First Democratic lawmaker calls on Joe Biden to withdraw from White House race

A senior Democratic lawmaker called on Tuesday, July 2, for President Joe Biden to withdraw from the race for the White House, citing, among other things, his disastrous performance in Thursday's debate against Donald Trump. “I hope he will make the difficult and painful decision to step down,” he added. “I respectfully urge him to do so.”“Texas Lloyd Doggett wrote in a press release. “President Biden saved our democracy by ridding us of Trump in 2020. He must not hand us over to Trump in 2024.”he added.

Democratic Senator Nancy Pelosi confirmed this on Tuesday. ” Lawful “ To question Joe Biden's health, and “I wonder if it's a simple episode or a case” The former House Speaker, who still wields significant influence within her party, welcomed MSNBC ” Vision “ The democratic leader of the country. “I’m not a doctor. I can’t say what’s going to happen in three or four years, but I think from my experience, and this is what you asked me to do, he’ll still be a great president of the United States.”She added.

“We have to be honest with ourselves, it wasn't just a horrible night.”As announced on CNN Tuesday, Representative-elect Mike Quigley, a Democrat from Illinois, said.

Decreased physical and verbal ease

Calls from elected Democrats have multiplied in recent hours for the president and his entourage to be transparent about the health of the 81-year-old leader. For months, the White House has ignored any questions about the physical and mental abilities of the American president, whose physical and verbal well-being has declined. The New York Times People close to the president noted their absence, she said Tuesday. “more frequent” And “Clearer” The last months.

While party heavyweights have so far publicly backed him, tensions have been building among supporters and donors since Thursday’s debate, with some calling on Biden to respond more tangibly to concerns, by giving more press conferences or open exchanges with reporters or supporters.

That is scheduled for Friday, after ABC News announced that the president will give an interview to the channel that will air in full on Sunday. A solo news conference is also scheduled for next week — two meetings aimed at proving that Joe Biden can speak fluently without a teleprompter. Joe Biden “He knows how to come back”He defended his spokeswoman, Karine Jean-Pierre, while ruling out the possibility that the Democratic leader would undergo a cognitive test.

Vice President Kamala Harris said Tuesday she is facing anxiety. ” proud “ To be there “Operating companion” From the president. “Joe Biden is our candidate. We beat Donald Trump once and we will beat him again.”she told CBS News.

Joe Biden blames his travel fatigue

Meanwhile, Joe Biden offered a new explanation for his disastrous debate at a meeting with Democratic donors near Washington. He ruled that it wasn't “Not very smart” We take “I have traveled around the world several times.” Shortly before this confrontation, which led him to this “Hardly” [s’]Sleeping on stage »adding: “This is not an excuse, but an explanation.” The US president visited France from June 5 to 9, then Italy from June 12 to 14, followed by a campaign trip to California. He then took six days to prepare for the June 27 debate at his Camp David residence, a period during which he had no public activity. So far, his supporters’ argument has been that Joe Biden had “bad evening”Temporarily, and to confirm that he suffers from a ” common cold “ Which hampered his speech, which Karine Jean-Pierre repeated again on Tuesday.

A CNN poll released Tuesday is enough to raise concerns in the Democratic camp: 75% of voters surveyed believe the party would have a better chance in November with a candidate other than Joe Biden. Donald Trump is credited with 49% of voting intentions nationally, compared to 43% for his rival, a gap that has not changed since the last such poll, conducted in April. Kamala Harris, who did not win, would be better off with 45% compared to 47% for the former Republican president.

Other potential Democratic candidates, some of them little known to the general public, will face Donald Trump with results similar to those of the incumbent president, despite their lack of notoriety, such as California Governor Gavin Newsom, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, or Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

On Monday, a reporter briefly asked the president whether he planned to drop out of the race, at the end of a short speech he had just given at the White House about the Supreme Court decision. Joe Biden turned on his heel and left the room without answering.