President Biden is facing heavy criticism after a failed debate amid the looming election and discussions about the new Democratic nominee.
Joe Biden, 81, stumbled right from the threshold of the CNN debate. He spoke in a hoarse voice, which his aides wrote off as a cold, and froze painfully as he tried to answer a question at the start of the forum. Biden’s dismal performance raised serious doubts about his ability to appear on the ballot on Election Day, although rumours of his imminent replacement fueled by aides who said he was already preparing for a rematch.
Mike Johnson appeals for the 25th Amendment
House Speaker Johnson on Friday urged President Biden’s cabinet to begin discussions about applying the 25th Amendment to force him to resign after a failed debate the night before, New York Post informed. Johnson told reporters:
There’s a lot of people asking about invoking the 25th Amendment right now, because this is an alarming situation. Our adversaries see the weakness in this White House, as we all do. I would ask the cabinet members to search their hearts. I would be panicking too if I were a Democrat today and that was my nominee. I think they know they have a serious problem.
The 25th Amendment, proposed by Congress in 1965 after the assassination of John F. Kennedy and ratified by the states two years later in 1967, allows the cabinet to declare the president unfit for office and he would be succeeded by a vice president. Johnson said the application of the amendment is not just a political issue, not just for the Democratic Party, but primarily for the entire country, as Joe Biden appears to be failing.
Barack Obama calls for backing the president
Former President Barack Obama acknowledged the performance of Joe Biden at Thursday night’s debate was “bad,” but still urged voters to support his former vice president over Donald Trump. Obama highlighted “bad debate nights happen,” referring to his notoriously lukewarm debate with Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in 2012.
But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself. Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight – and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit. Last night didn’t change that, and that’s why so much is at stake in November.
Despite Obama’s claims, Biden himself conceded during a speech at a rally in North Carolina on Friday that he did not handle Thursday’s debate the way he used to. Moreover, within hours of the debate, only about 18 per cent of respondents to one poll said they thought Biden should stay in the race, while 81 per cent agreed it was time for him to announce his withdrawal, New York Post reported.
10 options if Democrats seek to replace Biden
The Democratic Party has turned a blind eye for much of the 2024 election campaign to Americans’ concerns about President Biden’s age and mental acuity. On Thursday night, following the anti-Trump debate, the party responded to the many criticisms of the current president. In its most pronounced form, this led to calls for Biden to step aside, including from loyal allies.
The difficulties in the case of replacing Biden arise for many reasons. First, it would almost certainly require Biden’s consent to step aside, but from that problem flows another, far more significant one: who would replace Joe Biden and whether it would benefit the Democrats. According to The Washington Post, long before Thursday night, however, names had already emerged as alternative candidates or even primary contenders:
- Vice President Camille Harris is at the top of the list. The problem, however, is that Harris is about as unpopular as Biden. Recent polls from Monmouth University and Suffolk University show disapproval of her actions outpacing approval by 18 and 16 points, respectively.
- Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan combines what is actually a plausible alternative. She won both of her races there by margins of about 10 points. Polls this year show her approval rating in Michigan is between 54 and 61 percent.
- Pete Buttigieg, the Secretary of Transportation, could be the antithesis of Biden’s inability to compete against Trump. His jousting with Fox News hosts and Republicans at congressional hearings is often widely discussed in Democratic circles.
- Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, is one of the most intriguing rising stars in the national Democratic Party, earning praise for his big win in 2022 and bipartisan credentials. He’s also quite popular in a crucial swing state for the Democratic ticket. But Shapiro was largely seen as an option for 2028, as he has only been governor for a year and a half.
- Jared Polis, Colorado governor and former congressman. He has built a compelling record and largely avoided getting bogged down in potentially problematic liberal policies. He also won big – by double digits in 2018 and by nearly 20 points in 2022.
- Gavin Newsom, governor of California, has largely earned his popularity in the event of Biden’s departure through his efforts to expand his national profile , mixing with national Republicans and Republican governors.
- Raphael G. Warnock, Senator from Georgia, who has won twice in a short time in the key swing state. And his approval ratings appear to be higher than those of other black candidates. In particular, Warnock’s 2022 campaign was seen as a roadmap for how Democrats might run in 2024.
- Michelle Obama. She would seem to be an ideal alternative for many Democrats, but she is also unlikely to run. But she has largely shown no interest in running on her own; to go from that to running a presidential campaign just a few months into the campaign is a huge stretch. In addition, the US learned this week of reports of tension between her and the Biden campaign.
- Amy Klobuchar, a senator from Minnesota, would be the most sensible candidate if Democrats were looking for a candidate with many of the same qualities as Biden, except for the age issue. But she still has a very limited national image, and her 2020 presidential campaign has not garnered much support.
- Andy Beshear, Governor of Kentucky. He ran for re-election in 2023 and won. He has intriguing bipartisan appeal and has been successful in his state without veering too far to the right. In addition, he even emphasised his support for abortion rights during the 2023 campaign.
Criticism of Biden by the Media
Much of the world’s press focused on a very tough night for the Democratic candidate, who failed to deliver crushing blows and at times spoke in a way that became incomprehensible, again raising concerns about his age.
The consensus in France, regardless of political persuasion, was that the debate was a disaster. for the Biden camp and the Democrats. The focus was on his ailing condition and questions about whether the 81-year-old president was physically and mentally capable of running the US for another four years. In the UK, the BBC came down hard on Biden: “Stumbling debate performance worsens age fears. Before Thursday evening, many Americans had expressed concerns about Joe Biden’s age and fitness for office. To say that this debate did not put those concerns to rest may be one of the greatest understatements of the year.”
Canada’s CBC reported that Trump had seemed “confident and focused” compared to Biden’s “seeming to ramble and lose his train of thought in a shaky performance that has reinforced concerns about his age.”
Of great concern to Biden is that much of the world’s media is actively calling for him to resign months before the general election. German newspaper Die Welt said the Democrats are considering replacing Biden. Italian centre-left newspaper La Repubblica suggested that his wife Jill Biden should step in and help him make a decision. Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper focused on the fact that Biden has faced calls to resign.
“Biden appeared every bit the 81-year-old grandfather that he is, stammering with a thin voice through unintelligible arguments and often staring blankly, mouth agape, as Trump lobbed one verbal attack after another. Biden froze up repeatedly and fumbled even some set-piece lines he had prepared in advance for the moment. When fielding a question about the national debt, his answer was incomprehensible as he seemed to be trying to argue for super-rich Americans paying more taxes,” according to Time.
The President’s team ended the evening knowing that the challenge of the next few days, if not weeks, will be to stop the damage and rally the party around its beleaguered leader. The challenge for Biden lies in the fact that no other debates will take place until 10 September, meaning he has no obvious opportunity to recover for months.
