Biden: Pressure is mounting on the US President (in isolation due to Covid) to withdraw from the election race
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- Author, Anna Faguy and Tom Bateman
- Role, BBC News
The pressure on US President Joe Biden is increasing.
The US President is facing fresh questions over his candidacy for the November presidential election even as his campaign events are halted due to Covid-19 infections.
According to separate reports, two top Democratic leaders in the US Congress, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, met him in person to express their concern about his candidacy for re-election.
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi also told him privately that polls indicate he cannot defeat Donald Trump in the November election, CNN reported.
In a statement released on Thursday, Pelosi’s team criticised US media speculation but did not deny that the talks had taken place.
“Speaker Pelosi respects the confidentiality of her meetings and conversations with the President of the United States,” the statement said.
“Unfortunately, the press frenzy based on anonymous sources misrepresents any conversation the Speaker (of the House) had with the President.”
Also this Thursday, Washington Post It is reported that anonymous Democratic sources told the former President this Barack Obama may have suggested that Biden should “reconsider his candidacy”,
Biden’s re-election bid was already being hurt by growing discontent among top Democrats following his disastrous debate performance against Trump on June 27.
Announcing on Wednesday that the president had tested positive for Covid, Biden’s press secretary said the 81-year-old politician had mild symptoms.
“He will remain in isolation at his home in Delaware until he can fully perform all of his duties,” Karin Jean-Pierre said.
This is the third time the president has been diagnosed with the disease, but the new diagnosis adds to existing concerns about his age, health and frailty.
Biden was seen meeting supporters and speaking at an event in Las Vegas earlier in the day. But later, he was forced to cancel a speech at the Latino civil rights organization “UnidosUS.”
The incident came to a sudden and debilitating end A trip that saw Biden return to the election campaign in full force, after the pause caused by An attempt was made to assassinate Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13,
His public appearances canceled, Biden was seen on Wednesday slowly and cautiously climbing the steps of Air Force One.
He was not wearing a mask. As he boarded the plane, he was heard saying, “Well, I feel fine.”
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There were calls for him to step down from the campaign
Biden has faced growing calls to withdraw from the race in recent weeks.
During private meetings with Biden last week, Schumer and Jeffries reportedly expressed concern that his candidacy could hurt their chances of controlling either house of Congress.
Amid this atmosphere, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said: ““The President told both leaders that he is the party’s nominee, he plans to win, and he looks forward to working with both leaders to pass his 100-day agenda to help working families.”,
A spokesman for Jeffries said, “This was a private conversation that will remain private.”
Schumer’s office called the report “idle speculation” but added that the Democratic leader “conveyed his group’s views directly to President Biden.”
CNN also reported that Pelosi told the president in a recent conversation that polls show he could hurt Democrats’ chances of winning the House in November.
It’s unclear when the conversation took place. Pelosi’s office told CNN she has not been in contact with the president since Friday.
Pelosi does not want to be accused of disloyalty to a president she admires, but she also does not want to be seen as complicit if Democrats suffer heavy losses under a Biden administration in the November elections.
And the new York Times Schumer was reported to have been shown data from a top Democratic fundraising committee that left him concerned: The President is trailing in key must-win states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
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Nearly two dozen Democratic politicians have publicly called on Biden to step down in recent weeks, including California congressman Adam Schiff, who called on the president to “pass the torch.”
Schiff said Biden “has been one of the most important presidents in our country’s history” and could “secure his legacy of leadership” by allowing another Democrat to step forward.
Biden said in an interview that he didn’t think he could take charge with the country so “divided.”
The president also said for the first time that he would consider dropping out of the race if one of his doctors said he had a “medical condition.”
The fence gets tighter
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By Nomia Iqbal, BBC News envoy at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee
The fence appears to be closing in around President Biden.
Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer, and Adam Schiff are among the most influential leaders of the Democratic Party.
Although not all of them have publicly called on Biden to step down as the candidate, it is notable that they do not deny the reports that have surfaced about private conversations.
Pelosi, in particular, is a battle-hardened politician who is likely playing a game of 3D chess.
The attempted assassination of former President Trump seemed to have quelled the Democratic rebellion a week ago, but perhaps the reality is that it has escalated it.
Politics is not just about the strength of actions taken. It is about projecting physical strength as a leader.
Many Republicans here at the Republican National Convention told me they are glad Biden remains in the race because they believe he is no competition for Trump. And opinion polls aside, their confidence is not unfounded.
Video from Wednesday showed a frail President Biden walking slowly onto Air Force One alongside images of a death-defying Donald Trump raising his fist and shouting, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” It’s a stark contrast.
But the ultimate decision to step aside is up to Biden, who has been dismissing the surveys and pointing to Trump’s win in the 2016 election and his own victory in 2020, as well as the midterm elections, as an example that polls are not infallible.
There are Democrats who still fully support the president and think he’s still smart.
But with a month left until the Democratic National Convention, when the nomination is sealed, it feels like the clock has reset and is ticking again.
change of plans
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Before it was known the president had Covid, Biden made a campaign stop at a Mexican restaurant in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
The restaurant was full of color, with Mexican art and guitars hanging on the walls and banners hanging from the ceiling. One wall was adorned with “Biden-Harris” signs.
As ceiling fans spun at a low speed and Latin pop played quietly from speakers, Biden entered the main dining room through a kitchen door, with a Secret Service detail standing next to it.
He shook hands with diners who had apparently prepared for his arrival, kissed one and took selfies with others.
The president seemed somewhat stiff and slower than the previous day, when he gave a spirited performance in a speech to a national civil rights group.
Commenting on his Covid infection later that day, the president’s doctor, Kevin O’Connor, said Biden had developed upper respiratory symptoms such as a runny nose and cough, and had been given his first dose of Paxovid.
O’Connor said he felt good during the first event of the day, but then he tested positive.
Biden posted a message on social media thanking everyone for their “well wishes” and said he would work during his recovery.
In another post on his account, he said: “I’m tired of Elon Musk and his rich friends trying to buy this election. And if you agree, contribute here.”
The message points to a donation portal.
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