pennsylvania last weekend and Wisconsin the week before.
Supporters of President Biden wait for him to arrive at a rally in Detroit on July 12.
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Bill Pugliano/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
Biden crowd boos press
The new speech comes just ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which begins on Monday. Biden is trying to demonstrate that “just had a bad night“in the debate but still healthy and happy — and turned the spotlight back on former President Donald Trump.
In what may be the first time at a Biden rally, supporters booed the press when Biden complained about reported on his political woes.
“They criticized me because sometimes I get names mixed up,” Biden said. “I say, ‘That’s Charlie,’ instead of ‘Bill,’” Biden said.
The protest came a day after Biden introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “Vladimir Putin” at a NATO summit, and then referred to Vice President Harris as “Vice President Trump” at a Press Conference.
President Biden speaks to supporters in Detroit as he faces growing calls from Democratic lawmakers and donors to end his bid for a second term.
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Bill Pugliano/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
“But guess what: Donald Trump was exonerated,” he said, criticizing the media for not covering the former president.
Voter Tiombe Williams told NPR that Biden’s speech “hit the mark.”
“Honestly, I was a little disappointed with the debate, but I think he made up for that tonight,” Williams said. “He was very clear about his agenda, where we’re going from now to the next four years.”
Gloria Ghant, a registered nurse in Detroit, said she wanted to hear Biden speak amid “speculation that he’s not fully conscious.”
“He is very conscious and wants to save democracy,” said Ghant, 64.
Supporters cheer as President Biden arrives at Renaissance High School in Detroit on July 12.
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Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
Project 2025 and ‘Lock Him Up’
Biden recounted strange moments from Trump’s campaign: praising Hannibal Lecter, fear of sharks, praising Putin.
“People love to talk about how I got the name mixed up. I guess they don’t remember Trump calling Nikki Haley ‘Nancy Pelosi,'” Biden said.
Biden talks about Trump’s recent details hush money conviction And defamation lawsuit and ran through a dizzying list of Trump’s other civil legal troubles. He talked about the pending criminal charges the former president still faces.
At times, his supporters chanted “Lock him up” — an echo of the pro-Trump chant around 2016, when Trump accused Democratic rival Hillary Clinton of criminal conduct.
Biden described in detail Project 2025a 900-page conservative plan to transform government that he said would be a blueprint for a second Trump term. (Trump has recently denied the plan.)
Biden said Trump would use the plan to criminalize medication abortion, prosecute his enemies, replace most public employees with loyalists, cut Social Security and Medicare, dismantle the Department of Education, end programs like school lunches and Head Start, and cut taxes for the wealthy.
Biden’s Plan for the First 100 Days
For the first time, Biden laid out what he described as a plan for the first 100 days of his second term. It was a long list of items that needed to be passed by Congress — a daunting task, especially as Democrats loom over the prospect of losing their slim majority in the Senate and worry that they won’t be able to regain control of the House.
Biden said the top goals on his agenda are to restore abortion rights lost when Roe v. Wade overturned, signed the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, expanded Social Security and Medicare, increased the federal minimum wage, banned assault weapons, and taxed billionaires—among other things.
Biden contrasted his plan with Trump’s proposals. He said Trump promised tariffs on imports that would lead to higher prices for fruits, vegetables, and coffee — and boasted that his economic plan had led to a surge in the stock market.
“I like to say this to Trump, even though I don’t own any stocks,” Biden said.
President Biden arrives to speak at a campaign event in Detroit on July 12.
Mandel NGAN/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
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Mandel NGAN/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
