United States (US) President Joe Biden is facing increasing pressure to withdraw from the presidential elections in November, as a recent poll found nearly two-thirds of Democrats think he should quit the race
Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer and Adam Schiff are about as influential as you can get within the Democratic Party.
It’s now being reported that former President Barack Obama -seen as an elder figure of the party now-has expressed concern about President Biden. Both men are said to have had an up-and-down relationship. Washington Post reports that Mr Obama has told allies in recent days that Mr Biden’s path to victory has greatly diminished, and he needs to seriously consider the viability of his candidacy.
Whilst not all of them have publicly called for Mr Biden to step down, the fact they’re not denying reports of private conversations is notable.
Pelosi, in particular, is a battle-scarred politician who plays a good game of 3D chess. She doesn’t want to be accused of disloyalty to the president she admires but equally doesn’t want to be seen as complicit if Democrats suffer huge losses under Mr Biden in November’s election.
The New York Times reported that Mr. Schumer was shown data from a top Democratic fundraising committee that alarmed him – the president is trailing behind in the must-win states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Many analysts believe Mr Biden’s path to victory lies through this area of the country. There’s also evidence that Nevada, Georgia and Arizona could be slipping away.
President Biden has revised his view on what it would take to bow to the growing pressure.
He has gone from stating „only the Lord Almighty“ could make him stand down, to telling BET (Black Entertainment Television) that he would re-evaluate his campaign if his doctor diagnosed him with a medical condition. Then he announced he had COVID-19 amid other health concerns.
While he‘s had the illness before, the latest infection has exacerbated the ongoing concerns about his age, health and fragility.
To now get „general malaise“ as the doctors put it, is not a great look for a leader many Americans already worry is past it.
Politics isn‘t just about the strength of policies. It‘s about projecting physical strength as a leader.
According to sources many Republicans at the RNC appeared to be happy for Mr Biden to stay in the race because they believe he is no competition for Trump. And polls aside, their confidence may not be unfounded.