Debate about candidacy: Caution for Biden persists
For the benefit of the country, I urge President Biden to withdraw from the race, Senator Welch from Vermont stated in an opinion piece in the "Washington Post". He is the first Democrat to explicitly do so.
News portal Axios reported that the Democratic majority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, is open to considering another candidacy. Senators of the Democrats are scheduled to meet with Biden's close advisors on Thursday. In the House of Representatives, the other chamber of the US Congress, at least eight Democratic representatives have called on Biden to step down from the race for the White House.
The former Democratic House leader, Pelosi - still a heavyweight in the party - told MSNBC that the President must decide whether he wants to run. "We all encourage him to make this decision because time is pressing," she added. However, Biden should wait until the end of the NATO Summit, which is currently taking place in Washington, to make a final decision.
Pelosi had already said shortly after the debate that it was "legitimate" to question whether Biden's weak TV performance was just an "episode" or a lasting condition.
Biden spoke loudly and repeatedly muddled his statements during the TV debate with his challenger Donald Trump. Since then, Biden, who is the oldest President in US history at 81 years old, has been confronted with an increasingly loud debate about his physical and mental fitness for the Presidency.
Even prominent Biden surrogates have lost patience with the 81-year-old. Hollywood star Clooney called on Biden to withdraw from the campaign in a guest article for the "New York Times" on Wednesday.
"I love Joe Biden," wrote Clooney, who had been co-host of a well-attended fundraiser with Biden in Los Angeles just 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, wrote the actor. "It was the same man we all saw at the debate."
Leading Democrats must "ask this President to retire voluntarily," wrote Clooney further. It's about age, "nothing else," emphasized the actor.
Biden himself, despite the criticism, is still "resolutely determined" to stay in the race for the presidential election in November, according to his own statements. At the start of the NATO Summit in Washington, he showed himself combative. In his speech on the 75th anniversary of the Military Alliance, the US President spoke energetically and largely without interruptions - but he read the speech from a teleprompter instead of speaking freely and spontaneously like in the TV duel.
The real public test for Biden's mental robustness, however, will only come at the last G7 summit day on Thursday, when he is expected to give a rare press conference without the help of a teleprompter. Biden is also scheduled to give an interview to NBC on Monday.
Biden and his team have been intensively working since the TV appearance to quell the debate among Democrats about his fitness for the election battle against Trump and a second term. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she believes the Democrats are now "absolutely" united behind Biden. However, NBC reported on Wednesday, citing circles from Biden's campaign, that fundraising collections are "disastrous" now.
While Republicans were putting pressure on the discussion about Biden's health in the Republic, Axios reported that a House committee had summoned three high-ranking White House staff members to testify about Biden's health status.
- Chuck Schumer's potential new candidacy could potentially shake up the Democratic party's plans for the US-President election.
- Senators from the Democratic party are set to meet with Biden's advisors to discuss his ongoing candidacy in Washington.
- The NBC news network will conduct an interview with the US President, providing an opportunity to address concerns surrounding his candidacy.
- In an op-ed for the Washington Post, Vermont Senator Welch urged President Biden to withdraw from the race, citing the country's best interests.
- Controversy has surrounded Biden's physical and mental capabilities following his TV debate performance against Donald Trump.
- George Clooney, a prominent Biden supporter, called for the President's withdrawal from the campaign in a guest article for the New York Times.
- The MSNBC network reported on Pelosi's call for Biden to make a decision on his candidacy, as time is running out before the presidential election in November.
- The NATO Summit in Washington serves as the backdrop for Biden's official decision on his candidacy for the US President position.
- The White House Press Secretary has stated there is unity within the Democratic party regarding Biden's continuation of his campaign, though recent fundraising figures suggest otherwise.
- Democrat representatives in the US Congress have expressed concerns over Biden's health and called for his resignation from the Presidential race, further complicating his candidacy.
