'I'm OK,' Biden says in Michigan as more Democrats call on him to step aside

Arab and Muslim residents of the state were planning a protest against US President's visit

US President Joe Biden's continued support for Israel amid the war in Gaza has angered many Democratic voters in Michigan. Reuters

An embattled President Joe Biden on Friday sought to quell fears about his ability to seek a second term, telling voters in the battleground state of Michigan: “I promise you, I'm OK.”

Mr Biden is trying to convince sceptical Democrats that he has what it takes to stay in the race against Donald Trump following last month's debate fiasco and a patchy press conference on Thursday in which he gave thoughtful foreign policy responses but referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump”.

The President made a surprise appearance at a restaurant near Detroit on Friday, telling customers he planned to “finish the job” and said of Trump “the alternative is not much of an alternative”.

He also said the world is at “an inflection point in history, where what happens in the near term is going to determine what the next four or five decades”.

Mr Biden must win if he is to remain in the White House, but a large number of traditionally Democratic voters in the Midwest state want to punish him for his support to Israel in its war on Gaza.

Muslim and Arab Americans were planning a rally to protest against Mr Biden's visit and to denounce his handling of the war.

“We want the Biden team and Biden himself to know that we're there and that we're present,” Adam Abu Salha, an activist in Michigan, told The National.

“We're going to always show up as a reminder that Palestine is an American issue, and that people all across Michigan care about Palestine, not just Arabs and Muslims, but Jewish Americans and other Americans as well.”

In the Democratic primary race in February, more than 100,000 Michiganders cast a protest “uncommitted” vote against Mr Biden that shook the party into paying more attention to the growing movement.

Michigan is the state that is home to the nation's largest Arab-American population.

The visit also comes after Mr Biden held a post-Nato summit press conference where he addressed negotiations on a US-backed Israeli ceasefire deal with Hamas, saying it was “time to end” the Gaza war and calling on Israel not to occupy Gaza after the violence ends.

After the press conference, the senior Democrat in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, met the President and “directly expressed the full breadth of insight, heartfelt perspectives and conclusions about the path forward” from party members.

“As House Democrats have done throughout this Congress, we will continue to work in the best interests of everyday Americans,” Mr Jeffries added in a “dear colleagues” letter to fellow congressional Democrats following the meeting.

But in the hours after the press conference, more party members called on Mr Biden to step down from the Democratic ticket.

Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen of Colorado issued a statement on Friday morning in which she asked the president to “please pass the torch to one of our many capable Democratic leaders so we have the best chance to defeat Donald Trump”.

“Joe Biden saved our country once, and I'm joining the growing number of people in my district and across the country to ask him to do it again,” Ms Pettersen wrote.

Congressman Jim Himes, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, joined the call for Mr Biden to step aside after the Nato press conference, arguing that he “must not risk [his] legacy, those accomplishments and American democracy to soldier on in the face of the horrors promised by Donald Trump”.

As of Friday morning, 19 sitting Democratic members of Congress had publicly called on the President to step aside.

But in Detroit, community leaders reminded Democrats that the 81-year-old President's age is not the reason why the party should “abandon Biden”.

“History was written that Mr Biden would not call that ceasefire and 'Abandon Biden' emerged,” Hassan Abdel Salam, a member of the Abandon Biden National Coalition, told reporters on Friday.

“We would actively campaign against this president that we voted for in droves … a man for which we had no problem with his age.”