President Joe Biden confronts the most critical 48 hours of his career

No president has ever needed a public holiday like Joe Biden needs July 4. Biden is frantically battling to save his political career, showing increasing defiance. However, he’s at risk of being overwhelmed by growing doubts within his own party about his ability to defeat Donald Trump following a disastrous debate performance. For Independence Day, the president will gather family members at the White House who are crucial to his decision-making about his reelection campaign. He desperately needs a slow news day to regroup for what could be the most critical 48 hours of his political career.

Quick Read

• President Biden confronts the most critical 48 hours of his career
• President Joe Biden faces a crucial period over the Fourth of July holiday as he fights to save his political career following a disastrous debate performance.
• Biden plans to meet with family members at the White House for Independence Day to regroup during what could be the most critical 48 hours of his political career.
• Amid speculation that Biden might withdraw from the race, he met with 20 Democratic governors to demonstrate his capability to lead and win against Donald Trump.
• On Friday, Biden will face a critical interview with ABC News, considered more challenging than the debate, as he aims to correct public perceptions.
• Biden reassured campaign staff, stating, “I am running. I’m the nominee of the Democratic Party. No one’s pushing me out. I’m not leaving.”
• Despite Biden’s assurances, shifting explanations for his debate performance, including claims of jet lag and a cold, have not eased doubts about his fitness for office.
• Biden’s poor debate performance has left an indelible mark on voters, raising significant concerns about his ability to serve another term.
• Polls show Trump leading Biden, with the New York Times/Siena College survey showing a 49% to 43% lead for Trump among likely voters.
• White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre attributed Biden’s debate struggles to jet lag and a cold, which failed to address concerns about his readiness.
• Biden made calls to key Democratic power brokers and recorded radio interviews to bolster support.
• Democratic governors Tim Walz and Wes Moore expressed their support for Biden but acknowledged the feedback and concerns from the public.
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also expressed support for Biden, emphasizing unity within the party.
• Some top Democrats in the House called for Biden to step aside, while others feared a potential power vacuum.
• The Trump campaign warned that any replacement for Biden could expect scrutiny over hiding Biden’s condition, targeting Vice President Kamala Harris in particular.
• Biden’s determination to stay in the race seemed a response to reports suggesting he understood the critical nature of the coming days.
• A succession plan is taking shape, potentially supporting Harris to head off a divisive fight for the nomination.
• Biden’s actions, including a Medal of Honor ceremony, are now being closely scrutinized for signs of his capabilities.
• Key Democratic figures remain supportive but emphasize the need for Biden to reshape public perceptions and do not rule out him quitting the race. Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin and Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell highlighted the urgency of the situation.

The Associated Press has the story:

President Joe Biden confronts the most critical 48 hours of his career

Newslooks- (AP)

No president has ever needed a public holiday like Joe Biden needs July 4. Biden is frantically battling to save his political career, showing increasing defiance. However, he’s at risk of being overwhelmed by growing doubts within his own party about his ability to defeat Donald Trump following a disastrous debate performance.

For Independence Day, the president will gather family members at the White House who are crucial to his decision-making about his reelection campaign. He desperately needs a slow news day to regroup for what could be the most critical 48 hours of his political career.

As speculation swirled on Wednesday that he might be considering dropping out of the race, Biden firmly declared his commitment to staying in. He met with 20 Democratic governors at the White House to demonstrate his energy and sharpness to lead for another four years. On Friday, Biden will face an interview with ABC News, now seen as an even greater challenge than the CNN debate, as he needs to deliver a strong, agile performance. Every public appearance, including campaign stops in swing states, will be scrutinized for any slip-up or sign of vulnerability that might reinforce the impression of a weakened commander in chief from the debate.

“I am running. I’m the nominee of the Democratic Party. No one’s pushing me out. I’m not leaving,” Biden declared to concerned campaign staff during a phone call on Wednesday, searching for a much-needed comeback.

Now, it’s jet lag that was the problem

But the harsh reality emerging for President Biden is that the assurances, shifting explanations, and spin from his political aides are failing — because there might be no solution to his predicament. The image of an incoherent, weak, and struggling president has been etched into the minds of 50 million viewers since last week. Even a far more effective damage control effort than what the White House and Biden campaign have managed so far would struggle to erase that impression.

Attempts to explain his struggles in Atlanta are only drawing more attention to the core issue: an overwhelming majority of voters doubt he’s fit enough to serve another term, which would end when he is 86. For instance, on Wednesday, the White House reiterated Biden’s claim of being jet-lagged after two trips to Europe in early June. Given that the president had been back in the U.S. for over a week at the time of the debate, this raised new questions about his ability to handle the demanding travel schedule of the presidency.

The suggestion that delayed jet lag, combined with a cold, caused Biden to trail off mid-sentence and fail to make a coherent argument on key campaign issues did nothing to stop his political decline. It meant that yet another day was spent focusing on Biden’s faltering campaign rather than the grave threat to democracy and America’s political freedoms that he warns is posed by Trump. At the end of a difficult day for the president, a senior administration official likened the gradual erosion of his support among Democrats to “waves crashing into the shore.” The official added, “First it’s the donors. Then it’s elected officials. Now it’s polling. It just breaks down the resistance.”

Things started bad for Biden on Wednesday and then got worse.

• A second Democratic official, Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, called for Biden to step aside, saying he’d support Biden if he remained the nominee but that it was time to consider other options. He emphasized Biden’s responsibility to ensure the Democrats retain the presidency, even if that means stepping down.
• New polls delivered more bad news: A New York Times/Siena College survey showed Trump leading Biden 49% to 43%, a three-point swing from before the debate. A CNN Poll of Polls had Trump ahead by five points (49% to 44%) after the debate, worsening Biden’s already trailing position.
• White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre faced tough questions, attributing Biden’s poor debate performance to jet lag and a cold, though she insisted these were not excuses.
• Biden made calls to key Democratic leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and recorded radio interviews for swing states Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. He also met with Democratic governors, receiving mixed feedback about his performance and future prospects.
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom expressed full support for Biden, while also preparing for the possibility of a future without him. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Vice President Kamala Harris were present at the meetings, indicating their potential roles in any succession plan.
• House Democrats debated whether Biden should step aside, concerned about the chaos that might ensue if he left the race without a clear successor.
• The Trump campaign started strategizing for a scenario where Biden drops out, warning that any replacement would face scrutiny for covering up Biden’s condition.
• Biden’s firm commitment to stay in the race seemed a response to reports suggesting he might consider stepping down. The White House denied these claims, emphasizing the importance of maintaining campaign stability.
• A succession plan is reportedly in the works, with Biden potentially endorsing Vice President Harris, his campaign funds, and delegates to avoid a divisive nomination battle.
• Biden’s challenges were highlighted during a Medal of Honor ceremony, with media coverage scrutinizing his every move for signs of declining faculties.
• Supportive Democrats urged Biden to reshape public perceptions and did not rule out the possibility of him quitting. Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin and Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell stressed the urgency of Biden addressing the American people effectively in the coming days.

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