The final blow for Joe Biden? Former US President Barack Obama, a very influential figure in the Democratic Party, has told people close to him that the current president should reconsider his candidacy for the November presidential election, it was reported on Thursday, July 18. THE Washington PostSince his disastrous debate at the end of June against Donald Trump, during which he often struggled to articulate his thoughts, Joe Biden has been under pressure from some Democrats who doubt his ability to face and beat the Republican candidate on November 5.
Barack Obama, under whom Joe Biden was vice president, believes that the current host of the White House, aged 81, should “seriously evaluate the viability of his candidacy”, wrote the American daily, citing informed people in his entourage. The newspaper specifies that the former president did not react to this information.
If the news becomes official, Barack Obama would be the most prominent Democrat to join the voices urging Joe Biden to throw in the towel. The president is currently in isolation at his private residence in Delaware, in the eastern United States, after testing positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday.
Senate and House Democratic Leaders
Faced with concerns and pressure, Joe Biden refuses to step down and brushes aside doubts about his mental capacity and physical fitness, saying he is best placed to beat Donald Trump at the polls. But pressure is mounting in his own camp: the Democratic leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives have both reportedly met with Joe Biden in recent days to tell him that his candidacy could jeopardize the party’s chances in November.
Montana Rep. John Tester, who is himself facing a tough re-election campaign in the rural northwestern state, also became the second Democratic senator to publicly call on Joe Biden to step down on Thursday. Leaks – anonymous – are also continuing to multiply in the American media. And several major donors have already announced that they are suspending their funding for his campaign.