Biden faces growing pressure from Democrats to drop his re-election bid

Joe Biden has been trying for two weeks to erase the terrible impression he made at the CNN debate against Donald Trump in Atlanta. That day, the U.S. president confirmed the worst fears of those concerned that, at 81 years of age, he was not in the best shape to be re-elected and to lead a global power for four more years. Despite the Democrat’s efforts to ease these concerns, the memory of the disastrous debate has not faded, nor has discussion on whether he should stand for re-election come to an end. The president is facing increasing pressure on the political, media and financial fronts. Money may end up being a decisive factor, but for now the Biden campaign still has full coffers. The most immediate pressure is coming from the people in the president’s inner circle, who are trying to convince him that the best thing he can do is hand over the baton.

Democrats are trying to be careful in how they ask Biden to step aside. Many have praised his message, but agree that he is not the best candidate to either defeat Donald Trump in November or to lead the country for another four years. He would be 86 years old by the time he finishes a hypothetical second term. If the president does not voluntarily agree to drop his re-election bid, it is very difficult to force him to do. He won the Democratic primary with almost no opposition, and the vast majority of delegates at the Democratic National Convention in August are committed to supporting him.

Even messages like that made by former speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, 84, are eroding Biden’s authority, even if they are subtle. “It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run,” said Pelosi, as if she had not realized that Biden has repeatedly said that he has no plans to stand aside. The meetings of Democratic legislators and senators continued at the Capitol on Thursday, with Biden’s candidacy the sole issue under discussion.

As of this Thursday, 10 House Democrats have openly asked the president to throw in the towel. The latest to make this call was Michigan Congresswoman Hillary Scholten. “President Biden has spent his life serving our nation and building the next generation of American leadership,” she said in a statement, shared on X, on Thursday. “For the good of our democracy, I believe it is time for him to step aside from the presidential race and allow a new leader to step forward.” Scholten adds that if Biden does not step aside, she will vote for him over the Republican presumptive candidate, Donald Trump.

Senators have been more cautious, and only one — Peter Welch — has so far openly asked Biden to drop out of the presidential campaign. “We cannot unsee President Biden’s disastrous debate performance. We cannot ignore or dismiss the valid questions raised since that night,” the senator from Vermont said in an opinion piece in The Washington Post. “I understand why President Biden wants to run. He saved us from Donald Trump once and wants to do it again. But he needs to reassess whether he is the best candidate to do so. In my view, he is not.” He added: “The national conversation is focused on President Biden’s age and capacity. Only he can change it.”

Although Biden said that he has “completely” ruled out exiting the race, claiming he would only do so if the “Lord Almighty” asked him to, he may be swayed by the issue of campaign donations. Several prominent Democratic Party donors and fundraisers have withdrawn their support for the president and called for a new presidential candidate. This list includes Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings; hotel magnate Stewart Bainum Jr; Abigail Disney, heiress to the Disney family fortune, philanthropist Gideon Stein and many other lesser known donors.

In order to continue to use the campaign funds, the easiest option would be for Biden’s replacement to be Vice President Kamala Harris, who is already on the ticket. But Biden remains convinced that he is the person with the best chance of defeating Trump, and likely fears a change in candidate would lead to a Trump victory.

NBC and The New York Times reported on Thursday that the Democratic presidential campaign has begun to stealthily conduct polls to see how Harris would fare in a showdown against Trump.

One of the most notable figures to call on Biden to step aside is actor George Clooney, who co-hosted the event that raised $28 million for the Biden campaign in a single night. Julia Roberts, Barbra Streisand and Jack Black, among other celebrities, also attended that event. Clooney said that the Biden he saw that night in June was not the same man he admired in 2010 and in 2010. “He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate,” he wrote in a guest essay in The New York Times on Wednesday. “Our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn’t see what we just saw,” he continued. “Joe Biden is a hero; he saved democracy in 2020. We need him to do it again in 2024.”

Actor Michael Douglas also expressed similar concerns about Biden’s electoral possibilities, but also wrapped them in praise: “I adore the guy. Fifty years of public service, a wonderful guy. This just happens to be one of those elections that are so crucial. And it’s really hard,” he told the ABC program The View, saying he agreed with Clooney.

July 11 was meant to be the day that Trump received a sentence in the Stormy Daniels case, in which he was found guilty of 34 charges over falsifying business records. It could have been a huge boost for the Democratic candidate. However, the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of Trump — which grants presidents broad immunity for official acts — could throw into doubt some of the evidence that was used in the case against the Republican. This has delayed the sentence, which has been pushed back until September, in the case that the conviction holds.

A day that was meant to be important because Trump faced sentencing has in the end become important because Biden will be holding a press conference to mark the end of the NATO summit — an appearance that is set to be a live test of his cognitive abilities.

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