Despite the ongoing nervous debate within his own party about his suitability for a second term, US President Joe Biden remains determined to run. At the US Independence Day celebrations in the White House on Thursday, the 81-year-old reiterated that he does not intend to withdraw. On Friday, Biden wanted to give an interview to ABC News, which he himself apparently considered to be of key importance for saving his candidacy.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Biden said at the Fourth of July celebration – responding positively to a supporter’s call for him to “keep up the fight.” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre had previously said that Biden would “absolutely not” withdraw.
During the flight to a campaign appearance in the state of Wisconsin on Friday, Biden wanted to give an interview to star journalist George Stephanopoulos from ABC News in order to dispel the massive doubts about his mental fitness that had been raised by his disastrous performance in the televised debate with rival Donald Trump. The interview was to be broadcast in full on Friday evening (local time).
Biden appeared tired and fidgety in the TV debate with Trump. He spoke in a hoarse and often quiet voice, repeatedly faltering, getting tangled up and leaving sentences unfinished. Since then, a debate has flared up among his fellow Democrats about whether they should replace Biden with another candidate for the presidential election on November 5.
In the polls since the TV debate, Trump’s lead over Biden has increased. Three Democratic congressmen publicly called on Biden to withdraw from the race. However, the president received public support from the Democratic state governors at a meeting on Wednesday.
However, it was unclear how stable this support actually is. The New York Times and the news channel CNN reported on Thursday that Biden had told the governors that he would have to get more sleep and reduce events after 8 p.m. According to CNN, some governors reacted unhappily to this announcement. It could increase doubts about whether he is up to the demands of the presidency.
Biden was showered with insults by his likely Republican challenger Trump on Independence Day. In an online video showing him sitting in a golf cart, the former president insulted his successor as “an old, broken-down pile of junk” whom he had kicked in the debate.
The 78-year-old right-wing populist also said that his opponent “choked like a dog” during the debate. In another message on his online network Truth Social, Trump challenged the president to another TV debate, which this time would be “without any taboos”. Trump was referring to the strict rules of the debate on Thursday last week.
Another TV debate between Biden and Trump is planned anyway, but not until September 10. However, Trump also said that Biden’s candidacy was already over: “He is leaving the race. Yes, I have taken him out of the race,” said the Republican.
Trump expressed the expectation that Vice President Kamala Harris would run instead of Biden – and also attacked her vehemently: “She is so bad, she is so pathetic.” However, it is by no means certain that Harris would be the new presidential candidate. In addition to her, various other replacement candidates have been named, including the governors of the states of California and Illinois, Gavin Newsom and JB Pritzker, as well as the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer.
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