In 'blue wall' push, Biden defiantly says he's 'not going anywhere' as he slams Trump, Project 2025

DETROIT (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday forcefully defied the growing number of critics in his own party who have called on him to exit the race, pivoting to warnings about a second Donald Trump term and declaring he was “not done yet.”

As a raucous Detroit crowd chanted “don’t you quit!” and “we got your back!” Biden said — again — that he was still running for reelection and vowed to “shine a spotlight on Donald Trump" and what the Republican would do if he returned to the White House. Biden lambasted an expansive far-right policy agenda crafted by conservative think tanks that Trump has scrambled to distance himself from, while ticking off several items on his own wish list for the first 100 days of his second term.

At the same school where, four years ago, then-candidate Biden positioned himself as a bridge to the next generation of Democratic leaders, the embattled president, who has been under pressure for more than two weeks to step aside, made it clear he was going nowhere.

“You made me the nominee, no one else — not the press, not the pundits, not the insiders, not donors," Biden said, to cheers. “You, the voters. You decided. No one else. And I'm not going anywhere.”

The show of force from Biden at the evening rally was part of his team's relentless sprint to convince fretting lawmakers, nervous donors and a skeptical electorate that at the age of 81, he is still capable of being president. But a spate of travel to battleground states, interviews with journalists and a rare solo news conference have not tamped down the angst within the party about Biden's candidacy and his prospects against Trump in November.

So far, one Democratic senator and roughly 20 House Democrats have publicly called on Biden to step aside. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told Democrats he had met privately with Biden after the news conference, sharing the “full breadth” of views from lawmakers about the path forward in the president’s campaign for reelection. Earlier Friday, in a virtual meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Biden was told directly by California Rep. Mike Levin that he should step down as the Democratic nominee, according to three people familiar with that call who were granted anonymity to discuss it.

But the support Biden retains among Democrats was clear among the hundreds of supporters at the rally, who waved signs that read “Motown is Joetown” and enthusiastically cheered the president's remarks — and jeered at any mention of Trump.

“He inherited millions of dollars only to squander it. He’s filed for bankruptcy six times," Biden said. "He even went bankrupt running a casino. I didn’t think that was even possible. Doesn’t the house always win in a casino?”

He also singled out Project 2025, a massive proposed overhaul of the federal government drafted by longtime allies and former officials in the Trump administration that Trump has insisted he knows “nothing” of.

“You heard about it? It’s a blueprint for a second Trump term that every American should read and understand," Biden said, accusing his opponent of trying to run from the plan “just like he's trying to distance himself from overturning Roe vs. Wade because he knows how toxic it is. But we're not gonna let that happen.”

Biden also criticized the media, claiming was focusing on his errors and not on Trump’s. It prompted his supporters to boo reporters in the room — a staple of Trump rallies — though Biden tried briefly to calm the jeers, saying “no, no, no.”

He smiled, though, when the audience repeatedly chanted “lock him up” in reference to Trump, who was convicted on felony charges in New York relating to his hush money payments to an adult film actress around the 2016 election. Trump frequently encouraged the same chant regarding his political opponents.

The Biden campaign and the White House did not immediately respond when asked if Biden condoned the chant.

Biden's campaign has indirectly acknowledged that Biden's route to the White House is narrowing, saying the so-called “blue wall” of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania is now the “clearest pathway” to victory even while insisting other battleground states like Arizona and Nevada are not out of reach.

That strategy is reflected in how Biden is redoubling his efforts in the Midwestern states, hitting Detroit nearly one week after he campaigned in Madison, Wisconsin; Philadelphia; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Rallying enthusiasm in Detroit and among its sizable Black population could prove decisive for Biden’s chances of winning Michigan, which Biden reclaimed in 2020 after Trump won it four years prior by just over 10,000 votes.

Campaign aides underscored the enthusiasm for Biden after his news conference at the conclusion of this week's NATO summit. Communications director Michael Tyler said donations “exploded," saying there were 40,000 contributions on Thursday night — a clip that was seven times the average.

But at a critical juncture when Biden needs to consolidate support, key Democratic leaders in the state were notably absent Friday.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is co-chair of Biden’s campaign, was out of the state. Sens. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, and Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is vying for Michigan’s open Senate seat, were also not there. United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, whom Biden actively courted during last year’s strikes, was traveling for a conference.

