White House Denies Biden Reassessment Meeting with Family

AFP/APP

Washington: Democratic leaders rallied behind President Joe Biden on Sunday after his poor debate performance last week, as the White House denied reports that he was meeting with family to reassess his candidacy.

No major party figures have called for Biden to step down, with prominent Democrats like former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton offering strong support amid growing doubts from the public and a call from the New York Times editorial board for Biden to step aside.

The surge of party support follows the 81-year-old’s stumbling performance in Thursday’s debate against Republican candidate Donald Trump, where Biden frequently hesitated, tripped over his words, and lost his train of thought, raising concerns about his age.

“It’s not about performance in terms of a debate; it’s about performance in a presidency,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.

She emphasized the contrast between Biden’s integrity and Trump’s dishonesty, reflecting the views of many party figures who are trying to shift the focus from Biden’s debate performance to Trump’s alleged lies.

A CBS News poll conducted in the two days after the debate found that nearly three-quarters of registered voters believe Biden should not be running for president, including 46 percent of Democrats.

Biden and his family traveled to the Camp David presidential retreat on Saturday. NBC News reported that he was expected to reassess the future of his reelection campaign.

However, White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates posted on X that the trip had been planned before the debate, questioning the report’s accuracy and stating that it had not sought comment from the White House.

 ‘Only Democrat’ for the job’

Meanwhile, the Biden campaign reported raising $33 million since the debate, with $26 million coming from grassroots donors. Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press”on Sunday, insisted that Biden should “absolutely not” drop out of the race.

 “It’s our assignment to make sure that he gets over the finish line come November. Not for his sake but the country’s sake,” Warnock said.

On Friday, Biden attempted to counter the criticism with a fiery campaign speech in North Carolina, pledging to continue fighting.

He appeared alongside his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, who has been a strong defender of her husband amidst calls for him to step aside.

“I saw a forceful, engaged, and capable Joe Biden on that campaign stage in North Carolina,” Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.

Coons acknowledged Biden’s weak debate performance but emphasized that “side by side, Donald Trump had a horrifying debate performance where, yes, he spoke plainly, but what he said was lie after lie after lie.” Coons asserted that Biden is “the only Democrat who can beat Donald Trump.”