Joe Biden counted his supporters on Tuesday in the Democratic camp, where criticism has not yet led to a massive call to withdraw his candidacy, despite doubts about his energy and endurance.
“Right now, President Biden is the nominee and we support the Democratic nominee who will beat Donald Trump. That’s a fact. That’s where we are,” Rep. Peter Aguilar of California said after a House Democrats meeting.
No delirious enthusiasm, therefore, but rather pragmatism and even resignation on the part of the party’s parliamentarians, who returned to session in Washington this week.
“He’s our only candidate” and “I hope we all support him,” Democratic Representative Jerry Nadler told reporters.
However, according to the American press, he had until now been leaning towards withdrawal.
Mike Quigley, one of the first Democratic elected officials to publicly abandon Joe Biden, has not changed his mind.
“He has to step down because he can’t win and my colleagues have to realise that,” he said, pointing out that the party remained divided.
Divisions
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the president had received support from groups of African-American and Hispanic elected officials, as well as prominent progressive lawmakers such as Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez.
She assured that it was necessary to accompany him on the ground to “feel” the support the president enjoys among voters.
Karine Jean-Pierre also assured that “yes”, Joe Biden was determined to govern for four years, the entire duration of a mandate, in the event of victory in November.
In other words, he has no intention of willingly ceding his seat to Vice President Kamala Harris along the way.
While his political future is being discussed in the corridors of Congress, Joe Biden is playing the international stature card on Tuesday.
He is due to deliver a major speech at the opening of the annual NATO summit in the American capital, and hold a series of bilateral meetings, including one on Thursday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, all opportunities to gauge his stamina and energy.
The American president has repeated, in an increasingly vehement tone, that he will remain in the race, brushing aside concerns about his fitness and poor poll numbers.
New York Times
The Democrat is convinced that the “basic voter” supports him, and the discussions surrounding his candidacy are nothing more than the wild ideas of political “elites”, major donors and opinion journalists.
The editorial board of the New York Timeswhich brings together its renowned editorialists and has already called on the 81-year-old Democrat to step down, did so again on Tuesday.
Democrats “must tell him that he is making a fool of himself and jeopardizing his entire political legacy,” assert the leading writers of the New York daily.
With just four months to go before the presidential election, forcing Joe Biden to throw in the towel would be a very uncertain and extremely perilous operation for his party.
Even if she succeeds, Democrats will have to come up with another candidate without tearing each other apart, at the latest at the nomination convention in August.
There would then be only about two months of campaigning left before the presidential election on November 5.
Donald Trump, for his part, is keeping a low profile amid the storm that his rival is going through.
On Tuesday, for example, he was content to relay on his Truth Social platform the polls that gave him the advantage.
