JOE Biden’s team has admitted support for the president’s 2024 reelection is slipping but insisted there is still a path for him to beat Donald Trump in November.
Biden’s campaign chief said the 81-year-old will not step aside even after big-name Democrats like Barack Obama have urged him to consider dropping out.
Former President Barack Obama has reportedly called for Biden to step aside[/caption]
Biden’s team has insisted he could still beat Trump despite wavering support[/caption]
The president, 81, has faced questions over his health and ability to run[/caption]
Biden’s circle has gotten smaller as senior party faces, like President Obama and Nancy Pelosi, have changed their previous thoughts on the leader who is currently battling COVID.
The president’s campaign chair, Jen O’Malley Dillon, admitted Biden faced a drop in support.
“I’m not here to say that this hasn’t been a tough several weeks for the campaign, no doubt it has been and we’ve definitely seen some slippage in support, but it has been a small movement,” she said.
“This entire campaign has been built for how close this race is going to be.”
Despite this, she painted an optimistic image that their team had “multiple paths” to beat Trump.
It comes as:
- Trump relives moment he came within quarter-inch of death
- Melania gives royal wave as she enters RNC
- Moment Hulk Hogan rips off shirt during speech
- Kid Rock called out for ‘lip syncing’
- Obama u-turns … Biden could drop out of race by the weekend
- Covid-stricken Biden walks slowly from Air Force One
- Hunter on other side of country despite Joe’s illness
- Donald’s granddaughter Kai becomes breakout star of RNC
- Trump shooter’s motive still unknown
- Dems accused of ‘slitting their own throats by airing dirty laundry’
- ‘Writing is on the wall’ for Joe, says ex-Obama aide
“We have a lot of work to do to reassure the American people that yes he’s old, but he can win,” Dillon told MSNBC’s Morning Joe show.
“Joe Biden is more committed than ever to beat Donald Trump,” she added.
She also acknowledged that voters were worried about his health and age.
“They have questions, but they are staying with Joe Biden,” she added.
Dillon expressed a strong stance within the president’s team that they believed in him and his chances.
“We believe on this campaign,” she said. “We see the path forward.”
This update comes after reports that Biden’s family considered a potential exit plan for him, according to NBC News.
How could Biden be removed from race?
Calls for Joe Biden to end his reelection campaign have mounted since his poor presidential debate night performance on June 27
After the debate, the 81-year-old president’s cognitive health concerns were once again a pressing topic among news outlets and his allies in the Democratic Party.
What has Joe Biden said about his future in the race?
- Biden has remained defiant and shot down calls for him to step aside in the upcoming presidential election.
- The Biden administration was forced to deny reports that the president confided to a close ally that he is considering withdrawing from the race.
- In a July 5 interview with ABC News, Biden said that “no one is more qualified” to win the race than him, adding only the “Lord Almighty” could convince him to resign.
- On July 8, Biden sent a scathing letter to Congressional DNC members who have called on him to step down.
- “I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump,” the president wrote.
- Biden proceeded to slam “elites” in a live interview with MSNBC, daring any challenger to run against him.
How could Joe Biden be removed from the ballot?
- Since the June 27 debate night, a growing number of Congressional Democrats have called on Biden to end his reelection campaign.
- So far, five out of the 213 DNC members in Congress have publicly called for Biden to quit the race.
- As Biden continues to emphasize his status in the upcoming election, many are wondering whether the 25th Amendment should be used to oust him.
What is the 25th Amendment?
- The 25th Amendment of the Constitution states the vice president shall replace a president if they die in office or resign or if members of the president’s cabinet declare the president is unable to fulfill the duties of their office.
- Labor Secretary Julie Su, who would need to invoke the 25th Amendment, called the idea “absurd.”
Dillon’s statement has also been a sharp change from recent reports that suggested party leaders had hoped Biden could drop out of the race by this weekend, according to Axios.
Biden, who is isolating in his Delaware home as he battles the virus, has had major supporters doubt his ability to win in November.
PRESIDENTIAL DOUBTS
Obama has reportedly expressed concerns to his team and called on Biden to reconsider his role in this fight.
He told allies that his former vice president’s “path to victory has greatly diminished and he thinks the president needs to seriously consider the viability of his candidacy,” according to the Washington Post.
The former president was a strong friend and supporter of the current leader, as Biden served as his vice president from 2008 to 2016.
Nancy Pelosi, formerly a strong defender of Biden, has reportedly expressed her worries to the president privately.
She offered a lackluster message of support for the president in a recent interview.
“I want him to do whatever he decides to do, and that’s — that’s the way it is,” she said, according to MSNBC.
Four more Democrat congresspeople have publicly called on Biden to step aside.
House representatives Jared Huffman, Marc Veasey, Chuy Garcia, and Mark Pocan released a joint message to the president today.
They praised Biden for his leadership and work but called on him to step out of the race.
“It is now time for you to pass the torch to a new generation of Democratic leaders,” they wrote.
“At this point, however, we must face the reality that widespread public concern about your age and fitness are jeopardizing what should be a winning campaign,” they added.
“These perceptions may not be fair, but they have hardened in the aftermath of last month’s debate and are now unlikely to change.
“We believe the most responsible and patriotic thing you can do in this moment is to step aside as our nominee while continuing to lead our party from the White House.”
On Friday morning, New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich became the third Democratic Senator to suggest Biden step aside.
“Joe Biden is one of the most accomplished presidents in modern history. He has led our nation through unprecedented challenges with unwavering dedication and profound integrity. His years of service have made a lasting impact on the lives of countless Americans,” he wrote in a statement posted to X.
“However, this moment in our nation’s history calls for a focus that is bigger than any one person. The return of Donald Trump to the White House poses an existential danger to our democracy. We must defeat him in November, and we need a candidate who can do that.
“While the decision to withdraw from he campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is in the best interest of our country for him to step aside.
“By passing the torch, he would secure his legacy as one of our nation’s greatest leaders and allow us to unite behind a candidate who can best defeat Donald Trump and safeguard the future of our democracy.”
OLD TALK
Biden has previously acknowledged calls for him to step aside, The U.S. Sun has reported.
Upon being asked if he would reevaluate his decision to run for reelection in an interview with BET this week, Biden answered, “If I had some medical condition that emerged.”
Biden then clarified, “If doctors came to me and said, ‘You got this problem, that problem.’”
Possible replacements for the Democratic Presidential candidate
Find a complete list of people who might take over the Democratic nomination should Joe Biden step down
- Gavin Newsom: California governor who has been a staunch supporter of President Biden.
- Kamala Harris: Current Vice President to Joe Biden. Many have deemed her the natural successor, however, she is too close to the Biden presidency and has low approval ratings.
- Gretchen Whitmer: Current Michigan governor who has labeled herself as a “progressive” Democrat.
- Hillary Clinton: Former Secretary of State and failed 2016 presidential candidate. Has denied the rumors stating she will back Biden.
- J.B Pritzker: Governor of Illinois and cofounded the Pritzker Group, a private investment firm.
- Josh Shapiro: Governor of Pennsylvania and former attorney general for the state.
