The pressure is mounting. The White House categorically rejected on Wednesday, July 3, the possibility that Joe Biden would withdraw his candidacy for a second term, despite very serious concerns about his fitness.
The 81-year-old president is “absolutely not” considering throwing in the towel, said his spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre, nearly a week after a disastrous performance during his debate with Donald Trump. “I messed up,” the main person concerned acknowledged in this regard, in an interview with a local radio station in Wisconsin (north), the entirety of which is to be broadcast on Thursday. “I will be in the race until the end and we will win,” he assured during a conference call intended to remotivate his campaign teams, according to a source close to him.
Governors in support
A Democratic representative in the House of Representatives, Raul Grijalva (Arizona), was the second to openly call for Joe Biden to “get out of the race,” in an interview with the New York Times. These calls have so far not found support among the party’s heavyweights, particularly among Democratic governors, influential figures in American political life, whom he brought together on Wednesday at the White House.
The Democratic governors “will support him,” assured two of them, Wes Moore (Maryland) and Tim Walz (Minnesota) at the end of the meeting, during a brief exchange with the press. The second assured that the president was “fit” to fulfill his functions.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, considered a rising star in the party, did not meet with reporters but wrote on X after the meeting: “Joe Biden is our candidate. He is here to win and I support him.”
Two media outlets claim Biden is questioning
The American executive is trying to put out the fire rekindled by revelations from the New York Times and CNN. Both outlets claim, based on confidences from anonymous sources close to Joe Biden, that the latter is questioning the future of his candidacy. “It is false to suggest that there is any thought of ending the campaign,” assured a White House spokesman, Andrew Bates.
Nearly a week later, the Democrat has not erased the very painful impression left by those 90 minutes facing his Republican rival, during which he stammered, stared into space and sometimes lost his train of thought.
Two surveys published on Wednesday by the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal report a clear lead for Donald Trump in the national vote. Joe Biden plans to give an interview on ABC television on Friday and hold a solo press conference next week, the aim being to demonstrate his ability to speak without a teleprompter. He will also visit two decisive states, Michigan (July 5) and Pennsylvania (July 7).
“Two images”
Donald Trump has also planned a trip to Pennsylvania on July 13, after a trip to Florida on the 9th. The 78-year-old Republican “will beat any Democrat” in November, his campaign team assured on Wednesday. “We have two images of Joe Biden. One is that of a man serving his country, fighting for the American people, a fighter, aggressive, impulsive. And we also have this image of Biden as an old man who probably needs to have his car keys taken away. The question is which of these images will prevail,” comments Peter Loge, a professor at George Washington University.
As speculation mounts that he could be replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris, who has continued to support him staunchly in public, Biden must convince his own party to close ranks. In addition to convening governors, he met Wednesday with Democratic leaders in Congress, where lawmakers are worried about their chances in the November general election.
All of this is taking its toll on the young volunteers tasked with running the campaign across the country. “His cognitive abilities seem to have declined significantly and that’s a huge problem for a presidential candidate,” Yampiere Lugo told AFP. The 25-year-old Democratic activist based in North Carolina believes Biden will have to “throw in the towel” if the polls get worse.