United States President Joe Biden has pledged to continue his re-election campaign “to the end”, as the embattled Democrat fights to keep his candidacy alive amid growing alarm over his physical and mental fitness. Biden, 81, on Wednesday insisted that he would keep running despite growing pressure from within his party to step aside following last week’s disastrous debate performance against his Republican challenger Donald Trump. “Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can, as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running … no one’s pushing me out,” Biden said on a call with campaign staffers. “I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end, and we’re going to win.” Biden’s defiant remarks came after US media reports indicated that the president and his team have acknowledged that his candidacy is at risk of collapsing within days if he cannot convince the public of his fitness for office. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre denied those reports, insisting Biden was “clear-eyed, and he is staying in the race”. Concerns about Biden’s age and condition have boiled over since last Thursday’s debate when the president gave several answers that meandered into incoherence. While acknowledging that Biden performed poorly at the debate, his team has dismissed suggestions that he has dementia or is otherwise cognitively impaired. White House officials initially blamed Biden’s poor performance on a cold. Biden on Tuesday said he had been exhausted after making back-to-back trips to France and Italy, although he spent the week leading up to the debate behind closed doors at the presidential retreat, Camp David. Raul Grijalva, a House representative from Arizona, on Wednesday became the second elected Democrat to call on Biden to step aside, following Texas Congressman Lloyd Doggett the previous day. Late on Wednesday, Biden received a boost from a group of Democratic governors who reiterated their support for the president after a meeting with him and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House. “The president has always had our backs. We’re going to have his back as well,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore told reporters. “The president is our nominee,” Moore said. “The president is our party leader.” Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who also attended the meeting, said Biden was “in it to win it and I support him.” At 78, Biden was the oldest person ever sworn into the US presidency following his victory in the 2020 election over Trump. A second victory would see him leave office at the age of 86. If Trump were to win in November, he would also be 78 when he enters office for his second term. Democrat disquiet Late on Wednesday, Biden received a boost from a group of Democratic governors who reiterated their support for the president after a meeting with him and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House. “The president has always had our backs. We’re going to have his back as well,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore told reporters. “The president is our nominee,” Moore said. “The president is our party leader.” Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who also attended the meeting, said Biden was “in it to win it and I support him.” At 78, Biden was the oldest person ever sworn into the US presidency following his victory in the 2020 election over Trump. A second victory would see him leave office at the age of 86. If Trump were to win in November, he would also be 78 when he enters office for his second term.