After the debate fiasco against Donald Trump, Joe Biden is at a crossroads: should he continue or should he resign? His inner circle apparently has a clear opinion on the matter – and has probably identified someone to blame for his disastrous performance in the TV debate.
The family of US President Joe Biden is reportedly encouraging the 81-year-old to stay in the race for the White House after his debacle in the TV debate against challenger Donald Trump. His relatives offered the Democrat their “unconditional support” at a family meeting in Camp David, the US President’s country estate near Washington, reported CNN, citing two unnamed advisers to Biden. The New York Times also wrote, citing Biden’s entourage, that his family is urging the Democrat not to give up despite his disastrous performance in the TV debate against Republican Trump. Meanwhile, the debate about Biden’s old age is gaining momentum.
Biden met with his family at Camp David over the weekend after a series of campaign events. The trip had been planned for some time. The White House tried to avoid the impression that it was a crisis meeting. Instead, a photo shoot with the famous photographer Annie Leibovitz was scheduled – Biden’s children and grandchildren traveled there especially for this. Biden plans to return to the White House on Monday evening (local time). In addition to his appointments as US President, he has planned further receptions with donors from the Democratic Party.
Biden’s family allegedly blames advisers for TV debacle
Like his predecessor Trump, Biden is hoping to win the presidential election in November. So far, much has pointed to a close race. But after Biden’s disastrous performance in the first TV debate on Thursday evening (local time), a debate has broken out in the USA about whether the Democrat is really still fit for office or whether it would be better to leave the field to a younger candidate. Biden has so far defied calls for him to withdraw and is trying to limit the damage. His wife Jill is also demonstratively supporting the US President.
The portal “Politico” now reported that Biden’s family was particularly angry at the Democrat’s closest associates at Camp David. They were to blame for the president’s failure in the debate, it said, citing those close to the family. Biden was not prepared to attack Trump more strongly and was too focused on defending his record instead of outlining a vision for a second term. He was also overworked, the family is said to have criticized. According to “Politico”, a senior Biden employee denied that the relatives’ anger was directed against certain employees.
Biden’s old age is and remains a constant topic
There have long been doubts about Biden’s suitability for a second term because of his advanced age. If he wins the election in November, he would be 82 years old when he is sworn in in the new year. While the Democrats had hoped that Biden would show how fit he still was during the debate, exactly the opposite happened: Biden lost his train of thought several times during the TV spectacle in front of millions of viewers, mumbled, stared into space with his mouth open and was often unable to finish his sentences properly.
Biden generally makes mistakes at appearances, and his stiff gait is also a topic of conversation. There are repeated reports that he is unable to concentrate properly. The White House regularly contradicts this. At the weekend, the portal “Axios” reported, citing unnamed employees, that Biden is particularly fit between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. That is why many public events are planned at this time of day. Outside of this time period, Biden is more prone to making slip-ups, it said.
The Democratic Party is currently publicly behind him. But if Biden’s poll numbers worsen in the coming days, that could change quickly.
