By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – The chorus of Democratic voices calling for U.S. President Joe Biden to step aside and not run again in upcoming elections is growing from lawmakers to donors, strategists, and constituents.
On Saturday, a fifth Democratic lawmaker stressed openly that Biden should not run again. Representative Angie Craig of Minnesota said that after what she saw and heard in the debate with Republican rival Donald J. Trump and Biden’s “lack of a forceful response” afterward, he should step aside “and allow for a new generation of leaders to step forward.”
The party has not fallen in line behind him even after the events set up as part of a blitz to reset what critics call “his imperiled campaign” and show everyone he wasn’t “too old” and weak to stay in the job or do it another four years.
President Biden, fighting to save his endangered reelection effort, used a highly anticipated TV interview to repeatedly reject taking an independent medical evaluation that would show voters he is up for serving another term in office. He said his perceived disastrous debate performance was a “bad episode” and added there were “no indications of any serious condition.”
“Look, I have a cognitive test every single day,” Biden told ABC television, referring to the tasks he faces daily in a rigorous job. “Every day, I have that test. Everything I do. You know, not only am I campaigning, but I’m running the world.”
The 81-year-old Biden made it through the 22-minute interview Friday without any major blunders that would further damage his imperiled candidacy. However, critics said it appeared unlikely to thoroughly tamp down concerns about his age and fitness for another four years and his ability to defeat Trump in November.
It also came after information leaked that the Biden campaign drafted questions for the president’s interviews on a pair of Black radio shows to avoid further damaging voters’ perception of him.
ABC INTERVIEW
During the ABC interview, Biden insisted he was not more frail than earlier in his presidency. “Can I run the 100 in 10 flat? No. But I’m still in good shape,” said Biden, who had been seen carefully and slowly walking on stage.
As for the debate, “I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing,” Biden admitted, adding that Trump’s disruptions — from just a few feet away — had flustered him: “I realized that even when I was answering a question and they turned his mic off, he was still shouting, and I let it distract me. I’m not blaming it on that. But I realized that I just wasn’t in control.”
At times, Biden rambled during the interview, which ABC said aired in full and without edits. “At one point, he started to explain his debate performance, then veered to a New York Times poll, then pivoted to the lies Trump told during the debate.
Biden also referred to the midterm “red wave” as occurring in 2020 rather than 2022,” The Associated Press (AP) news agency noticed.
When reminded that Trump routinely draws larger crowds at campaign rallies, the president said: “Trump is a pathological liar,” accusing Trump of bungling the federal response to the COVID pandemic and failing to create jobs.
Yet, with the Democratic convention approaching and just four months to Election Day, pressure is mounting on Biden to reconsider his reelection bid.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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