Rep. Hillary Scholten, who is seeking reelection in a battleground district in western Michigan, is among the lawmakers who've called on Biden to step aside.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, one of the more prominent Democratic leaders appearing with Biden on Friday, refused to say whether she believed Biden should still be the party’s presidential nominee.

“I’m just focused on making sure people know what’s at stake this year and know how to exercise their vote,” she said.

But in a swing state that he won by close to 3 percentage points in 2020, Biden continued to command support. Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell, Rep. Haley Stevens, Rep. Shri Thanedar and AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler accompanied Biden on Air Force One from Washington to Detroit, in Biden's fourth trip to the state this year. Also attending was Academy Award-winning actress Octavia Spencer. And over a dozen Detroit-area state lawmakers signed onto a joint letter Thursday “to express our unwavering support" for Biden.

After the rally, Ken Jacobs, 71, said Biden’s speech, which stretched to over 30 minutes, should put to rest any talk that he couldn’t handle another four years in office.

“He should repeat that exact speech at the Democratic convention,” said Jacobs. “It shows that he has the stamina for this.”

Anne Baxter, 62, said Biden is correct in staying in the race and decried the media, celebrities and other Democratic leaders calling on him to step down.

“I’m glad he’s not listening to these knuckleheads, because it's not the base,” the retired teacher said. “You heard these people here.”

In 2016, Trump won Michigan by a thin margin attributed in part to reduced turnout in predominantly Black areas like Detroit’s Wayne County, where Hillary Clinton received far fewer votes than Barack Obama did in previous elections.

Biden reclaimed much of that support four years ago, when he defeated Trump in Michigan by a 154,000-vote margin, but he has work to do. Detroit, which holds a population that is nearly 78% Black, saw a 12% turnout in the Feb. 27 primary, almost half that of the 23% total turnout in the state.

Key parts of Biden’s coalition in Michigan are also upset with him over Israel’s offensive following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. Michigan holds the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the nation, contributing to over 100,000 people voting “Uncommitted” in Michigan’s Democratic primary in February.

Kim reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Isabella Volmert in Detroit and Farnoush Amiri, Mary Clare Jalonick and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.

President Joe Biden on stage as he waits to be introduced at Renaissance High School, Friday, July 12, 2024, during a campaign event in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Joe Biden pauses as he speaks to supporters at Renaissance High School, Friday, July 12, 2024, during a campaign event in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Joe Biden gestures during his remarks at Renaissance High School during a Friday, July 12, 2024, campaign event in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

President Joe Biden is gesturing before speaking at a campaign event at Renaissance High School, Friday, July 12, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

President Joe Biden gestures while speaking to supporters at a campaign event at Renaissance High School in Detroit, Friday, July 12, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

President Joe Biden on stage with supporters after speaking at Renaissance High School, Friday, July 12, 2024, during a campaign event in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The shadow of Air Force One with President Joe Biden aboard is pictured as it approaches Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Detroit, Friday July 12, 2024, for a campaign event. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Joe Biden, second right, exits Air Force One on arrival to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Detroit, Friday July 12, 2024, for a campaign event. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Joe Biden speaks to supporters at Garage Grill & Fuel Bar during a campaign stop in Northville, Mich., Friday July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Joe Biden, right, is greeted by Octavia Spencer upon arriving at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Detroit, Friday July 12, 2024, for a campaign event. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Joe Biden speaks to supporters at Garage Grill & Fuel Bar during a campaign stop in Northville, Mich., Friday July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Joe Biden greets supporters at Garage Grill & Fuel Bar during a campaign stop in Northville, Mich., Friday July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Joe Biden, right, speaks as Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., left, cheers during a visit to Garage Grill & Fuel Bar during a campaign stop in Northville, Mich., Friday July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Joe Biden boards Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Friday, July 12, 2024. Biden is traveling to Detroit for a campaign event. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

President Joe Biden walks from the podium after a news conference Thursday July 11, 2024, on the final day of the NATO summit in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Joe Biden speaks at a news conference Thursday July 11, 2024, on the final day of the NATO summit in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Turning Point’s representatives have made two things clear in meetings with state and local Republican leaders — Donald Trump has blessed their conservative organization to help lead his get-out-the-vote effort, and local party officials ought to use the group's new voter mobilization app.

Both prospects terrify fellow Republicans.

Soaring to prominence after Trump’s unexpected 2016 win, Turning Point earned a reputation for hosting glitzy events, cultivating hard-right influencers and raising prodigious sums of money while enriching the group’s leaders. They’ve had far less success helping Republicans win, especially in their adopted home state of Arizona.

