Following a disastrous performance at the debate stage in Atlanta, there is a growing clamour within the ruling Democratic Party and mainstream American media for President Joe Biden to step down from the presidential race. However, the 81-year-old President and his campaign have asserted that he is not giving up and is determined to successfully run for the November 5th Presidential elections.
“Biden is a nominee of the Democratic Party, no switching of the nominee, campaign leadership has asserted. Biden the 46th President of the United States of America (USA) has won the Democratic Presidential Primary. As of June 29, 2024, he had 3894 delegates as against the 1975 delegates required to win the nomination of the party. These delegates would meet in Chicago from August 19 to 22, 2024 to formally nominate the winner of the primaries to run for the elections on November 5, 2024.
Biden seeking a second term in the White House, stumbled and fumbled during the televised presidential debate with his predecessor Donald Trump on June 28, 2024 setting off alarm bells among top democrats about whether he can stay atop the gruelling months ahead of the elections on November 5, 2024. The 78-year-old Donald Trump, who is the presumptive Republican Party Candidate for the presidential elections clashed right from the start with Biden and by the end of the 90 min debate gave enough fodder for serious editorials and opinions as well as memes on social media.
Over the last 50 hours, after the presidential debate in Atlanta on June 28, 2024 wherein his performance was seen far below against his rival Trump, multiple media outlets including various American media agencies, his own party supporters and key decision makers are calling him to step down from the race. “Dropping out is Biden’s most patriotic option,” one US media agency said on June 29, 2024.
“To serve his country, President Joe Biden should leave the race,” another American media agency’s editorial board wrote after the debate. “That is no longer a sufficient rationale for why Biden should be the Democratic nominee this year.” Similar messages are coming from inside the party as well. However, his inner circle is standing by the side of Biden. A post-debate poll says that ten percent of the independent voters have moved towards the Biden after the debate.
“It wasn’t my best debate ever as Barack Obama pointed out. I understand the concern after the debate, Biden told his fundraisers in New Jersey.” I get it and I didn’t have a great night but I am going to be fighting harder,” he said. “Research during the debate shows us how converting more undecided voters than Trump did in large part, because of his conduct on January 6,” Biden said. He argued that Trump’s lies were the biggest takeaways, People remember the bad things during his presidency.
“I didn’t have a great night, but neither did he,” he said again of Trump. Several popular columnists, Paul Krugman, Tom Friedman, Nicholas Kristof, Jonathan Alter and David Ignatius argued that the chance of a diminished Biden losing to Trump is too high to risk.
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