KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Biden and team have reportedly accepted the Democratic Party’s ultimatum to prove fitness for office
- Biden faces pressure to demonstrate fitness or step aside after the disastrous first debate
- Biden is expected to soon address Democrats’ concerns about his 2024 election candidacy
US President Joe Biden and his senior team on Wednesday accepted the Democratic Party’s ultimatum to prove his fitness for office or face a major push to step aside, according to a report by the Washington Post. The report cited two anonymous sources and said that the former president would be addressing the concerns around his fitness for office, as the list of Democrats questioning his candidacy for the November 2024 elections grows.
After the 81-year-old’s performance in the first presidential debate earlier in June, his ratings have significantly plummeted. A recent poll done by the Wall Street Journal has shown that after the debate, former president Donald Trump had a six-point lead over Biden. Another CNN poll showed that 56% of Democrats or Democrat-mined people think that the party has a better chance in the election if President Biden steps down. Plus, a CBS News poll showed that among general voters, more than 70% feel that Biden lacks the cognitive acumen to run for POTUS again.
In the backdrop of the growing concerns, the Washington Post reported citing two sources close to the Biden campaign that Biden and his team has realized that the candidature has taken a major hit after the debate. As a result, several damage control events are planned for the next few weeks where Biden is reaching out to his donors as well as allies and acknowledging that he is in a tough moment and will have to prove his mettle for the job for another four years to the American voters.
“The past few days have been tough. I’m sure you’re getting a lot of calls, and I’m sure many of you have questions as well,” Biden reportedly told his campaign staffers. “Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can and as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running. I’m the nominee of the Democratic Party.
No one’s pushing me out. I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end, and we’re going to win because when Democrats unite, we always win.” Vice President Harris, who was also on the call, added: “We will not back down. We will follow our president’s lead. We will fight, and we will win.”
On Wednesday President Biden met with Democrat governors at the White House amidst several high-ranking Democrat members either expressing concerns or asking him to step down from the race.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear attended the meeting.
After the meeting, Walz, Moore and Hochul said that they think Biden is fit for office and will have his back in the 2024 election campaign. Meanwhile, Newsom said in a separate statement released from his office that he also backs Biden in the 2024 race.