Now the organization has leveraged its ties to Trump to expand its influence in a way that could be potentially lucrative. Turning Point has sought to lead an effort to remake the GOP’s get-out-the-vote effort based on the theory that there are thousands of Trump supporters who rarely vote but could be persuaded to in this year’s election. And they are pitching their new mobile app as vital to this effort’s success.

The Associated Press obtained an unvarnished look at how Turning Point is promoting its strategy by obtaining several recordings of presentations made by its representatives to state and local Republican officials. In those presentations, Turning Point operatives honed in on churchgoers and hunters, citing statistics that purport to show how few of each group cast ballots in 2020. Their argument, which is questioned by critics, is if groups like Turning Point target such groups, Republicans will likely sweep the swing states for Trump, the recordings show.

The decision by Trump to rely on untested groups such as Turning Point could have sweeping implications for November’s election. Turning Point says it's operating statewide in Arizona and Wisconsin, two must win states for Trump. It's also working in two competitive House districts, one in Michigan and another in Nevada, that could also help tip the balance in the presidential race.

The difference of just a few thousand votes in battleground states could mean victory or defeat for candidates up and down the ballot. It’s also a risky move that dismisses independent voters, a small but significant portion of the electorate.

“Their strategy is bad. They know how to talk MAGA, they know how to message the base,” said Tyler Montague, a Republican strategist from Arizona and a longtime Turning Point critic, referring to the former president’s Make America Great Again movement. “But they literally don’t know what to say to a swing voter. They alienate these people.”

A Turning Point spokesman rebuffed such criticism, saying the group is performing an important role for conservative candidates. “We did this because we knew conservatives need” a way to identify and turn out voters, said spokesman Andrew Kolvet. He added that the effort reflects lessons Turning Point has learned from defeats Republicans suffered in Arizona in 2022 and elsewhere and how Democrats have embraced similar tactics.

Turning Point was founded in suburban Chicago over a decade ago by Charlie Kirk, then a recent high school graduate, to nurture the next generation of conservatives. But as its leaders age out of the youth movement, the group's brand of far-right politics hasn’t been very persuasive to Arizona’s general election voters, who rejected conservative candidates for statewide office in 2022, including gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake.

Turning Point’s leaders showed a degree of introspection after those losses. Not only had they failed to mobilize GOP voters, but Kirk had also amplified Trump’s false claims that voting by mail was rife with fraud, putting Republicans at a strategic disadvantage by discouraging a convenient way to cast a ballot.

They reversed course for the 2024 election and launched a campaign to raise $108 million for a “ballot chasing” operation that would expand beyond Arizona to key presidential swing states, where they are canvasing reliably Republican areas and encouraging low-turnout voters to cast a ballot by mail. Kolvet, Turning Point's spokesman, said they have so far raised tens of millions of dollars as part of this effort.

Turning Point’s get-out-the-vote work is part of a broader effort to elect Trump that includes 30,000 volunteers recruited by the former president’s campaign, as well as work being done by such outside groups as Elon Musk’s America PAC, which has paid at least $45 million to voter canvasing firms this year.

Musk’s PAC took over as the leader of voter mobilization efforts in Wisconsin, a position that Turning Point had previously held. Turning Point will now play a secondary role in the state, while directing much of their focus to Arizona, a development previously reported by Politico.

The group's strategy isn’t complicated: Its operatives believe there is a well of untapped conservative voters who have not backed Trump in recent elections. To get Trump back to the White House, they believe the best path is to activate those voters. The strategy appears to mostly ignore independents — or less hardened Republicans — because Turning Point’s brand of hard-right politics is less likely to appeal to them.

In the recordings obtained by the AP, Turning Point’s representatives fully embraced that strategy and believe it would have helped them win past elections and ensure victory in November.

“If we just have an ounce of ballot chasing, just in Arizona,” Republicans would have won all their races, Matthew Martinez, a Turning Point official, said at a June event in Detroit, referring to the practice of convincing people to vote early while reaching out to those who haven’t cast ballots

Martinez added that Republicans faced the same challenges in Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia. In all three states, Martinez said, “Republicans are sincerely disengaged.”

Kirk wrote this month that Turning Point had assigned a full-time staffer or volunteer to chase every low-propensity voter on their target list in Arizona.

