2024-07-05 05:53:25
To resign or not to resign? The question that hangs over Joe Biden, the Democratic Party and the entire United States these days regarding the presidential candidacy.
“I finally defeated Medicare.” Biden staged a mental breakdown before Trump. | Video: Reuters
After a very poor performance in last week’s TV debate with Donald Trump, the 81-year-old Biden is facing pressure from some voters, the media and members of the Democratic Party to leave his position in the November presidential election to someone else in view of his age and lack of strength.
According to information from The New York Times on Wednesday, he confided to one of his advisers that he was considering resigning. But Biden’s spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre answered: “No way.”
“I’m not leaving, I’m going to stay in this fight until the end,” Biden himself announced. Several Democratic governors also publicly expressed their support for him on Wednesday. On Tuesday, however, House of Representatives member Lloyd Doggett became the first Democratic lawmaker to publicly call on Biden to drop the nomination.
Americanist Jakub Lepš told Aktuálně.cz that the logic of Biden’s candidacy originally consisted in the fact that he is able to defeat Trump. According to Lepša, few Americans wanted to vote for him because they wanted him, but because they don’t want a Republican Trump in the White House.
“This logic would remain even if someone else ran for the Democrats. But the party would have to choose a clear candidate and not get bogged down in some disputes and split. Arguments and fighting for position would not look good. Democrats would have to quickly choose someone and say ‘this is our candidate who will defeat Trump’,” described Lepš.
The convention of the Democratic Party, which will finally confirm the candidate for the next four years in the White House, takes place on August 19-21 in Chicago. If someone else were to eventually replace Biden, there are more candidates being offered.
“Theoretically, the first candidate should be Vice President Kamala Harris, but she is unpopular. The governors who are being considered are not yet well known nationally,” explained Lepš.
“Perhaps the governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, is a little known. The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, participated in a debate with the former Republican candidate and governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis. I think he was excellent in it, but few people watched it,” added Lepš.
More and more polls signal that Biden now has slim chances. According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump would now win with a margin of 48 percent to 42 percent, The New York Times writes about 49 percent for Trump and 43 for Biden. Trump also leads in almost all key states, so-called swing states.
CNN was investigating how other Democratic candidates would theoretically fare against Trump. According to CNN, 45 percent of Americans would vote for Harris, while 47 percent would vote for Trump. California Governor Gavin Newsom would lose to him 43 percent to 48 percent, according to the poll. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s pre-election survey gave her 42 percent of the vote to Trump’s 47 percent.
Lepš added that the Democrats are in a difficult situation, whatever the decision regarding Biden’s candidacy. “Both options are risky for them,” he pointed out.
Video: A huge gamble. Biden has almost no chance, maybe Obama will intervene, says US expert (7/2/2024)
Video: Team Spotlight