A confidant of US President Joe Biden has hinted there is the possibility that the president might not be able to hold on to his candidacy if he fails to reassure the public in the upcoming days that he is capable of doing the job. This follows an unimpressive performance in a recent TV debate with Donald Trump, the former Republican president.
The president, despite experiencing this setback, remains fully devoted and ready to battle it out for another term of re-election. However, he acknowledges the urgency of his future public engagements, such as an imminent interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos and campaign trails in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, unfolding successfully in preparation for the approaching holiday weekend.
A high-ranking Biden aide implied, under the shield of anonymity, that two more similar events might considerably shift the state of affairs by this weekend end. This is in reference to Biden’s lackluster display during the debate. This information was made available to The New York Times, keeping the person’s identity classified due to the delicacy of the matter.
This disclosed conversation marks the initial public indication of the president’s serious contemplation regarding his chances of recovery following his poor performance at the Atlanta-based debate on June 27. Doubts over his potential to run for president for another term are growing.
According to another advisor to Biden, who chose to remain anonymous for identical reasons, Biden is ‘acutely conscious of the political hurdle he is facing”.
Despite these disclosures, the White House has rebutted such statements. White House representative Andrew Bates, made a public statement on Platform X, vehemently denying these claims. His reply was, “That assertion is completely untrue. Had The New York Times given us more than just 7 minutes to respond, we would’ve clarified it”.
However, some ardently loyal democrats to Biden have recently begun to query his eligibility for the 2024 re-election bid. One party member even suggested Biden withdraw from the race, a definite change of stance after many came forward to support him following his recent lackluster performance during the debate.
Eventually, the decision of whether Biden continues his 2024 presidential campaign following his weak performance against Trump rests primarily with him, opine Democrats and political strategists.
However, Biden continues to face increasing scrutiny and calls to step down, including pleas from a few financial contributors. Further anxiety is being voiced by some Democrats who fear he may be ill-prepared to defeat Trump in the November showdown.
Twenty-five Democrats in the House of Representatives are reportedly considering asking Mr Biden to relinquish his position if he appears unsteady in the forthcoming days, as revealed by an aide from the Democratic side of the House.
Another Democratic House aide shared that middle-of-the-road Democrats in competitive areas, often referred to as “frontliners”, have faced a barrage of queries in their districts this week.
A Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted post-debate found that one third of Democrats believe Mr Biden should abandon his fight for re-election.
The first Democrat in Congress to urge Mr Biden to withdraw from the Presidential race, Representative Lloyd Doggett, voiced his hope that other Democratic politicians would emulate his action in an interview to NBC News.
“There seems to be a significant turn of events,” the second aide mentioned.
[ Increasing frustration at Joe Biden’s inner circle following the debate disaster ]
Previous House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a conversation with MSNBC Tuesday, drew attention to Mr Biden’s sundry legislative achievements, but also acknowledged the validity of the question about his ill performance in the debate as to whether it was a one-off or indicative of a larger health concern. She further added that President Trump should be held to similar scrutiny.
Directly after the debate, Pelosi had expressed significant support for the President, remarking on the confidence we could place on his record and the expected future performance.
Following the debate, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed that Mr. Biden had merely had an off night and denied that it was an “episode”.
In response to Representative Lloyd Doggett’s call for Mr Biden to step down, Vice-president Kamala Harris affirmed to CBS News that Joe Biden remains their nominee and confidently stated that they have beaten Trump before and will do it again.
Without the aid of a teleprompter, on Tuesday evening Mr Biden informed the crowd at a campaign event in Virginia that his disappointing performance was due to sleep deprivation and proudly announced that his campaign had accumulated 35.3 million euros (or $38 million) since the debate.
Despite conceding that he made unwise decisions like circumnavigating the globe twice, crossing about a hundred time zones right before a debate, Mr. Biden stated that it was not a justification but an explanation for nearly falling asleep on stage. Moreover, certain Democrats, intrigued with the party’s bigger future have suggests that Mr. Biden should self-reflect. Democratic Representative Mike Quigley, an Illinois moderate, indicated to CNN on Tuesday that while the choice lay with him, he should be cognizant of the effects of his decision on the November elections, not just for him, but for the entire party’s upcoming races.
Mr. Jim Clyburn, a US Representative and a Democrat, often deemed responsible for helping Mr. Biden secure his 2020 presidential nomination, disclosed to MSNBC on Tuesday that he would endorse Ms Harris as the Democratic nominee if Mr. Biden were to withdraw.
Meanwhile, Representative Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine, along with Ms Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat and Rep of Washington State, both predicted a win for Mr. Trump in the upcoming elections.
Contrarians questioned Mr. Biden’s restricted media engagement post the debate. Ms Jean-Pierre responded by referring to his visit to a Waffle House in Atlanta right after the debate and his following run-ins with supporters.