WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden continues this Thursday, the day of the American national holiday, multiplying the interventions to try to quell the controversy unleashed a week ago by his disastrous performance during a debate against Donald Trump.
“I behaved badly in a debate,” he admitted again during an interview with a local Pennsylvania radio station broadcast Thursday morning.
However, in his opinion, “90 minutes on stage do not erase what I did during three and a half years,” he explains.
The 81-year-old Democratic president is facing growing calls to withdraw his candidacy for the November presidential election, in which he seeks a second term, due to serious concerns about his health.
However, the White House on Wednesday flatly rejected the possibility of Biden dropping out of the race.
Doubts about his ability are growing
He is often sharp and attentive. But he also has moments when his thoughts seem disorganized and he stops short of speaking or seems confused.
Biden’s seemingly occasional problems with concentration may not be unusual for someone his age. But at 81, and looking at another four years in the White House, the moments when he is off his game have taken on new resonance following his disastrous performance in the recent debate against Republican Donald Trump.
The June 27 face-off alarmed Democrats and their backers, in part because Biden appeared so much worse than in the almost routine moments when he is less sharp. And that has raised questions about whether he is prepared for a campaign that is only going to get more hostile and whether he can govern effectively for another four years if he wins.
“Error”
The president is “not at all thinking” about throwing in the towel, said his spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre.
“I made a mistake,” the president reiterated during an interview with a local radio station in Wisconsin recorded on Wednesday. But “we are going to win this election,” he promised.
On Wednesday, the president met with Democratic leaders in Congress and received the governors of several states run by his party, who confirmed their support for him.
For Independence Day, a holiday celebrated this Thursday by American families across the country, the president attended a barbecue with soldiers in Washington in the afternoon, accompanied by first lady Jill Biden.
The military’s sacrifice “reminds us that democracy is never guaranteed and that every generation must fight to maintain it,” he wrote on social media X on Thursday morning. Biden often accuses his Republican opponent Donald Trump of being a threat to democracy, without any justification.
The octogenarian Democrat’s smallest gestures and tone will be closely scrutinized when he speaks in the evening, before attending the traditional fireworks display accompanied by Kamala Harris, who continues to support him in public.
Alarming surveys
On Friday, Biden will have to continue his efforts to reassure the public when he speaks at a campaign rally in Madison, in the decisive state of Wisconsin, and then during an interview with the ABC television network, which promises to be crucial.
He is also expected to hold a press conference next week in an attempt to allay the distrust of his supporters.
His goal in these speeches is to demonstrate that he is able to express himself without a teleprompter and to silence the doubts that have arisen in recent days about his ability to lead the country for four more years.
Two Democratic lawmakers this week openly called for a stronger candidate than Biden to be found for the presidential election.
Major newspapers, including the New York Times editorial board, have also called on the president to drop his bid for a second term.
Two polls released on Wednesday highlighted the growth in voting intentions in favor of Trump.
The Republican billionaire has remained relatively low-key for several days, letting the crisis fester without directly intervening.
That hasn’t stopped his campaign team from seizing the opportunity: “Joe Biden is weak, he has failed, he is dishonest and unworthy of occupying the White House,” he said in a statement released on Wednesday.
Source: With information from AFP and AP
