'I am OK': Biden looks to bolster support in battleground Michigan after public gaffes

President Joe Biden on Friday travelled to Michigan to shore up support in a critical battleground state amid mounting calls for him to stand aside in favor of another Democratic nominee.

His trip to the Wolverine State follows a high-profile press conference in which he conflated former President Donald Trump with Vice President Kamala Harris, which in turn followed him introducing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as "President Putin."

The gaffes have compounded concerns over his mental acuity and fitness for office, issues of which Biden seemed aware during a campaign stop on Friday.

“We gotta finish the job. I promise you I am OK,” he said in Northville, Mich., at an event with Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., according to The Hill.

He subsequently held a rally and outlined his agenda for the first 100 days of his second term.

We all know it’s not enough to just be against something. We have to be for something.



Here’s my plan for the first 100 days of my second term.pic.twitter.com/WuJGBK0Ln0

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 13, 2024

As of Friday, at least 18 Democratic lawmakers have called on Biden to end his reelection bid, with Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Colo., doing so Friday morning.

"President Biden is a good man who has served this country faithfully and admirably over his decades of service," she said at the time. "I had the privilege of being an organizer of his 2008 campaign, and he is a big reason I went down the path of public service myself."

"I have deep admiration and love for Joe Biden and all he has done for our country, which is why this decision is so painful, but my son and my constituents can't suffer the consequences of inaction at this critical moment," she continued. "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."

He has resisted calls to drop out of the race and insisted he can beat former President Donald Trump in November.