Debate about US-President - Biden's caution stumbles on - first Senator calls for withdrawal from candidacy
US-President Joe Biden is facing growing support from his backers to withdraw from the race for the White House following his performance in the debate about his mental and physical health. For the first time since the debacle in the TV debate with Donald Trump, Senator Peter Welch of Vermont publicly called on the 81-year-old to step down. "I urge President Biden to withdraw from the race for the good of the country," Welch, a Democratic Senator, wrote in an op-ed for the "Washington Post." He is the first Democrat to make such a call explicitly.
News portal Axios reports that the Democratic majority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, has signaled to donors that he is open to considering a candidate swap. Publicly, Schumer had previously stood behind Biden. His office responded to the report only with the statement that Schumer continues to support Biden and will continue to advocate for his defeat of Republican Donald Trump in November.
Democratic Senators plan to meet with Biden's close advisors on Thursday. In the House of Representatives, at least eight Democratic representatives have already called on Biden to give up his candidacy.
Nancy Pelosi and George Clooney put pressure on Joe Biden
Meanwhile, former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to clarify in a TV interview whether Biden should continue the fight against Trump. Instead, she urged the 81-year-old to make a decision about his candidacy. Pelosi's subtle distancing from Biden carries weight and resonates, as she is still considered a heavyweight in the party. The 84-year-old had already said shortly after the failed TV duel that it was "legitimate" to ask whether Biden's weak TV performance was just an "episode" or a lasting condition.
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The stern team on site keeps you informed every Saturday in the free newsletter "Inside America" about the most important developments and gives insights into how Americans really look at their country. After entering your email address, you will receive a confirmation email. We handle your data confidentially. And some of Biden's wealthy supporters in Hollywood are also no longer silent. Film star George Clooney, a major fundraiser for Biden's campaign, called on the President at a press conference for the "New York Times" on Wednesday to clear the way for another candidate.
"I love Joe Biden," Clooney wrote, who had also attended a prominent fundraiser with Biden in Los Angeles last month. "But the one fight he can't win is the one against time." The Biden at the fundraiser was not the Biden from 2010 and not even the Biden from 2020. "It was the same man we all saw at the debate."
Leading Democrats should "ask this President to retire voluntarily," Clooney wrote further. It's about age, "nothing else."
Biden fights back
Biden spoke loudly and repeatedly muddled his sentences during the TV debate with Trump. Since then, the oldest President in US history has been confronted with an increasingly loud debate about his fitness for the Presidency.
Biden himself, despite the criticism, is "firmly committed," according to his own statements, to continuing his campaign. At the start of the NATO summit in Washington, he showed determination. In his speech marking the 75th anniversary of the military alliance, the US President spoke energetically and largely without interruption – but he read the speech from a teleprompter instead of live on TV as he had during the debate.
The real public test for Biden's mental robustness will come on the last summit day on Thursday, when he will give one of his rare press conferences. At this event, Biden will have to speak freely and spontaneously without the help of a teleprompter. On Monday, the President is also scheduled to give an interview to NBC.
Biden and his team have been intensely working since the TV appearance to quell the debate among Democrats about his qualifications for the battle against Trump and a second term. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she believes that the Democrats are now "absolutely" united behind Biden. However, NBC reported on Wednesday, citing circles within Biden's campaign, that fundraising efforts have become "disastrous."
Meanwhile, the Republicans are applying pressure in the discussion about Biden's health. Axios reported that a House committee had summoned three high-ranking White House staffers to testify about Biden's health condition.
- George Clooney, a major fundraiser for Biden's campaign, joined the call for Biden to step down, stating at a press conference for the "New York Times" that it's time for Biden to retire voluntarily due to age.
- In response to the growing demand for his withdrawal, US-President Joe Biden spoke at the NATO Summit with determination, delivering a speech without interruptions, but using a teleprompter instead of live speaking as he did during the debate.
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, both Democrats, have not explicitly called for Biden to withdraw from the race, but their subtle distancing and lack of full support could potentially weaken his position within the party.
