US President Joe Biden's family has told him to stay in the race for a second term despite his disastrous debate performance, as some family members criticized how his staff had prepared him for the showdown. last week against his challenger Donald Trump.
Biden spent Sunday at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, with first lady Jill Biden and his children and grandchildren.
While the trip was previously scheduled for a photo shoot with photographer Annie Leibovitz for the upcoming Democratic National Convention, it also became an exercise in trying to figure out how to calm the party's anxiety after Thursday's dismal performance.
Although his family was aware of the 81-year-old's poor performance against Trump, they also believe he is still the best person to beat the Republican and is capable of doing the job of president for another four years, the Associated news agency reported. Press, citing people who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak publicly about internal discussions.
Jill Biden and her son Hunter, the most vocal people in the world, were among the loudest supporters, the AP added.
The New York Times, citing people close to the situation, also said Biden's family urged him to stay in the race and keep fighting. The newspaper said some family members privately expressed exasperation at how his staff had prepared him for Thursday night's event.
Calls for Biden to step aside have continued since Thursday, when the president appeared abrasive, hesitant and at times gave complicated answers.
According to a CBS News poll conducted in the two days after the debate, nearly three-quarters of registered voters in the United States now believe Biden should not run for president, including 46 percent of Democrats.
“The unfortunate truth is that Biden should withdraw from the race, for the good of the nation he has served so admirably for half a century,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said in an editorial Sunday. “The shadow of retirement is now necessary for President Biden.”
The day after the debate, the New York Times editorial board also called on Biden to resign.
Presidential record
The president has intensified his campaign since the televised debate. On Friday, he gave an impassioned campaign speech in North Carolina in which he vowed to keep fighting, before attending six more rallies in four different states.
Biden's campaign reported raising $33 million since the debate, including $26 million from grassroots donors.
No major party figures have broken ranks to call for Biden to resign, and prominent Democrats, including former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, have expressed their full support. Leading party members continued to speak out in support of Biden as he met with his family.
“I don't think Joe Biden will have any problems leading for the next four years,” said James Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat and close ally. “Joe Biden should continue running based on his record.”
Raphael Warnock also endorsed Biden.
“Bad debates happen,” he told NBC’s Meet the Press. “The question is, ‘Who has Donald Trump run against other than himself and people like him?’ I’m with Joe Biden and our job is to make sure he gets over the finish line in November.”
Warnock, like Clyburn and others, highlighted the many lies Trump, 77, made during the debate, including about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters, immigration and the outcome of the elections. 2020 elections.
“Every time he moved his mouth, he lied,” Warnock said of Trump, who was convicted in May of all 34 counts in a criminal trial over hush payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Still, other Democrats kept open the possibility of choosing a different presidential candidate. At this point in the delegate process, that would likely mean Biden would have to decide whether he drops out.
Representative Jamie Raskin, a leading Democrat in Congress, told MSNBC that “very honest, serious and rigorous conversations” were taking place within the party.
“Whether he or someone else is the nominee, he will be the keynote speaker at our convention. He will be the figure around whom we will unite moving forward,” Raskin said.
Former Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, who served more than two decades with Biden in the Senate, called the debate “a disaster from which Biden cannot recover.”
Harkin suggested that Democratic senators in crucial races and “perhaps all sitting Democratic senators should write a letter to Biden asking him to release his delegates and step aside so the convention can choose a new nominee,” according to a email to his supporters that was obtained by the AP.
This was first referenced in Iowa journalist Julie Gammack's Saturday column, Iowa Potluck.
“This is a dangerous moment and it is more important than Joe Biden’s ego or desire to remain president,” Harkin concluded.
