US President Joe Biden worked to calm senior Democrats and his campaign staff on Wednesday as reports suggested he was reconsidering his future after a disastrous debate with Donald Trump last week.
Mr. Biden held a closed-door lunch with Vice-President Kamala Harris at the White House amid mounting speculation that she might replace him as the party’s candidate in November’s election. Following the lunch, the pair joined a call with the broader Democratic campaign, where Mr. Biden made it clear that he would remain in the race, and Ms. Harris reiterated her support.
“I’m the nominee of the Democratic Party. No one’s pushing me out. I’m not leaving,” Mr. Biden told the call, a source informed BBC News. This message was echoed in a fundraising email sent out by the Biden-Harris campaign a few hours later. “Let me say this as clearly and simply as I can: I’m running,” Mr. Biden stated in the email, adding that he was “in this race until the end.”
Speculation about whether the 81-year-old president would continue his campaign has grown following his debate with Trump, which was marked by verbal blanks, a weak voice, and some answers that were difficult to follow. These issues sparked concern within Democratic circles about his fitness for office and his ability to win the election.
Pressure on Mr. Biden to drop out has intensified in recent days as more polls indicate that his Republican rival’s lead has widened. A New York Times poll conducted after the debate, published on Wednesday, suggested Trump was now holding his biggest lead yet at six points. Additionally, a CBS News poll indicated that Trump has a three-point lead over Biden in crucial battleground states and is leading nationally.
Source: BBC
