“\nPresident Joe Biden (81) of the United States is seen as falling short of dispelling health concerns in an effort to calm down the post-election resignation rumors by engaging in consecutive media interviews and public campaigns before and after the weekend. While displaying determination that seems somewhat disconnected from reality and amidst controversy over pre-arranged interview questions, Biden is facing a critical situation with public calls for resignation spreading within the Democratic Party, turning away from the progressive mainstream media as the ‘Non-Biden,’ and high-profile donors turning their backs on him. Despite this, Biden’s unwavering determination to ‘finish the race’ continuously, along with the limited time remaining until the November election, has raised concerns that a sudden ‘transfer’ could lead to his downfall. With the resignations and completion theories sharply facing each other, the U.S. Wall Street Journal pointed out that an unavoidable ‘chicken game’ is taking place between the two sides.
President Biden stated in an ABC broadcast interview on the 5th afternoon (local time), “If the Almighty God descends and tells me to do so, I will drop out of the election race, but God will not come down.” In response to the host George Stephanopoulos’ question, “Can you beat Trump,” Biden emphatically answered four times, “Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes.”
While the unedited interview lasting 22 minutes was considered an improvement compared to the disastrous first presidential candidate TV debate on the 27th of last month, it did not alleviate concerns of cognitive decline. When asked if he is willing to undergo a cognitive and neurological examination and disclose the results to the American people, Biden responded, “I receive cognitive and neurological testing through governing every day. No one has told me I need a cognitive test.”
When the host presented recent polls indicating Biden falling further behind Trump after the TV debate, Biden retorted, “I do not see myself as losing. Do you think the opinion polls are accurate?” In response to the question, “How would you feel in January next year if you lose the election,” Biden replied, “If I did my best, that’s the meaning of this.”
On the same day, during a campaign event in Wisconsin, Biden countered, “We will beat Trump,” in a speech with the help of a prompter, mentioning achievements such as job creation and saying, “I’m not old yet. Don’t I look like I’m 40?”
However, the gap between his conviction and the concerns raised within and around the Democratic Party has not narrowed. On the 6th, Democratic House member Angie Craig issued a statement demanding Biden to resign from the candidacy. Thus, Craig became the fifth House member to publicly raise objections to Biden following Lloyd Doggett, Raul Grijalva, Seth Moulton, and Michael Quigley. In the Senate, Democratic Senator Mark Warner is pushing for a meeting among lawmakers on the 8th to discuss the issue of Biden’s resignation.
Observations suggest that this week may mark a turning point for the chaos within the Democratic and progressive camps surrounding the question of candidate replacement. On the afternoon of the 7th, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries will hold a private video conference with key House members, including committee chairs, where the issue of candidate replacement is expected to be a major topic of discussion.
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump commented on social media on the 6th, sarcastically saying, “‘Sleepy Joe’ must continue his destructive election campaign in the United States.” “