Despite growing criticism, even from within his own ranks, US President Joe Biden is sticking to his presidential candidacy. Meanwhile, nervousness is growing on the Democratic Party side in view of Biden’s uncertain and unconvincing performances.
“If the Lord came down and said ‘Joe, pull out of the race,’ I would pull out of the race,” Biden said in a television interview on Friday (local time). “But the Lord is not coming down.” The interview with ABC News was Biden’s first television appearance since his disastrous impression in the TV debate with his rival Donald Trump a week ago. The interview was therefore given great importance.
But the 22-minute conversation did little to calm the situation, instead raising more questions. Some of Biden’s answers were hesitant, rambling or difficult to understand – even though the president was actually trying to allay doubts about his mental acuity.
Criticism of Biden continued from the Democrats. Five Democratic representatives in the House of Representatives are now openly calling for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race. “I don’t believe the president can effectively campaign against Donald Trump and win,” said Representative Angie Craig on Saturday.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries called a video conference of senior lawmakers for Sunday to discuss how to proceed. Democratic Senator Mark Warner is reportedly planning a similar meeting in the Senate. Biden’s campaign team, meanwhile, scheduled two appearances by the president in Pennsylvania for Sunday.
Democratic strategist David Axelrod wrote in a CNN column that Biden is in a state of “denial, deception and defiance.” If the president is truly clear about what is at stake in the election, he will ultimately “do what duty and love of country demand and step aside.” If Biden does not do that, the discussion about his age will dominate the rest of the campaign instead of the discussion about “Trump’s moral and ethical vacuum.”
Trump smugly commented in an online post that Biden should continue to “ignore his many critics and press on with zeal and strength”: “He should be sharp, precise and forceful, just as he was in the debate.”
Biden spoke with a hoarse voice during the TV debate, repeatedly tangled up his phrasing and did not finish sentences. In Friday’s interview, the 81-year-old blamed a bad cold for his weak performance in the TV debate with Trump and said he had simply had a “bad evening.”