Democrat Concerns About Biden Continue—But It May Not Matter

Just last week, whether President Joe Biden was fit to be the Democratic presidential nominee in November was by far the most discussed question in American politics. His abysmal June 27 debate performance rocked the world of nearly every liberal in the nation.

Three weeks on, the attempted assassination of Donald Trump left two survivors in its wake—the former president had miraculously lived, and the current president’s campaign was no longer completely dead. 

Biden’s gaffes have not stopped; in fact, over the course of the last week, his public appearances have been as embarrassing as ever. Yet the president has been able to mostly hide in the shadows of the Trump assassination attempt, the Republican National Convention, and the selection of J.D. Vance as Trump’s running mate, for now delaying an impending reckoning with other Democrats still hoping to oust him from office. 

After the attempted assassination of Trump, Biden gave three short public appearances (all of which were under seven minutes) calling for unity and decrying all forms of political violence. He was widely criticized as not displaying enough empathy for the former president and the victims of the tragic shooting. 

In his Monday interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt, Biden was again a mess. Biden became particularly heated when confronted about his debate performance last month, and said a night as bad as that one would never happen again. Yet, when asked if he would consider agreeing to an extra debate with Trump, Biden scoffed at the idea. “I’m on the horse; where have you been?” he asked incredulously.

These gaffes have snowballed into a huge problem for the future of Biden’s presidential bid, as he is now facing calls from 20 Democrats in Congress who have publicly urged him to “pass the torch.”

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) was the first sitting Democratic lawmaker to ask Biden to step aside after the debate. He said he “had hoped that the debate would provide some momentum,” but that the president had instead “failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments and expose Trump’s many lies.”

On Wednesday, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said in a statement that a “second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November.” 

It is not only congressmen who want Biden to step aside. A staggering new poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research has revealed that nearly two thirds of Democrats want Biden to withdraw from the race. 

According to the same poll, only 37 percent of Democrats are satisfied with Biden as the nominee, compared to 42 percent prior to last month’s debate.

Additionally, a Tuesday report from Puck about a weekend Zoom call between Biden and Democratic lawmakers left his campaign scrambling to save face. The president was allegedly rude, defensive, and rambling, leaving many on the call sure that he was no longer fit for office.

A member of Congress reportedly told Puck, ​“Had the assassination attempt not occurred an hour later, I imagine 50 people on that Zoom were ready to come out publicly against him.” Another source close to the Biden campaign said, “I think the assassination attempt took the pressure off for a critical 72 hours. Also, the Hill never got its act together—and death by 270 cuts doesn’t work.”

On Wednesday, the president also tested positive for Covid-19, which has brought even more anti-Biden Democrats out of the woodwork. Since then, the former President Barack Obama, who has been publicly vocal about his support for Biden’s candidacy, has reportedly told close allies that Biden should “consider the viability of his candidacy.” Reports of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) telling Biden to exit the race have also surfaced in recent days.

Despite all this, Biden seems determined, as of now, to stay in the race.

As he has said repeatedly in interviews and public appearances, Biden wants to stick it out until November: “I am still the only person to ever beat Donald Trump, and I’m looking forward to doing it again.” Notwithstanding further health issues or death, Biden and his family seem keen on renewing their four year lease on the White House.

With just over 100 days between now and the election, time is quickly running out for Democrats to make a swap. And, as James Carden wrote for The American Conservative a few weeks ago, “The bench is not deep.” Although Kamala Harris is having her moment in the sun on social media as a potential replacement, the reality is that there is probably no one else who can step in and definitely win the election against Donald Trump, especially in light of recent events. 

Biden has been here before. In 2020, conservatives relentlessly joked about how he “hid in the basement” for the majority of his presidential campaign—and yet, despite everything, he still won.

All may seem lost for the Biden campaign, but the president certainly knows how to ride a wave. And, if he can ignore all the criticisms coming from his own party, he could yet repeat history this November.