By Steve Holland and Jeff Mason
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Bidenstruggling to defuse a political crisis due to his shaky debate performance, will take part in a television interview on Friday that will be closely watched for signs that his mental acuity is failing.
Biden will travel to Madison, Wisconsin, to rally Democratic voters. During the trip, he will be interviewed by ABC News, part of a flurry of events next week aimed at showing Americans he still has the stamina to run against the Republican nominee. donald trump in the November 5 elections.
Although Biden insists he remains in the race and that his health is not failing, he is under enormous pressure to step aside and make way for his vice president, 59-year-old Kamala Harris.
Some donors are expressing their discontent loudly, suspending funding or analyzing possible democratic alternatives. Even some of Biden’s closest political allies, like former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have raised questions about her health.
Several public opinion polls have shown that Trump has established a sizable lead over the Democratic president since the debate, while a Reuters/Ipsos poll found that one in three Democrats wants Biden to drop out of the race.
The White House blamed a cold for Biden’s shaky performance and Biden himself cited jet lag from back-to-back trips to Europe.
The ABC interview offers the likelihood of impromptu comments from Biden, who relies heavily on the use of a teleprompter for his public remarks.
At July 4th holiday ceremonies on the South Lawn of the White House on Thursday night, Biden responded quickly when someone yelled at him to “keep fighting.”
“You got me, man,” Biden responded. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Harris is a strong candidate to fill his place if Biden drops out, sources said, although his allies believe he can still assuage voters and donors’ concerns.
The Trump campaign and some of its allies launched a preemptive political attack on Harris, moving quickly to try to discredit her amid rumors that she could eventually replace Biden as the Democrats’ nominee.
Biden’s campaign has shown no signs of slowing down, although Trump’s team has surpassed it in fundraising.
The campaign announced it would spend $50 million on a media campaign for the month of July, “including strategic investments around key events that attract large and politically diverse audiences, such as the 2024 Summer Olympics and the Republican National Convention.”
Trump, 78, who made several false statements on the debate stage in Atlanta, falsely claimed in a video circulated on social media that he had kicked Biden out of the race. He made derogatory comments about Harris in the same video, which the Trump campaign supported.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Jeff Mason; Editing by Ross Colvin and Sonali Paul)
