President Biden on Monday sent a defiant letter to congressional Democrats, saying he is “firmly committed” to staying in the presidential race, pushing back on members of his own party who’ve called for him to bow out.

“The question of how we move forward has been well aired for over a week now,” Mr. Biden wrote in the two-page letter released by his campaign. “And it’s time for it to end. We have one job. And that job is to beat Donald Trump.”

“Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. It’s time to come together, move forward as a unified party and defeat Donald Trump,” the president wrote.

The letter comes one day after five senior House Democrats said during a private conference call that Mr. Biden should step aside as their party’s nominee. So far, a total of nine House Democrats have demanded Mr. Biden quit the race since his disastrous debate performance against Mr. Trump on June 27.

The president’s move also came as Congress returns to Washington from its July Fourth recess, with the likelihood of more Democrats exerting pressure on Mr. Biden to bow out.

In his letter, Mr. Biden wrote that with the election less than 120 days away, replacing him on the ticket would deny those who voted for him during the Democratic primaries.

“Do we now say this process doesn’t matter?” Mr. Biden wrote.

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.