Washington (Associated Press) President Joe Biden The Trump campaign has repeatedly insisted that Trump has no intention of stepping down as it faces the harsh reality that many top Democrats want him to withdraw from the 2024 election and field a new candidate to prevent a major defeat for the party in November.
Segregated He is battling COVID-19 infection. The debate at a Delaware beach house further shrunk Biden’s already small circle of aides before his debate debacle. Donald Trumpstaying with his family and relying on a few longtime aides. He is considering whether to give in to the mounting pressure. quit school.
Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillion acknowledged that support for the president was “waning” but stressed that the Biden campaign would “absolutely” continue the campaign and said the campaign believed there were “multiple paths” to defeat Trump.
“We have a lot of work to do to reassure the American people. Sure, he’s old “I don’t think Biden is going to win,” she told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” But she said voters concerned about Biden’s fitness to lead are not switching their vote to Trump. “They have doubts, but they’re continuing to vote for Joe Biden,” she said.
at the same time, Democratic National Committee The Republican Party’s rule-making body met Friday to move forward with a plan to hold a virtual roll call by Aug. 7 to nominate its presidential candidate ahead of the party’s convention in Chicago later this month.
“President Biden deserves the respect to have important family conversations with members of his caucus, his colleagues in the House and Senate and Democratic leadership, and he shouldn’t have to contend with leaks and press statements,” Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, one of Biden’s closest confidants in Congress and a co-chair of his campaign, told The Associated Press.
the Important days for the president And his party: Trump Enthusiastic Republican National Convention In Milwaukee, Democrats are racing against time to consider the unusual possibility of Mr Biden stepping down in favour of a new presidential candidate before their convention.
Amid the confusion, most Democrats believe the vice president Kamala Harris She herself would make a good president.
a Poll by AP-NORC Center for Public Policy Research The survey found that about 60% of Democrats think Harris would do a good job in the top position, while about 20% don’t think she would do a good job and another 20% say they don’t know enough about her.
What you need to know about the 2024 election
- Read the latest news: Follow AP’s live coverage This year’s election.
- Democracy: American democracy has weathered a major stress test since 2020. Further challenges await in 2024.
- AP Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of news on election night, with accuracy dating back to 1848. learn more.
- Stay updated. Stay on top of the latest news with breaking news email alerts. Register here.
Top Democratic officials have urged Biden to rethink his campaign, with former President Barack Obama expressing concern to allies and House Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi privately telling Biden that Democrats could lose their ability to retain control of the House if they don’t withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.
Late Thursday, Sen. Jon Tester of Montana became the second Democrat in the House, and one of now 24 Democrats in Congress, to call on Biden to step down, saying “Biden should not seek reelection to another term.”
And on Friday, four House Democrats — Reps. Jared Huffman, Mark Veasey, Chuy Garcia and Mark Pocan — spoke on behalf of a broad range of lawmakers in calling on Biden to resign.
“Now is the time to pass the baton to a new generation of Democratic leadership,” they wrote. “To protect our democracy, we must defeat Donald Trump.”
And in an op-ed Friday, Rep. Sean Kasten of Illinois said he was calling on Biden to “pass the baton to a new generation” with “heavy hearts and deep personal reflection.”
This brings to more than 20 Democrats in Congress urging Biden to drop out of the race.
Campaign officials said Biden is more determined to continue the campaign despite growing calls for him to withdraw, and senior White House aides have not had any internal discussions or conversations with the president about Biden dropping out.
On Friday, Biden received a key endorsement from the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. CHC BOLD PAC said the Biden administration has demonstrated an “unwavering commitment” to Hispanics and that “the stakes couldn’t be higher” in this election. The group said, “President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have worked hard for the Hispanic community.”
But there is time to reconsider. Biden has been told his campaign is struggling to raise funds, and key Democrats see his days away from the campaign trail as an opportunity to urge him to step down. Some Cabinet members are bracing for the possibility that Biden could lose the November election.
The reporting in this article is based in part on information from nearly a dozen people who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential private discussions. President Obama’s involvement was first reported by The Washington Post.
Biden, 81, tested positive for COVID-19 during a trip to Las Vegas earlier this week and is experiencing “mild symptoms” including “general fatigue” from the infection, according to the White House.
The president himself, in a radio interview recorded shortly before his positive test, rejected the notion that it was too late to recover politically, telling Univision’s Luis Sandoval that many people wouldn’t pay attention to the November election until September.
“The story of who leads, where and how, you know, it’s basically a tie so far between Trump and me,” he said in excerpts of the interview published Thursday.
But in Congress, Democrats have begun privately discussing backing Harris as an alternative. One lawmaker said Biden’s own advisers have been unable to reach a unanimous recommendation on what he should do. A growing number of lawmakers in Congress are considering joining others who have called for Biden to step down. Some prefer an open process for choosing a new presidential nominee.
“It’s clear this problem is not going to go away,” said Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont, another Democratic senator who has publicly said Biden should drop out of the race. Welch said the current state of unrest within the party, with lawmakers panicking and donors revolting, is “not sustainable.”
But leading Democrats, including the Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries This sends a strong signal of concern.
To be sure, many want Biden to continue in the race, but nearly two-thirds of Democrats nationwide believe he should step aside and allow the party to nominate another candidate. AP-NORC Center for Public Policy Research PollThis significantly weakens Biden’s post-debate claim that the “average Democrat” remains his supporter.
___
Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, Ellen Knickmeyer in Aspen, Colorado, Steve Peoples in Milwaukee, Josh Boak, Will Weisert, Mary Claire Jalonick, Seung Min Kim and Steven Groves in Washington contributed to this report.
