Biden sticks to presidential candidacy despite criticism
"If God were to come down and tell Joe to get out of the race, I would step back," Biden said on Friday (local time) in a TV interview. "But God doesn't come down." This interview with ABC News was Biden's first TV appearance since his disastrous performance in the TV debate with his rival Donald Trump a week ago, making it highly significant.
However, the 22-minute conversation seemed to contribute little to calming things down, instead raising more questions. Some of Biden's answers were hesitant, meandering, or hard to understand - despite the President's attempts to dispel doubts about his mental acuity.
Criticism from Democrats towards Biden continued. Five democratic representatives in the House of Representatives have openly called for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race. "I don't believe the President can effectively campaign against Donald Trump and win," said Representative Angie Craig on Saturday.
The leader of the Democrats in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, called for a video conference of top Democrats on Sunday to discuss further action. Democratic Senator Mark Warner is reportedly planning a similar meeting in the Senate. Meanwhile, Biden's campaign team scheduled two appearances by the President for Sunday in Pennsylvania.
Democratic strategist David Axelrod wrote in a CNN op-ed that Biden is in a state of "denial, deception, and defiance." If the President truly understands what's at stake in the election, he will ultimately "do what duty and love for the country demand, and step aside." Should Biden not do so, the discussion about his age will dominate the rest of the campaign instead of the discussion about "Trump's moral and ethical vacuum."
Trump commented in a post on the issue sufficiently, urging Biden to "quietly ignore his many critics and press on with determination and strength": "He should be sharp, precise, and energetic, just like he was in the debate."
Biden spoke with a hoarse voice during the TV debate with Trump, repeated himself in his formulations, and failed to finish sentences. For his weak performance in the TV debate with Trump, the 81-year-old attributed his coughing fit and claimed he had just had a "bad night."
- Despite facing criticism from within his party and a less-than-impressive performance in the TV debate with Donald Trump, Joe Biden announced his plans for two TV appearances in Pennsylvania as part of his presidential candidacy on Sunday.
- Following his interview with the American Broadcasting Company, where he refused to step down from his presidential candidacy despite God not intervening, Joe Biden faced further criticism, with Representative Angie Craig calling for his withdrawal due to doubts about his ability to effectively campaign against Trump.
- In response to the criticism, Democratic strategist David Axelrod suggested in a CNN op-ed that Biden should consider the best interests of the country and step aside, stating that his denial, deception, and defiance were causing the discussion about his age to overshadow the discussion about Trump's moral and ethical vacuum.
- Meanwhile, the ABC News interview sparked discussion about Biden's hesitant, meandering, or hard-to-understand answers, bringing further attention to the doubts surrounding his mental acuity as a potential US President in the face of his rival's criticism.