Experts in voting patterns are doubtful Turning Point's efforts to mobilize infrequent Trump-inclined voters will do much to affect the election. Turnout in the past two presidential elections has already drawn a record number of voters to the polls, the experts noted, meaning the pool of voters they are seeking to turn out is small and particularly unlikely to vote.

“You had the highest turnout in Michigan in those presidential election years than you’ve ever had before. It’s doubtful they’re going to get any more,” said Bernie Porn, a nonpartisan pollster who’s worked in the state for more than 30 years.

For over a year, Turning Point has aggressively pitched its new voter mobilization app — a potentially lucrative venture that, if successful, critics believe could strengthen its grasp on key Republican Party machinery. In meetings with state and local Republican leaders, Turning Point operatives lean heavily into their close affiliation with Trump, who is a regular speaker at Turning Point conferences, according to the recordings obtained by theAP.

“We now are an official arm of the Trump campaign,” Turning Point operative Luke Malace told the members of the Monroe County Republican Party in Michigan earlier this year while urging the group to become a paying “client" of the company that made the Turning Point app.

Martinez, at the June event, told attendees concerned about helping Republicans win that the best way to help was to use the app.

“Sir, just download the app – and everybody in here, too, download the app,” said Martinez, a Turning Point official.

The app was designed by Superfeed, a company with direct ties to Turning Point’s leaders. Tyler Bowyer, Turning Point’s chief operating officer, sits on the company’s board and was formerly the company’s chairman, business filings show. Kirk’s mother-in-law also serves on Superfeed’s board.

It’s unclear how much the company has made from apps it designed for Turning Point and over a dozen other GOP and conservative groups, including state parties in Arizona, Nevada and Delaware. Recent state and federal campaign finance disclosures do not show any payments to Superfeed.

In private, a Turning Point representative did not seek to disguise the connection between the app and their group.

“It’s all in-house,” Malace told the county party in Michigan.

Malace did not respond to a request for comment. Superfeed officials also did not respond to a request for comment.

Kolvet, the Turning Point spokesman, said that Malace mischaracterized the organization's relationship with the app maker. Turning Point does not receive any money earned by Superfeed, and the conservative group isn't “financially involved” with the app maker, Kolvet said.

“Our relationship with Superfeed is we are a client and they are a vendor," Kolvet said.

Some Republicans told the AP that there are major issues with Turning Point’s app, which has minimal protections to secure voters’ personal information.

The platform allows anyone who uses it, including an AP reporter, to quickly gain access to detailed personal information, including voters’ full names, addresses, ages and cellphone numbers. That’s a departure from the security protocols adopted by other such platforms. Such protocols are designed to safeguard personal information and prevent rival parties from stealing data or spying on a campaign’s strategy.

But not everyone is critical of the app.

Matt Brown, chair of the Yakima County Republican Party in Washington, said he learned about the app during a talk at a Turning Point conference in December. Brown was wowed and decided to become a Superfeed client, and began using the app a few months ago. He declined to say how much the party pays Superfeed, but praised Turning Point's new focus.

“They are doing the work that no one else wants to do and the party is not doing it,” Brown said of the group.

The app is seen by Republican strategists as the latest example of Turning Point becoming more focused on using data as a way to strengthen its Republican role in the future. And those strategists are concerned that Turning Point is not playing by established traditions of sharing data within the Republican ecosystem and is unprepared to do the kind of work needed to elect Republicans in swing states.

“We have had good ground games in the past, really good ground games. And they were run by the RNC,” said Ron Kaufman, a longtime Republican who is so closely associated with the Republican National Committee he has been referred to as “Mr. RNC” in the past. “It doesn’t make sense to turn that operation over to an outside organization that doesn’t have the institutional knowledge that the committee has.”

Turning Point, for example, is not sharing its voter data with Data Trust, a Republican information clearinghouse that allows GOP campaigns and groups to use data collected by groups throughout the party's ecosystem. Other Republican operatives said Turning Point is not sharing data with key statewide campaigns in the battlegrounds they are prioritizing.

Such data is the “lifeblood” of modern electioneering, said Montague, the Arizona Republican who has been critical of Turning Point.

He said the group's foray into providing other groups data is further evidence it is attempting “to take over the party at the national level.”

Turning Point's spokesman denied the charge, saying the group was not seeking to take over the GOP and blaming their lack of sharing with the Data Trust on not having access when they started this work.

“It's just craziness,” Kolvet said. “We don't want the job.”

FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures as he finishes speaking at The Believers' Summit 2024 at a Turning Point Action event in West Palm Beach, Fla., July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)