Joe Biden has been trying for two weeks to erase the terrible impression he made in the CNN debate against Donald Trump in Atlanta. The US president confirmed that day the worst fears of those who believed that, at 81 years of age, he is not in the best shape to be re-elected and lead the world’s leading power for another four years. Despite Biden’s efforts to dispel doubts, neither the memory of the televised encounter fades nor the debate about his continuity ends. The pressure on the president is increasing on the political, media and financial fronts. Money may end up being a decisive factor, but Biden still has his coffers full. Before finances put pressure on, it is the people in the president’s inner circle who can convince him that the best thing to do is to hand over the baton.
Democrats are trying to be careful about how they ask Biden to step aside. Many heap praise on his message, but agree that he is not the best person to either defeat Donald Trump at the polls in November or lead the country for another four years. He would end a hypothetical second term at 86. If the president does not voluntarily agree to forgo re-election, it is very difficult to force him. He won the Democratic primary with almost no opposition and the vast majority of delegates at the Chicago convention in August are committed to supporting him.
Even messages like the one from the former House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, 84, asking him to make up his mind quickly because time is of the essence (when Biden had already made up his mind to continue) erode the president’s authority, even if they are done carefully: “I want him to do what he decides to do,” Pelosi said, as if she had not heard that he had already made up his mind. On Thursday, meetings of Democratic legislators and senators continued on Capitol Hill with Biden’s candidacy as the central issue.
As of Thursday, 10 members of the House of Representatives have openly called on the president to throw in the towel. The latest to join in was Michigan Congresswoman Hillary Scholten. “President Biden has spent his life serving our nation and building the next generation of American leadership,” she said in a statement she tweeted Thursday. “For the sake of our democracy, I believe it is time for him to step aside from the presidential race and allow a new leader to step forward,” Scholten added, adding that if the president does not withdraw, she will vote for him over Trump.
Senators have been more cautious, with only one so far openly calling on Biden to hand over the baton. That is Peter Welch, a senator from Vermont. “We cannot ignore President Biden’s disastrous performance in the debate. We cannot ignore or dismiss the valid questions that have been raised since that night,” he wrote in an article in the journal The Washington Post“I understand why President Biden wants to run. He saved us once from Donald Trump and he wants to do it again. But he needs to rethink whether he is the best candidate to do it. In my view, he is not,” Welch continued. “The national conversation is about President Biden’s age and ability. Only he can change that.”
While Biden said he was “completely” ruling out withdrawing or would only do so if asked to do so by “Mr. Almighty,” another potent gentleman is Mr. Money. Several prominent Democratic Party donors and fundraisers have withdrawn their support for the president and called for a change of pace for the Democratic ticket. They include Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings; hotel magnate Stewart Bainum Jr.; Abigail Disney, heiress to the Disney family fortune; philanthropist Gideon Stein and many others who are lesser known.
Knowing what’s happening outside means understanding what’s going to happen inside, so don’t miss anything.
KEEP READING
In order to continue using campaign money, the easiest way would be for Biden’s replacement to be Vice President Kamala Harris, who is already on the ticket. The president has so far shown himself convinced that he is the one with the best chance of defeating Trump. He is also probably afraid of a succession schism that could end up giving the Republican the victory.
NBC and The New York Times They said on Thursday that the Democratic presidential campaign has begun to secretly conduct polls to see how Harris would fare against Trump.
One of the most high-profile defections was on Wednesday that of actor George Clooney, who co-hosted the event where the Democratic Party raised $28 million in a single night, Saturday, June 15. The event was also attended by Julia Roberts, Barbra Streisand and Jack Black, among other celebrities. Clooney said that the Biden he encountered at that event was not the brilliant one from 2010 nor the one from 2020. “He was the same man we all saw at the debate,” he said in an article in The New York Times. “Our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn’t see what we just saw,” she added. “Joe Biden is a hero; he saved democracy in 2020. We need him to do it again in 2024,” her call for withdrawal concluded.
Actor Michael Douglas on Thursday expressed similar concerns about Biden’s electoral chances, although he also wrapped his message in praise: “I love this man. Fifty years of public service, a wonderful guy. This is just one of those crucial elections. And it’s very difficult,” he said in statements to an ABC program in which he expressed his agreement with Clooney.
July 11 was supposed to be the day Trump was sentenced for the 34 crimes of which he was found guilty. It could have been a turning point in favor of the Democratic candidate. However, the Supreme Court ruling in which the justices granted broad immunity to presidents for their official acts also invalidated some methods of proof. That leaves the ruling of the Supreme Court up in the air. Stormy Daniels case, which has been postponed until September, in case the sentence remains valid.
Thus, a date on which Trump could be sentenced to prison or released on parole had finally become relevant because the president was giving a press conference on the occasion of the end of the NATO summit that, in practice, has become a live test of his cognitive ability. The appearance was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in Washington, 12:30 a.m. on Friday in mainland Spain.
Follow all the information on the US elections atour weekly newsletter.
