US President Joe Biden attempted to reassure senior Democrats and campaign staff on Wednesday, amid rumors that he was considering his options following his disastrous debate with Donald Trump the previous week. Mr. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had a private lunch at the White House as speculation mounted about whether she would replace him in November as the party’s nominee.
After that, the two joined a call with the larger Democratic campaign, during which Ms. Harris reaffirmed her support and Mr. Biden declared his intention to stay in the race. “I am the Democratic Party’s nominee. Nobody is shoving me away. He said to the caller, “I’m not leaving,” a source told BBC News.
A few hours later, the Biden-Harris campaign used the exact identical wording in a fundraising email. In the email, Mr. Biden stated, “Let me say this as clearly and simply as I can: I’m running,” and he meant to stay “in this race until the end.”
There have been a lot of questions about whether the 81-year-old will carry on with his campaign after the Trump debate, which was characterized by difficult-to-understand responses, vocal blanks, and a weak voice. It raised questions about his suitability for government and his chances of winning the election in Democratic circles.
In the past days, pressure on Mr. Biden to withdraw has only increased as additional polls show that his Republican opponent’s lead has risen. Following the debate, a New York Times poll that was released on Wednesday indicated that Trump was now leading by six points, his largest margin to date.
Additionally, a different survey conducted by CBS News, the US affiliate of the BBC, indicated that Trump leads Biden by three points in the key battleground states. According to that poll, the former president was also leading the country.
The negative polling has been made worse by certain Democratic politicians and contributors who have openly called for the president to resign. Since 1988, Massachusetts-based Indian-American industrialist Ramesh Kapur has arranged fundraisers for Democratic causes.
Mr. Kapur told the BBC, “I think it’s time for him to pass the torch.” “You can’t fight Mother Nature, even though I know he has the drive.”
Additionally, two Democratic members of Congress demanded a shift at the top of the party’s ticket.
The latest, Representative Raul Grijalva of Arizona, told the New York Times it was time for Democrats to “look elsewhere”.
Despite this, the White House and the Biden campaign have vehemently denied reports he is actively weighing his future and say he is committed to defeating Trump for a second time on 5 November.
The New York Times and CNN reported on Wednesday that Mr Biden had told an unnamed ally he was evaluating whether to stay in the race.
Both reports said the president had told the ally he was aware his re-election bid was in danger and his forthcoming appearances – including an ABC News interview and a Friday rally in Wisconsin – were hugely important to his campaign.
A spokesperson rejected the reports as “absolutely false”, shortly before White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced a barrage of questions about Mr Biden’s commitment to the race.
She said the reports he may drop out were untrue: “We asked the president [and] the president responded directly… and said ‘no, it is absolutely false’. That’s coming direct from him.”
On a call with White House staff on Wednesday, chief of staff Jeff Zients urged them to keep their “heads down”, accoring to CBS News.
“Get things done. Execution. Execution. Execution” he said.
“There is so much to be proud of, and there is so much more we can do together under this President’s leadership.”
Mr Biden met 20 Democratic governors from around the country, including California’s Gavin Newsom and Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, later on Wednesday. Both have been tipped as potential replacements if Mr Biden were to stand aside.
“The president has always had our backs, we’re going to have his back as well,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore told reporters after the meeting.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the two dozen governors who had just met the president pledged their support and that Mr Biden had vowed he was “in it to win it”.
But Ms Harris is still considered the most likely replacement. The 59-year-old has been hampered by poor approval ratings, but her support has increased among Democrats since the Biden-Trump debate.
The Vice-president gave an immediate interview on CNN after the debate, projecting calm as she expressed full support for the president.
“She’s changing nothing,” a source close to Ms Harris told BBC News, adding that she would continue to hit the road on behalf of the campaign.
“She has always been mindful to be a good partner to the president,” said Jamal Simmons, Ms Harris’ former communications director.
“The people who ultimately will make the decision about who the nominee should be mostly are people who are pledged to him. Her best role is to be a partner to him.”
Members of the Democratic National Committee are charged with voting to officially make President Biden the party’s nominee at the August convention, putting him on the ballot nationwide.
One member, who has spoken to other delegates and requested anonymity to speak frankly about sensitive discussions, told the BBC that the nomination should go to Vice-President Harris if Mr Biden opted not to run.
“If we open up the convention, it will cause pure chaos that will hurt us in November,” they said.
A report by the Washington Post, meanwhile, said Mr Biden and his team recognised that he must demonstrate his fitness for office in the coming days.
He appeared at a Medal of Honor ceremony on Wednesday, and has planned trips to Wisconsin and Philadelphia later in the week.
BBC
