Biden With Family After Debate Crisis and Critics Calling Him To Step Down

In the aftermath of his faltering debate performance last Thursday, President Joe Biden apparently was urged to stay in the 2024 race by family members during their weekend visit together at Camp David.

Biden’s relatives argued to the Times that he is still “fully capable” of governing through another four years as president following his weak debate performance against Donald Trump.

The report also said that Biden has been consulting with aides on how best to respond, and some staff have debated whether the president should do a news conference or take interviews for himself in an attempt to quell public fears.

The 81-year-old Biden apparently comes across as hesitant, and that has reportedly made many Democrats worried about the election after there were suggestions from people close to the president that he did so poorly in last week’s debate because of a cold.

But the former vice president is facing increasing calls from donors and The New York Times editorial board to consider exiting the race voluntarily, so that Democratic officials could try placing an alternative candidate at their convention in August.

Following the debate, polls found that 72% said Biden does not have the mental and cognitive health to be president. Fifty per cent said they felt the same way about 78-year-old Trump.

Biden had been expected to talk about what his future might hold in re-election. But, in a recent statement, the Biden campaign hit back by pointing out that they had planned this trip as early last week and released a post-debate memo showing signs of confidence from his chairwoman Jen O’Malley Dillon on how effective he would be in beating Trump.

A senior Biden official told CNN that the president’s family, including his children and grandchildren, was to be photographed by acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz during their stay at Camp David.

Katie Rogers, one of the authors of The New York Times report, shared on X, “There is real anger within the Biden family and among close allies about how the president was staffed and prepared ahead of the debate, per people familiar. Biden himself is not stewing, trying to move forward.”

The report said that Biden’s top adviser Ron Klain expressed a 100% certainty that the president will stay in the race. Klain added, “Big-money donors don’t get to dictate the nominee of the Democratic Party.”