First Senator turns away from Biden and calls for withdrawal
For the first time, a US Senate Democrat publicly calls on President Biden to withdraw from the presidential race. One of the heavyweights of the party is reportedly turning against him - but so far, it's been behind the scenes.
In Washington, the footing for US President Joe Biden is slippery. With Peter Welch, the first Senator publicly called on Biden to withdraw. "I urge President Biden to withdraw from the race for the country's sake," wrote the Democrat from the state of Vermont in an opinion piece in the "Washington Post."
According to a report, even the Democratic majority leader in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, has shown signs of opposition to Biden to donors. Axios reported this based on two unnamed sources. So far, Schumer has publicly and unconditionally supported Biden. The judgment of another Biden supporter came earlier with the force of a thunderclap: Hollywood star George Clooney wrote off Biden's candidacy in the "New York Times" and called for his withdrawal.
If Schumer were to turn openly against Biden, the 81-year-old could finally lose the support of the Congress. Then the fate of Biden's candidacy would be sealed. Nancy Pelosi, one of the most powerful figures in the Democratic Party and a close confidant of the President, remained committed to Biden in a TV interview. In the "Morning Joe" show, allegedly Biden's favorite political breakfast television show, the 84-year-old said: "It's up to the President to decide whether he runs." She added: "We all encourage him to make this decision. Time is running out." In response to the moderator's comment that Biden had apparently already decided to stay in the race, Pelosi evaded the question.
Pelosi's response confuses Biden's supporters
Instead, she deflected by saying: "He is loved, he is respected, and the people want him to make this decision." Pelosi had previously stood firmly behind Biden after his TV debate debacle against Republican challenger Donald Trump. However, she expressed doubts only last week and said that it was a "legitimate question" whether Biden's stumble in the TV duel was "just an episode or a condition."
Pelosi, who is 84 herself, is running for re-election to the US House of Representatives in November. The well-known Democratic Senator John Fetterman, who supports Biden, reacted surprised to Pelosi's recent statements. "It's decided. It's strange that she says that." Hours after Pelosi's interview, another congressman came out against Biden.
At the NATO summit in Washington, Biden countered a journalist's question about whether Nancy Pelosi still supports his presidential candidacy, with a clenched fist. This incident occurred when the heads of state and government of the 32 NATO countries gathered for a family photo. Biden's self-confident counter moved not only Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz, who stood stiffly behind him, but also caused a stir.
Today, Biden faces a grilling from the Democrats: The closing press conference of the NATO summit. There, he must answer the questions of the press without a teleprompter. Biden is prone to promises and stumbles in such situations.
Biden has also announced a new TV interview to demonstrate that he can handle situations without a prompter. On Monday evening (German night to Tuesday), he will face the questions of NBC journalist Lester Holt. Last week, Biden gave his first interview to the network ABC after the debate and emphasized that only God could move him to withdraw.
The call for Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 US Presidency Election isn't limited to Senator Peter Welch. Hollywood star George Clooney also voiced his opposition and urged Biden to step down, as mentioned in the "New York Times." Despite these challenges, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi continues to express her support for Biden, encouraging him to make his own decision about running for another term.
