Many Democrats remain loyal to Biden. Here’s why.

As Joe Biden took the stage at a campaign rally in Detroit, Michigan, on Friday night, one of the loudest crowds in recent years at any US presidential event chanted: “Don’t give up!”

The presumptive Democratic nominee was greeted with thunderous cheers from hundreds of supporters as he declared: “I’m running! And I’m going to win!”

As he left the stage, the strains of Tom Petty’s hit I Won’t Back Down echoed throughout the high school gym, serving as a silent protest to the growing list of elected members of his party calling for his resignation over concerns about his age.

But despite all the headlines featuring the latest politician, donor or liberal actor to oppose Mr Biden, there remains a long list of Democrats who support him.

At least 80 Democratic politicians have publicly endorsed the 81-year-old, and more are joining them as he insists he’s not going anywhere.

For many, his political record, principles and 2020 victory over Donald Trump mean far more than the damage done by his rambling performance in any debate or public appearance, or the health concerns of a new four-year term.

In Mr Biden’s first solo press conference of the year on Thursday, he gave detailed answers about Nato and his plans for a second term, but many headlines focused on his error in referring to his running mate, Kamala Harris, as “Vice President Trump”.

His allies — at least for now — have praised the embattled commander-in-chief’s performance, which was watched live by more than 23 million people — a larger audience than this year’s Oscars.

“I think he’s shown a real ability on foreign policy, really extraordinary,” North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper told reporters on Friday. “I don’t think Donald Trump can talk coherently about foreign policy for a minute.”

Gavin Newsom, the California governor seen as a possible successor, told CBS he was “fully supportive” of Mr Biden, adding that there was “no distance” between them.

Pennsylvania Rep. Brendan Boyle said Biden “has shown he knows a million times more about policy” than Trump, a “convicted con man.”

Experts say these politicians have many reasons to be supportive, including Mr. Biden’s record in office, his victory over Trump in 2020 and the gamble of putting a new candidate on the field when the election comes in November.

“The president has made it clear that he wants to continue running, and I think people respect that,” said Simon Rosenberg, a Democratic strategist.

“And it’s also true that in our system, replacing a presidential candidate at this late date is very difficult and unprecedented, so there’s a huge reluctance to make a major change.”

He added that there had been a “healthy debate” about who should be the nominee.

However, several groups have argued that the nominee should be Mr. Biden, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which has about 40 members, and the 60-member Congressional Black Caucus, with which Mr. Biden met earlier this week.

Ameshia Cross, a former Obama campaign adviser, said black groups, like many black voters, see Mr. Biden as a president committed to protecting civil rights, unlike his opponent, Mr. Trump.

“They understand what is at stake with a Donald J Trump presidency,” she said. “This is a man who has opposed DEI efforts — diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Mr Biden has received public support from a number of left-wing politicians, including Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who have previously criticized Mr Biden for what they consider to be an overly moderate agenda.

Many people recognize the risks a Trump presidency poses to civil rights, LGBTQ rights and climate change, Ms. Cross said.

“These are important issues for the progressive left and the president has really addressed them,” she said.

So far, much of Mr Biden’s support has come from politicians running for re-election in safer districts, rather than those concerned that Mr Biden could hurt their chances in tougher seats.

Mr Rosenberg said the White House “needs to respect their concerns and address them, I think, in a much more aggressive manner”.

Even as calls for Mr Biden to drop out of the race mount, the latest polls appear to show he has not lost much support among voters.

Biden’s campaign touted a survey from the Washington Post, ABC News and Ipsos published this weekshows him and Trump are neck and neck, similar to polling results before the debate. But the poll also shows two-thirds of Americans want Mr. Biden to resign.

The president has also lost support from some of Hollywood’s elite. Actress Ashley Judd called for Biden to resign in a USA Today op-ed on Friday, saying the party needed a “strong” candidate. Her piece followed an even more critical op-ed this week by George Clooney about Biden.

Longtime Democratic donor Whitney Tilson is the latest fundraiser to pull out, telling the BBC on Friday that he is increasingly confident that Mr Biden will leave. Other Democratic donors told a pro-Biden fundraising group, Future Forward, that pledges worth about $90m were being withheld until he left, according to a report by the New York Times.

Other top donors, however, remain supportive of the president.

Shekar Narasimhan, who has organized fundraisers for the Democratic Party for more than two decades, said there was no change in his plans.

“Our eyes can see what’s going on, our ears can hear what’s being said, but we still keep our heads down to get the job done,” said Narsimhan, founder of the Asian Pacific American Victory Fund Super-PAC.

“It’s the president’s decision whether he wants to run or not, and we’ll go with whatever he decides,” he said. “But it’s better to end this discussion as soon as possible.”

He said his support for Mr Biden stemmed from his belief that he would win.

“This election will be decided by no more than 50,000 votes in three states — Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — and we have the infrastructure and the platform to win there,” he said.

Frank Islam, who sits on the National Finance Committee, said he planned to hold a fundraiser at his home in Maryland later this month. “I’m definitely going to do it because I know him,” he said. [Mr Biden] will win,” he said.