President Biden plans to ramp-up his public profile following his debate disaster, as Democrats worry their election hopes are crumbling around them.
Democratic lawmakers are openly discussing Biden’s cognitive abilities and whether he should remain on the ticket, even as the president himself has mostly stayed out of the conversation.
The White House announced a flurry of new events for Biden this week as it seeks to fend off a full-fledged revolt.
Will it be too little too late? On Tuesday, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) became the first House Democrat to publicly call on Biden to withdraw.
“I represent the heart of a congressional district once represented by Lyndon Johnson. Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw. President Biden should do the same.”
That could be a watershed moment if more Democratic lawmakers follow suit.
New polling underscores the dilemma Democrats face.
- A CNN survey found Biden trailing Trump by 6 points nationally.
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75 percent of voters said Democrats are likelier to win if Biden is replaced.
- Biden’s potential replacement candidates, led by Vice President Harris, all polled better than Biden.
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New polling from the Democratic data firm OpenLabs finds Biden losing support in key swing states and putting traditionally blue states in play, according to Puck News.
Rep. Jared Golden (Maine), a moderate Democrat, has a buzzy op-ed in the Bangor Daily News: “While I don’t plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win. And I’m OK with that.”
Many Democrats have, so far, stopped short of calling on Biden to step aside, instead offering advice on the way forward and urging Biden to meet the moment head-on.
Some want to see a more vigorous schedule of media interviews, press conferences or unscripted town hall events that feature the version of Biden his staff says exists behind closed doors.
Biden’s public schedule this week was extremely light before the White House announced a slate of new events on Tuesday:
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Biden will speak with Hill leaders and Democratic governors, who have been complaining that they haven’t heard from the president.
- Biden will travel to Wisconsin on Friday. He was previously scheduled to go home to Delaware for the weekend.
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While on the campaign trail, Biden will sit for an interview that will air in full on Sunday’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” on ABC.
- Biden will travel to Philadelphia on Sunday.
- Biden will hold a press conference next week during the NATO Summit in D.C.
Democratic concerns extend beyond the electability question. The debate around Biden’s mental health has grown louder in recent days.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Tuesday on MSNBC that it’s “legitimate” to wonder whether Biden’s debate performance was “an episode” or “a condition.”
“It’s going to be up to Joe Biden to do what he thinks… I’m not a doctor, I can’t say what happens three, four years down the road, in my experience he will continue to be a great president of the United States.”
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Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) told Providence’s 12 News that Democrats need to be reassured “that the president and his team are being candid with us about his condition — that this was a real anomaly and not just the way he is these days.”
- Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) told CNN, “we have to be honest with ourselves that it wasn’t just a horrible night.”
Media outlets smell blood in the water and are covering Biden’s mental health in a way that they previously hadn’t.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre got peeved when a reporter asked if Biden had a neurological scan after the debate. Reporters pressed the White House for additional medical records and details about medication Biden might’ve taken on the night of the debate.
Famed Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein said on CNN that sources close to Biden have told him that over the last six months “there’s been a marked incidence of cognitive decline and physical infirmity.”
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