Determined to run in re-election, will defeat Trump: US President Biden
Washington (PTI): A defiant US President Joe Biden has insisted that he is “determined” and fit to seek re-election and defeat his Republican rival Donald Trump in November, even as two excruciating gaffes marred his efforts to dismiss concerns over his age and fitness.
During a high-stakes solo news conference on Thursday at the conclusion of the NATO Summit here, Biden said that no poll or person is telling him that he can’t win reelection currently. That is the only way he would consider ending his presidential bid.
“I'm determined to run,” 81-year-old Biden, the oldest sitting US President, said.
“The fact is that the consideration is that I think I'm the most qualified person to run for president. I beat him (Trump) once, and I will beat him again. Secondly.. the idea that senators and congressmen are running for office worrying about the ticket is not unusual and I might add, there were at least five presidents running or incumbent presidents who had lower numbers than I have now later in a campaign,” Biden said.
“So there's a long way to go in this campaign, and so I'm just going to keep moving, keep moving,” he said.
Toward the beginning of the question-and-answer session, Biden mistakenly referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as former President Trump amid mounting questions surrounding his mental acuity.
He said Harris was qualified to be president as well, although he misnamed her in the endorsement.
“I wouldn’t have picked vice-president Trump to be vice-president if she’s not qualified to be president,” Biden said.
He made a similar mistake earlier in the day, accidentally calling Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky “President Putin” while introducing him during a NATO event.
He continued to defy the pleas from a growing number of Democrats to step down from the Democratic ticket.
Asked if he was determined to stay in the race despite the fears of some Democratic lawmakers, Biden said, “I'm determined on running, but I think it's important that I realise allay fears by seeing - let them see me out there. Let them see me out.”
He said his campaign was strong and working hard in “toss-up states.”
"..look, I got more work to do. We've got more work to finish. We made so much progress. Think about where we are economically relative to the rest of the world. Name me a world leader who wouldn't want to trade places with our economy. We created over 800,000 manufacturing jobs, …so things are moving. We've got more to go,” the president said.
“Working-class people still need help. Corporate greed is still at large. Corporate profits have doubled since the pandemic. They're coming down and so I'm optimistic about where things are going,” he asserted.
Biden added that he is seeking his re-election not for his legacy.
“I'm in this to complete the job I started. As you recall, understandably, many of you and many economists thought my initial initiatives that I put forward can't do that because it's going to cause inflation. Things are going to skyrocket. The debt's going to go up. What are you hearing now from mainstream economists?”
“Sixteen economic Nobel laureates said I've done a hell of a job, that under my plan so far and what's going to happen in the future if I'm reelected, that things are going to get much better. Our economy is growing. I was determined when I got elected to stop the trickle-down economic theory that if the wealthy did very well, everybody else would do well,” the president said.
Biden refuted reports that he told his aides that he needed to go to bed earlier and end meetings around eight in the evening.
“That's not true… what I said was, instead of my every day starting at seven and going to bed at midnight, it'd be smarter for me to pace myself a little more. And I said, for example, the 8:00, 7:00, 6:00 stuff, instead of starting the fundraiser at 9:00, start at 8:00. People get to go home by 10:00. That's what I'm talking about,” he said.
When asked about what changed his mind when in 2020 he said that he would be the bridge candidacy for a younger, fresher generation of Democratic leaders, Biden said: “What changed was the gravity of the situation I inherited in terms of the economy, our foreign policy and domestic division.”
Biden also offered extensive remarks on thorny foreign policy issues, including competition with China and the Israel-Hamas war.
He said he had warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu away from an occupation of the Gaza Strip.
He said he was directly in contact with Chinese President Xi Jinping to warn him not to offer further support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, but not with Vladimir Putin, whom he said: “I have no reason to speak to him right now.”
Biden said he was totally opposed to the occupation and trying to unite Afghanistan. He said that the US should have left the country after killing Osama bin Laden.
“There's no need to occupy anywhere. Go after the people who did the job. You may recall I still get criticized for it, but I was totally opposed to the occupation and trying to unite Afghanistan,” he told reporters at a news conference.
“Once we got bin Laden, we should have moved on because it was not in our -- and no one's ever going to unite that country,” he said.
“I've been over every inch of that -- not every inch, the entirety from the poppy fields all the way to the north. I said don't make the same mistake we made. Don't think that's what you should be doing is doubling down,” he said.
Meanwhile, three House Democrats -- Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut, Scott Peters of California and Eric Sorensen of Illinois -- on Thursday joined others to call on President Biden to step aside from the 2024 race following the news conference.
Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, argued that Biden should make the decision to suspend his campaign to not risk his legacy.
Trump, who is seeking his second term, also mocked Biden.
“Crooked Joe begins his ‘Big Boy’ Press Conference with, ‘I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president, though I think she was not qualified to be president,” Trump, 78, posted on his social media platform Truth Social.
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Dental student death: Probe against faculty after harassment allegations
Kannur (Kerala)(PTI): Police have launched a probe against faculty members of Kannur Dental College after a first-year student died after falling from a building in a suspected suicide, officials said on Sunday.
Chakkarakkal police, who registered a case of unnatural death, initiated the probe after the parents and friends of the deceased alleged that he had been subjected to emotional harassment by faculty members.
The deceased has been identified as Nithin Raj RL (22), a native of Uzhamalackal, Puthukulangara, Thiruvananthapuram and a first-year BDS student of the college located in Anjarakandy here.
According to police, Raj was found critically injured near the medical college block after falling from the building on the afternoon of April 10. Though he was rushed to the medical college and given treatment, he later succumbed to his injuries.
Following the incident, the college initiated an internal inquiry and on Saturday suspended Dental Anatomy Department Head MK Ram and Associate Professor KT Sangeetha Nambiar.
Police said Raj had sent an audio message to his friends alleging harassment by faculty members, including threats of physical assault and academic repercussions such as reducing his marks in examinations.
Officials at Chakkarakkal police station said a detailed probe is underway into the incident, with digital evidence being collected.
Also, statements by Raj's classmates, college authorities and family members will be recorded soon, police added.
Raj's father Rajan told reporters that his son was emotionally and "verbally harassed" by teachers over his dark complexion and poor family background.
"He worked hard without any support to secure admission on a merit seat in the dental college. But he was harassed by faculty over his caste and complexion. They also threatened to harm him academically," Rajan claimed.
He said that they have lodged a complaint against the faculty members with the police and are expecting a fair probe into the death of his son.
Raj's sister Nikitha said that he had faced repeated harassment based on caste and complexion.
She claimed that Raj had filed a complaint with the college principal, but no action was taken.
"He used to tell us about such discrimination and harassment regularly. He was once called to the staff room where he was severely harassed," she alleged.
The sister also claimed that Raj was once called a "slum dog" in the classroom in front of other students by a faculty member. "Once, when the harassment became unbearable, he reacted, after which the verbal abuse intensified," she added.
When contacted, college authorities told PTI that two faculty members had been suspended and that they were cooperating with the police investigation.
"We will fully cooperate with the investigation and share all details. Further action will be taken based on the outcome of the police probe," an official said.
The body of Raj was brought to his residence in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, and buried on the land owned by the family.
Sheeba MR, mother of veterinary student Sidharthan JS, who died in 2024 allegedly after being ragged by fellow students at the Government Veterinary College, Wayanad, visited the house of Raj.
Sheeba said that after her son’s death, she had hoped such incidents would not recur in colleges, but a similar tragedy had happened again.
"These suspensions are only cosmetic as those responsible will be reinstated later. In Sidharthan’s case, the accused students were to be re-admitted soon. Only after our legal fight are they still kept out," she said.
Meanwhile, political leaders also demanded a detailed probe into the incident.
Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala called for a high-level inquiry into Raj’s death.
He said the government should take seriously the allegations by the student’s parents and relatives that caste-and-complexion-based harassment led to the death and take urgent steps to bring those responsible to justice.
Chennithala said the issue should not be closed by merely suspending two teachers and noted that the parents had firmly alleged severe caste discrimination.
Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan visited Raj’s house and demanded a thorough probe.
"Teachers are expected to guide students. How did such people become teachers? There should be a detailed probe," he said.
He added that strict intervention was needed to ensure such incidents are not repeated in the state.
CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP A A Rahim also visited the family and described the incident as painful.
Rahim said Raj was the hope of his family, which had supported his education despite hardship.
"CPI(M) will stand with the family until justice is delivered. Such an incident should not have happened in a society like Kerala," he said.
He also compared the incident with the death of Rohith Vemula at the University of Hyderabad.
"The family has told us that Raj faced repeated caste discrimination and was deeply affected by it. A detailed probe must be conducted and justice ensured. The action taken should set an example so that such incidents are not repeated in Kerala," Rahim said.
Meanwhile, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission on Sunday directed the police to conduct a detailed probe into the death of the student and submit a report within a week.
The Commission took a case on its own based on media reports.
Commission Judicial member K Baijunath issued directions to the Kannur City Police Commissioner to investigate the allegations surrounding the incident and file a report within the stipulated time, according to a statement.
