US President Joe Biden is looking forward to “getting back on the campaign trail next week”, reinforcing his commitment to stay in the presidential race as more and more Democrats call for him to retire.

“The stakes are high and the choice is clear. Together we will win.” he said on Friday while still suffering from the coronavirus.

“I look forward to returning to the race next week to continue to expose the threat posed by Donald Trump’s Plan 2025 agenda, while supporting my own record and my vision for America: where we save our democracy, we will protect rights and freedoms and create opportunities for all” said the US president in a statement that for many was an answer to conflicting reports that his inner circle is discussing his future.

In recent weeks, Biden has been caught in a whirlwind of political pressure to resign. Calls from leaders within his own party for him to step down are growing.

Senate Majority Leader Tdear Sumerthe House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the former president of the Parliament Nancy Pelosi have reportedly raised concerns during private conversations with Biden about his candidacy. In public statements, Pelosi’s staff insist that her comments have been falsified.

The former president Barack Obama reportedly said that Biden’s chances of winning the election have diminished significantly.

Lawmakers weren’t the only ones to turn their backs on Biden. Major donors – including actor George Clooney and Disney family heiress Abigail Disney have withdrawn funding.

The Vice President Kamala Harris – considered the top choice to replace Biden – is trying any way he can to “comfort” worried donors.

So far, 31 members of Congress and four senators have publicly called on 81-year-old President Biden to withdraw his candidacy, allowing another Democrat to defeat Republican nominee Donald Trump in the Nov. 5 election.They are Reps. Lloyd Doggett (Texas), Raul Grijalva (Arizona), Seth Moulton (Massachusetts), Mike Quigley (Illinois), Angie Craig (Minnesota), Adam Smith (Washington), Mickey Sherrill (New Jersey), Pat Ryan (New York), Earl Blumenauer (Oregon), Hilary Solten (Michigan), Brad Snyder (Illinois), Ed Case (Hawaii), Greg Stanton (Arizona), Jim Himes (Connecticut), Scott Peters (California), Eric Sorensen (Illinois), Brittany Petersen (Colorado), Mike Levin (California), Adam Schiff (California), Jim Costa (California), Sean Kasten (Illinois), Jared Huffman (California), Mark Vizzi (Texas), Chui Garcia (Illinois), Mark Pocan (Wisconsin), Greg Landsman (Ohio ), Zoe Logfren (California), Betty McCollum (Minnesota), Morgan McGarvey (Kentucky), Kathy Castor (Florida), Gabe Vasquez (New Mexico), and Senators Peter Welch (Vermont), John Tester (Montana), Martin Heinrich ( New Mexico) and Sherrod Brown (Ohio).

Yesterday, Friday, the chairman of the Biden re-election campaign, Jen O’Malley Dillon, also tried to end speculation that the American president would retire.

But apart from the defectors there are also those who stay by his side and support him. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the most influential progressive voices in the House, has endorsed Biden in recent weeks. He went live on Instagram Friday morning and talked about the dangers of holding the Democratic convention without Biden running, including potential legal challenges and deadlines.

For many this weekend is a critical one for the US president with time running out for him to make a decision on whether to resign. The Democratic National Convention (DNC) begins on August 19, but the Democratic National Committee is expected to meet in the first week of August to name Biden as the party’s official nominee in order to meet state voting deadlines.