US President Joe Biden has dug in his heels following his disastrous showing at the first public debate between his and his predecessor and rival former US President Donald Trump but some Democrats feel he should step aside.
Lloyd Doggett became the first Democratic US lawmaker to publicly call on Joe Biden to withdraw from the race for the White House Tuesday but a report by news broadcaster CNN said a growing number of Democratic leaders want Biden to step aside for the sake of his party and the nation.
The CNN report, citing top Democratic lawmakers whose names the broadcaster did not reveal, said some Democrats are unsure about the 81 year old’s ability to win the elections.
“There’s a large and increasing group of House Democrats concerned about the president’s candidacy, representing a broad swath of the caucus. We are deeply concerned about his trajectory and his ability to win. We want to give him space to make a decision [to step aside], but we will be increasingly vocal about our concerns if he doesn’t,” the Democrat leader speaking to the broadcaster said.
The broadcaster in its report said that it has spoken to more than two dozen current and former Democratic officials, as well as donors and longtime Biden allies and said these unnamed members of the party have already made up their minds that the president should quit his campaign.
Some have even said that he should make the announcement as soon as this week. And some have even said that their patience is wearing thin as they have held off going to Biden directly, expecting he would make the decision himself.
A report by news outlet AFP said that if Biden does decide to step aside then US Vice President Kamala Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear are among the hopefuls to replace him.
But it should be noted that Biden’s family has also rallied around. The CNN report said that the First Family at a retreat Sunday at Camp David, it became apparent the president’s family rallied around his decision to continue his campaign.
The White House also said Tuesday that President Joe Biden can bounce back from his poor debate performance last week, adding there was no need for him to prove his cognitive abilities.
“He knows how to come back,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, adding that his medical team had previously said a cognitive test for Biden, 81, “is not warranted, it is not necessary”.
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