US election campaign - After TV debacle: pressure on Biden in his own party grows
Following Joe Biden's disastrous performance in the television debate against his rival Donald Trump, pressure is mounting on the US President within his own ranks. The first democratic congressman from the US House of Representatives publicly called on Biden to step down from the presidential race and make way for another candidate. More critics could follow. Even the top democratic politician Nancy Pelosi spoke out.
Biden himself attributed the reason for his poor performance in the TV debate against Challenger Donald Trump to fatigue. The 81-year-old explained his weak appearance to traveling journalists during a campaign stop in the US state of Virginia, stating that he had effectively traveled around the world multiple times before the debate, which "wasn't very smart." He hadn't listened to his staff - "and then I almost fell asleep on stage." This was no apology, but an explanation.
In Biden's calendar in the past month, there were indeed two major foreign trips. First, he was in France at the beginning of June for a memorial event for the Allied landing in Normandy. Immediately after that, he undertook a state visit to Paris, where France's President welcomed him with a grand program. Then he returned to the US - only to travel again to Italy in mid-June for the G7 Summit. From there, he went back across nine time zones to the US West Coast, where he participated in an exclusive fundraising gala for his campaign in Los Angeles.
On the 17th of June, Biden received NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Washington. He finally spent time at Camp David - the US President's retreat near the capital - from the 20th of June, preparing for the debate with his team and avoiding any public engagements for nearly a week.
The White House goes on the offensive
The White House also made efforts to dispel doubts about Biden's fitness for office and to minimize the impact of his poor performance on television. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed the media, stating that Biden had simply had a bad night. "We will turn the page," she said. Biden would convince the American people of his qualities at local events.
In the coming days, Biden planned to meet with democratic congressmembers and governors, Jean-Pierre announced. There were also plans for a television interview, campaign appearances, and a press conference at the NATO Summit in Washington. Biden himself appeared confident and self-assured during a Washington meeting, reading his speech from a teleprompter as usual.
Congressman calls for Biden to "respectfully" step down
In the past few days, the most prominent faces of the party had remained silent with harsh public criticism. Lloyd Doggett, a democratic congressman from Texas, was the first parliamentarian from Biden's party to publicly call for his resignation.
It's not easy for Doggett to make his reservations public, he wrote in a statement that was quoted by US media. Unlike Trump, Biden has always served the interests of the country and not his own. He hopes the President will make the difficult and painful decision to withdraw, Doggett added. "I respectfully urge him to do so."
According to Axios, major Democratic donors are considering changing their strategy before the November election due to dwindling hopes for a Biden win. They plan to focus their support on democratic candidates for the House and Senate instead, in order to secure majorities there and prevent Trump from unrestricted rule in case of a victory.
Pelosi: Question about gaffes "justified"
Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the House, defended Biden in an interview with the US broadcaster MSNBC and praised his "judgment and strategic thinking."
When asked about Biden's gaffes during the TV debate, Pelosi said it was a "justified question" whether they were just an episode or a condition. However, both candidates should be subjected to the same critical scrutiny in terms of their qualifications for the presidency. Pelosi emphasized that it was difficult to debate with Trump because he constantly lies.
Manchin Threatens Public Break with Biden
According to a report by the Washington Post, Senator Joe Manchin threatened to publicly break with Biden immediately after the TV debate. Manchin, who is known as a swing voter, recently switched sides but still aligns with his former party on many issues as an independent Senator.
The report states that Manchin changed his confrontational approach under pressure from the Democratic minority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer. A Democratic Party representative was quoted as saying: "Nobody wants to be the first to stab Julius Caesar."
Biden to Meet with Democratic Governors
The US broadcaster CBS reported that Biden will meet with democratic governors of various states today to secure their support. Prior to this, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with the situation, that several governors had telephoned each other earlier in the week to arrange such a meeting.
According to a report by the Washington Post, there will still be a crisis meeting today: White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients is to hold a telephone conference with all President Biden's staff, it was reported. In this conference, the importance of continuing the work despite the opposition was to be emphasized. The Biden team at the White House, which usually stays out of electoral campaign matters, may not have gone unnoticed during the past few days.
- Amidst the mounting pressure due to his poor performance during the US election campaign television debate, President Joe Biden faces criticism from within his own ranks.
- In an attempt to dispel doubts about his fitness for office, the White House, led by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, is working to minimize the impact of Biden's performance.
- Following the debate, Biden visited the US West Coast for an exclusive fundraising gala in Los Angeles, after attending the G8 summit in Italy and a visit to Paris, France.
- Biden's travel schedule in the past month also included a trip to France for the Normandy memorial event and a state visit, as well as a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Washington.
- In the aftermath of the debate, Democratic Congressman Lloyd Doggett from Texas was the first to publicly call for Biden to "respectfully" step down from the presidential race.
- Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the House, defended Biden during an MSNBC interview, stating that it's a justified question about his gaffes but both candidates should be subjected to critical scrutiny.
- Major Democratic donors are considering a strategy change before the November election, focusing their support on democratic candidates for the House and Senate instead, due to dwindling hopes for a Biden win.
- Senator Joe Manchin, a known swing voter, threatened to publicly break with Biden after the television debate, but later changed his approach under pressure from Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.
- Biden is planning to meet with democratic congressmembers and governors, as well as give a press conference at the NATO Summit in Washington, in an attempt to regain public trust.
- Despite the controversy, Biden will also meet with democratic governors of various states today to secure their support, which was previously arranged by phone calls between several governors.
- Amidst the intense election campaign, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients will hold a telephone conference today with all President Biden's staff, emphasizing the importance of continuing the work despite opposition.
