Fellow Democrats are reportedly pressing the US president to either prove his fitness for office or step aside
According to the Washington Post, US President Joe Biden and his campaign are facing pressure from within the Democratic Party. Sources say that unless Biden can quickly demonstrate his fitness to seek re-election on November 5, there will be a more concerted effort to replace him with another candidate.
Concerns about Biden’s ability to manage the presidential campaign and a potential second term, particularly after his shaky performance in a televised debate with Republican frontrunner Donald Trump last Thursday, have been reignited. During the debate, Biden appeared frail and struggled to maintain his train of thought on multiple occasions, giving Trump an edge by most accounts.
With one poll indicating that 72% of registered voters believe Biden is unfit for office, several US media outlets have reported that some Democratic lawmakers, strategists, and donors are calling for Biden to withdraw from the race.
In its Wednesday article, the Washington Post alleges that Biden, in response to a reported “grim ultimatum” from fellow Democrats, has recently called congressional leaders, scheduled a sit-down interview with ABC News on Friday, and announced several campaign events for the weekend.
Citing an unnamed senior campaign advisor, the newspaper claims that Biden’s apparent failure to address doubts about his physical and mental capabilities following last week’s debate has been perceived as a “deafening silence” within the Democratic Party. The president is now reportedly attempting to make up for lost time and maximize his public exposure.
However, senior Democratic strategists quoted in the Post warn that these efforts may be too little, too late to reverse the negative trends in both public and internal polling.
Biden has repeatedly emphasized since the last debate that he is not withdrawing from the race. He reportedly held a private meeting with over 20 Democratic governors on Wednesday in an apparent effort to reinforce this message.
According to unnamed sources cited in the Post, the Biden campaign had long operated on the assumption that enough voters would vote against Trump, making Biden their default choice. However, some strategists within the Democratic Party reportedly question this assumption.
One source stated that Biden “giving two four-minute statements and reading a teleprompter at a rally and a fundraiser” will not be sufficient to restore voter confidence.