Democrat vs. White House saga over Biden's future as president ongoing
4 Min Read
Former speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi says it is "legitimate" to check if the disastrous debate was more of a deeper issue than a one-time thing.
-
President Joe Biden speaks during a visit to the DC Emergency Operations Center, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Washington. (AP)
Democrats asked US President Joe Biden to be open and honest about his mental health on Tuesday, the same day he received the first request to withdraw from the presidential race by his own party.
Following last week's televised debate on CNN with Donald Trump, supporters have voiced growing worries about the 81-year-old's candidacy, derived from rising concerns about his age.
On Tuesday, Lloyd Doggett became the first Democratic US lawmaker to publicly urge Joe Biden to withdraw from the race for the White House, citing the President's lackluster performance in last week's presidential debate.
"Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden's first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so," the Texas congressman said in a statement.
Meanwhile, former speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said it was "legitimate" to check if the disastrous debate was more of a deeper issue than a one-time thing, as Biden is due to be interviewed by ABC on Friday.
As the president faces increasingly concerning polls and growing calls to withdraw his candidacy, including from a congressional Democrat, Joe Biden will meet with Democratic governors on Wednesday.
Biden will talk with governors and Capitol Hill leaders this week, officials said on Tuesday, to reassure them of his competence and address escalating discontent among party leaders after last week’s calamitous debate performance against Donald Trump.
Read next: NYT first to call on Biden to quit presidential race after debate
At a fundraiser on Tuesday, Biden blamed the gaffes on traveling a lot the same week, saying he "wasn't very smart" for "traveling around the world a couple times... shortly before the debate," adding, "I didn't listen to my staff... and then I almost fell asleep on stage."
View this post on Instagram
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday tried to play the debate's results off by saying it was "a bad night" but added that Biden "knows how to come back" from it as she brushed off questions by reporters about him needing a cognitive test.
The White House revealed that Biden is due to convene with Democratic governors on Wednesday.
Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse told WPRI-TV he was "pretty horrified" by his performance.
Democrat Jared Golden published an op-ed in his local paper in Maine calling Biden's performance "not a surprise," noting, "The outcome of this election has been clear to me for months: While I don't plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win."
The New York Times pointed out his most recent gaffes like being confused at a few points during a D-Day anniversary ceremony in France on June 6 and during a meeting with the president of Ukraine, he misrepresented the aim of a new round of military assistance.
On June 10, he froze at a celebration of the Juneteenth holiday, and a week later, he struggled to call on the name of his homeland security secretary at an immigration event and later named Alejandro N. Mayorkas.
This comes days after US House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested that the presidential cabinet should consider removing Biden from office by exercising the 25th Amendment.
Read more: Biden, Trump debate puts US intl. standing in question: Reports
"There’s a lot of people asking about the 25th Amendment, invoking the 25th Amendment right now because this is an alarming situation," Johnson said in a press conference, noting that the cabinet, under the Constitution, has jurisdiction to make the decision rather than the House.
The 25th Amendment of the US Constitution says that the vice president and a majority of the cabinet can declare that the president is unable to fulfill the responsibilities of the office, thereby transferring the president's duties to the vice president.
Additionally, 60% of US voters believe Biden should "definitely" or "probably" be replaced as the Democratic candidate after his abysmal performance with contender Trump, a Morning Consult survey revealed on Friday.
