Washington
CNN
—
President Joe Biden needs to do more, and quickly, to quell Democratic panic over his abysmal performance in the debate with former President Donald Trump.
After Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas became the first Democrat to break party lines and call for Biden to step down on Tuesday, party leaders are calling for more open and detailed information about the president’s health and mental state as fears over Biden’s reelection grow into a real threat to his chances of winning the Democratic nomination.
Despite all the efforts by the president, the White House and his campaign to fix the problems, they’re only making them worse. Biden, for example, joked to donors on Tuesday night that he and Trump “nearly fell asleep on stage” after two grueling European tours last month — a strange way to deflect claims that Biden, 81 and seeking a second term, is no longer fit for the rigors of the presidency.
The debate’s aftermath was another surprising twist in a surprising race pitting two presidents – a convicted felon and one who is already the oldest person ever to hold office. The debate crystallized concerns among many Democrats about Biden’s prospects and added fuel to claims for months by the 78-year-old Trump that his rival is weak and mentally frail.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre endured a briefing on Tuesday that was almost as painful to watch as the debate itself. She said Biden had a cold at the time of the debate but was not taking medication and was feeling better. But she declined to say more, since Biden’s annual medical report, released in February, had cleared him to function. The briefing did not address why Biden trailed off, appeared incoherent or stared open-mouthed while Trump spoke during the CNN debate.
Biden’s team also continues to answer the wrong questions.
“Past performance is the best predictor of future behavior,” Jean-Pierre said, stressing that the true test of Biden’s ability will be his performance over the past three and a half years in office.
But the real question raised by the debate was whether voters could imagine the president, in his current frail state, serving another full term in office that ends at age 86. “We understand the feelings of the American people. We understand,” Jean-Pierre insisted. But her explanation only further piqued curiosity about what was really going on among the president’s inner circle.
While the first cracks are appearing in the Democratic firewall around the president, public opinion is far from breaking point that he should step down if the party chooses another candidate. But the calls from Democratic Party officials for more explanation from the president and for him to step up his campaign are becoming too much for Biden and his team to ignore. And the ultimate outcome of the panic over Biden’s performance is no longer predictable, putting the president in a very vulnerable position as he seeks a second term.
“The biggest issue in the debate was age. … The debate has made the issue even more pressing,” Vermont Democratic Sen. Peter Welch said Tuesday.
“We have to address that. That’s the real issue and we need to have an open discussion about it, because at the end of the day, the existential issue facing the Democratic Party is how do we stop Trump from becoming president, no matter what it takes, and every decision that each and every one of us makes, from President Biden to the district chief on Chicago’s south side, should be made through the lens of how do we best protect our democracy and America,” Welch told CNN’s Abby Phillip on “Newsnight.”
Perhaps most importantly, the comparisons the presidential campaign had been making for months of assimilating a wise, calm and statesmanlike Biden against a rough and lawless Trump were countered by speculation about Biden’s health and stamina. Biden needed to use the debate to turn around a campaign he was on the brink of losing, but now he may have squandered his best chance to overtake the former president.
In a new effort to ease public concerns, Biden is scheduled to give an interview to ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Friday that will likely be an even more significant test of his acumen than the debate. He also plans to meet in person and virtually with Democratic governors in Washington on Wednesday, following calls for more direct contact that underscore what many Democrats see as months of Biden’s aides remaining distant and unresponsive to their concerns.
One of those governors, Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, said in a remarkably candid interview with CNN on Tuesday that Biden’s debate was “rough” and would damage his campaign no matter what the polls say.
“Joe Biden is our nominee and the decision to continue ultimately rests with him and his family,” Beshear, who has been mentioned as a possible replacement if Biden withdraws, told Pamela Brown. “But I don’t see anything wrong with asking the president to tell the public a bit more about his health and his performance in the debates.”
He added: “It’s like seeing someone you haven’t seen in a while and you sense something’s off, and you ask them how they are and listen to their answer. You’re caring for them and at the same time, you’re trying to make sure they’re OK.”
Like Beshear, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also declined to comment, saying Biden would be a great president and Trump would pose a serious threat to the rule of law, but she also speculated about the president’s health.
“I think it’s a legitimate question to ask, is this a seizure or is this a symptom?” she asked on MSNBC on Tuesday, adding that it’s also a legitimate question to ask about the presumptive Republican nominee.
Biden’s political standing took a turn for the worse as Tuesday dawned, when Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois told CNN’s Casey Hunt that the president needed to understand that his decision to stay in the race would have implications for years to come and that the House and Senate were at stake.
Hours later, Doggett became the first Democrat to call on Biden to give up his party’s nomination.
“There is a large and growing group of House Democrats who are concerned about his candidacy, and it represents a broad cross-section of the caucus,” another House Democrat told CNN’s Brianna Keilar on the condition of anonymity. “We are deeply concerned about his trajectory and his chances of winning, and we want to give him the space to make a decision.” [to step aside]But if he doesn’t, we will become increasingly vocal about our concerns.”
Meanwhile, a new CNN/SSRS poll found that three-quarters of Americans believe a Democrat running a candidate other than Biden would likely beat President Trump, and even unpopular Vice President Kamala Harris performed better than Vice President Biden in a matchup against President Trump.
Another warning sign for the president is that some Democrats are beginning to question what would happen if he were no longer the candidate, even as he insists he will continue to campaign, despite the extraordinary logistical challenges that would come with holding the Democratic National Convention in August.
Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, one of Biden’s most staunch supporters, said on MSNBC on Tuesday that he still wants the president to be the top candidate, but also voiced his support for the vice president.
“If Harris steps down, I will support her,” Clyburn said. “This party should never do anything to alienate her.”
He added: “Whether she comes second or first, we should do everything in our power to support her.”
Sen. LaFonza Butler also said she still supports Biden, but she voiced her strong support for the fellow Californian.
“I think she’s done a fantastic job as the president’s partner and leading the party and the country, and I think she will continue to do that,” Butler said.
Beshear, in an interview, praised Harris and said he enjoyed working with her, despite speculation that the Republican governor might be chosen as Biden’s running mate from another candidate. Harris was initially uneasy about the vice presidential role, so there’s no guarantee she would necessarily be Biden’s running mate if he were to drop out of the race.
A CNN/SSRS poll showed Harris edging closer to Trump in the hypothetical matchup, trailing him 47% to 45% within the margin of error, with Biden trailing the former president by six points.
But in a brief interview with CBS News, the vice president confirmed there is no divide between her and Biden.
“Joe Biden is our candidate. We beat Trump once and we’ll beat him again. That’s it,” she said, adding, “I’m proud to be Joe Biden’s running mate.”
