On Saturday, Biden attended three campaign fundraisers, trying to regain his electoral appeal by seeking to assure wealthier donors that he can still win re-election despite his chaotic debate performance with Trump.
“I didn’t have a great night, but neither did Trump,” the president admitted at one of Saturday’s rallies in New York and New Jersey, where he was accompanied by his wife, Jill Biden, who fiercely defended him in the face of calls for him to step aside.
The president’s Thursday night showdown with former President Trump was meant to be an opportunity for Biden to dispel doubts about his advanced age and fitness for office and to publicly portray his rival as an “existential threat” to American democracy – the campaign argument used by Democrats in an attempt to boost the Democratic candidate’s image and low popularity.
But his speech was halting. He stumbled several times and seemed to lose his train of thought. As a result, some Democrats are discussing behind the scenes whether he should remain the party’s nominee, which has until August to decide. On the screen, Biden was seen staring, mouth agape, as Trump spoke.
There is no evidence that Biden is willing to end his campaign. And it would be nearly impossible for Democrats to replace him unless he chooses to step down, something that seems unlikely.
Biden promete
“Joe is not only the right person for the job; he is the only person for the job,” the president said in an attempt to convince donors.
“I understand the concern after the debate,” the president said at a New Jersey rally alongside the state’s Democratic governor, Phil Murphy.
“I understand. I didn’t have a great night, but I’m going to fight harder,” promised.
Many political commentators called for Biden to resign following that event, including the editorial board of the New York Times, America’s most influential newspaper. Meanwhile, the Washington Post’s editorial board urged him to do some soul-searching over the weekend after his “calamitous” debate performance raised “legitimate questions about whether he is ready for another four years in the world’s toughest job.”
The Democratic president has yet to allay fears raised by the debate, which has seeped into the public consciousness with short videos and memes spread on the internet, and public pressure for him to drop out of the race.
Support does not appear to be unanimous
No senior elected Democrat has yet joined the call, and former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton publicly reiterated their support on Friday.
So far, top party leaders have offered public support for Biden, including in tweets posted by former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Senior congressional Democrats, including Reps. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Jim Clyburn of South Carolina and Nancy Pelosi of California, have privately expressed concerns about its viability, two sources briefed on those discussions said, even as they all publicly back the president.
But the same is not true for high-profile Hollywood donors, according to Fox News, who said they will not give any more money to the Democratic Party if President Biden does not end his re-election bid, Variety reported.
Friday’s article cited several Hollywood insiders who noted that, following Biden’s debate performance Thursday night, major liberal donors have become disillusioned with the former president and want someone else at the top of the ticket.
“It’s really hard to see how we can continue to support him. He needs to dig deeper into whether he can, in good conscience, be our nominee,” Hannah Linkenhoker, an adviser to several of these donors, told the outlet, Fox News reported.
Democratic donors in New York, Southern California and Silicon Valley privately expressed deep concerns about the viability of Biden’s campaign following his debate performance.
Biden campaign chair Jennifer O’Malley Dillon said in a public memo Saturday that internal polling after the debate showed “voter opinions did not change.” She even claimed there had been an increase in support, with $27 million raised by Friday night.
But some donors said they were suspending personal donations. They said Biden’s weekend fundraising revenue was likely to be high because tickets were sold and paid for before the debate.
In a series of text message chains and private conversations, they went through the short list of potential replacements, a group that includes Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Source: With information from AFP/AP/FOX NEWS
