Washington: President Joe Biden won much-needed support from senior Democrats and delivered a confident speech at a NATO summit on Tuesday, but doubts about his age and fitness continued in his re-election bid.
The top Democrat in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, met with members on whether to drop Biden as his 2024 running mate after his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, Biden sought to prove he still has what it takes on the world stage, addressing NATO leaders in Washington, DC in a closely watched speech marking the alliance’s 75th anniversary.
After days of his fate hanging in the balance, Biden decided to move on, and Tuesday’s caucuses were a pivotal moment.
The first meeting with lawmakers who fear their seats could be at risk in November was “intense,” one member told US media, and another said the mood was “pretty much unanimous” that Biden should step down.
But at a meeting of the party’s full caucus later Tuesday, there were signs that Biden had bolstered support, with several lawmakers walking past rows of reporters to declare their allegiance to the president.
Jerry Nadler, a Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, endorsed Biden despite reportedly saying over the weekend that he should resign.
The White House tried to insist, through a series of increasingly heated press briefings, that the matter was settled and the party was united.
“We want to turn the page,” Biden spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.
Stubborn resistance remained on Tuesday, with New Jersey Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill becoming the seventh Democratic lawmaker to openly urge Biden not to seek re-election.
Congressional Republicans have largely retreated and enjoyed a Democratic meltdown, although Trump pulled no punches at his first rally in 11 days at his Doral golf resort in Miami.
“They want Crooked Joe out of the race. It’s a disgrace how they’re treating him. But don’t feel sorry for him. He’s a very bad guy,” Trump told supporters as he launched into 75 minutes of invective, mostly aimed at targeting. his electoral rival.
Less than four months before the vote, the party refuted concerns about Biden’s health.
Biden stepped up his fight to stay in the race this week, daring Democratic critics to challenge him at the party convention in August.
America’s oldest president called his debate performance, in which he stumbled over words and stood open-mouthed, a “bad night” caused by the cold and jet lag from strenuous foreign travel.
Biden’s personal physician said Monday that the president was seen by a Parkinson’s disease specialist purely as part of normal neurological exams during his annual physical.
But Biden’s attempt at a relaunch failed to convince The New York Times.
The scathing editorial said Democrats “need to tell him he’s embarrassing himself and endangering his legacy.”
