Doubts about Biden also in his own camp after weak TV duel
In a statement, Texas Congressman Doggett expressed hope that Biden "will make the painful and difficult decision" to withdraw from the race. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also stated that it was "legitimate" to question whether Biden's weak TV performance was just an "episode" or a lasting condition. Democratic Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez from Washington emphasized, "The truth is, Biden will lose to Trump." The debate caused too much damage.
Vice President Harris, on the other hand, expressed her support for the 81-year-old incumbent. She was proud to be his "so-called running mate." "Joe Biden is our candidate," she said on CBS News. "We beat Trump once and we will beat him again."
In the event of Biden's early exit, Harris would be the most likely alternative candidate. According to a CNN poll released on Tuesday, she had slightly better chances of defeating the Republican challenger Trump. In a race between Harris and Trump, her approval ratings were reportedly at 45% compared to Trump's 47%. In the Biden vs. Trump race, the ratio was 43% to 49%.
According to the CNN poll, three-quarters of voters believe the Democrats have better chances of returning to the White House with a different candidate after the November 5 election.
Biden himself attributed his weak performance during the TV debate the previous week to his exhaustion from international travel. "It was not very smart to travel around the world several times right before the debate. I didn't listen to my team, and then I almost fell asleep on stage," he said. "This is not an apology, but an explanation."
Biden had traveled to France in early June for the 80th anniversary commemoration of the Allied landing in Normandy and for a state visit. In the middle of the month, he went to Italy for the G7 summit.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre acknowledged on Tuesday that the debate was a "bad night." Biden knows "how to recover from setbacks," she added. She dismissed calls for a cognitive ability test. According to Biden's medical team, such a test was "unjustified and unnecessary."
Meanwhile, the governors of Democrat-governed states plan to meet with the US President on Wednesday evening for a direct conversation. "Joe Biden is our candidate, and I support him 100%. That is, unless he makes another decision," said Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. "We will discuss what the best way forward is," he added.
Biden, at 81 the oldest president in US history, spoke loudly and hoarsely during the TV debate with his likely opponent Trump on CNN on Thursday night, repeatedly muddled his words, and did not finish some sentences.
Up until now, he has not publicly commented in an interview. ABC News announced an interview with him for this coming Friday, which is set to be aired in its entirety on Sunday. The White House also announced a press conference by the President for the coming week. Since January 2022, Biden has not held a long press conference.
Speculations about his health condition have been ongoing. Most weekends, Biden spends without official engagements in one of his houses in the state of Delaware. Instead of the high ramp of his aircraft, he uses a shorter, more stable staircase.
A change of the Democratic presidential candidate would be politically complicated. Biden himself would have to decide to step down to make way for another candidate before the month-end party convention. The incumbent won the democratic primaries with an overwhelming majority, amassing a total of 3,900 delegates bound to him. Should Biden withdraw, they would need to determine a replacement.
- Lloyd Doggett, a Republican critic, expressed hopes that Biden might consider withdrawing from the presidential race due to his weak TV performance.
- Nancy Pelosi, former House Speaker, acknowledged that there were doubts about Biden's TV performance, questioning if it was just an episode or a lasting condition.
- Kamala Harris, the Vice President, remained supportive of Biden, proudly calling him "our candidate" in an interview on CBS News.
- A CNN poll suggested that Harris had slightly better chances of defeating Donald Trump in the event of Biden's withdrawal, with approval ratings of 45% compared to Trump's 47%.
- Joe Biden blamed his weak debate performance on exhaustion from international travel, admitting that traveling right before the debate was not a smart decision.
- In the June debates, Biden traveled to France for the Normandy commemoration and then to Italy for the G7 summit, contributing to his perceived exhaustion.
- In response to concerns about Biden's health, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended him, emphasizing that he knows how to recover from setbacks and dismissing the idea of a cognitive ability test.
- Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a strong Biden supporter, suggested that if Biden decides to step down, they would discuss what the best course of action would be with the US President.
