US President Joe Biden has vowed to stay in the presidential race despite media reports that he was mulling an exit after a dismal debate against his Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, last week.
Biden was resolute when he took part in a call with campaign staff on Wednesday, despite growing concern about the 81-year-old’s viability in the race against Trump in November, including from members of his own party.
“I’m running,” Biden said during the call, two sources told Reuters news agency. He added that he would not be removed as a Democratic Party candidate.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre later echoed the sentiment in comments to reporters, saying Biden was “absolutely not” considering resigning.
Jean-Pierre was responding to a series of reports in the US media that Biden had told trusted people that he was aware his candidacy had been damaged following his performance in his first live face-off with Trump of the election cycle.
The New York Times and ABC News reported that Biden has told allies that the next few days will be significant in recovering his standing, although sources who spoke to both media outlets emphasized that he wants to continue.
At 78, Biden was the oldest person to assume the US presidency following his 2020 election victory over Trump. A second victory would see him leave office at age 86. If Trump were to win in November, he would also be 78 when he takes office for his second term.
Concerns about Biden’s age fueled unrest among some members of the Democratic Party for months before the primary elections, but the questions were often met with a shrug from Biden and his team.
The concerns came to a head during the June 27 debate, especially in the first 10 minutes, when Biden, with a raspy voice and slow movements, gave several answers that devolved into incoherence. In contrast, the typically bombastic Trump remained relatively controlled throughout the debate.
The White House has since said Biden had a cold that hampered his performance. The president said he wasn’t at his best physically during the debate, reportedly telling donors on Tuesday that his demanding travel schedule across time zones was partly to blame and that he almost “fell asleep on stage.”
Democratic unrest
On Tuesday, Representative Lloyd Doggett of Texas became the first federally elected Democrat to publicly call on Biden to drop out of the race. Democrat Raul Grijalva did the same on Wednesday, saying Biden has a responsibility to “get out of this race.”
Other prominent Democrats — including former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — defended Biden, while acknowledging his dismal showing in the debate.
Despite her support, Pelosi said in an interview with MSNBC that it was a “legitimate question to say is this an episode or a condition?”
A White House official said Biden spoke with Congress’ top Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, on Tuesday, and Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, on Wednesday. to calm concerns about his candidacy. Biden was also scheduled to meet with Democratic governors on Wednesday.
If Biden were to step aside, it would launch the race into uncharted territory. The season of the US presidential primaries, when party members normally vote for who they want their candidate to be, is over, although the party’s candidate will only be finalized at the Democratic National Convention next month.
Jim Clyburn, an influential Democratic congressman and close Biden ally, suggested during a CNN interview on Wednesday that the party should hold a “mini-primary” if Biden withdraws. The comment made him the first senior member of the party to speak publicly about how a potential replacement would work.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who supported her boss, is considered the most likely successor if Biden steps aside. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear were also nominated.
The extent of the debate’s political fallout is unclear, with some early polls showing little change in support for Trump or Biden in the polarized atmosphere.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday found that one in three Democrats believe Biden should exit the race due to his debate performance, but it showed no other potential Democratic nominee doing better than Biden.
However, a Times/Siena poll released Wednesday revealed bigger problems for Biden. It showed an overall three-point increase in Trump’s lead over Biden from the previous week, before the debate.
Meanwhile, 74 percent of voters considered Biden too old for the presidency, an increase of five percentage points since the debate.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
