Katty Kay: Panic and confusion as Democrats weigh Biden’s future
Joe Biden’s unexpectedly poor debate performance on Thursday night has led to panic, confusion, and even sadness within the Democratic Party, including among those close to the president.
Top party members, the White House, and the Biden-Harris campaign are now having serious discussions about various options, including whether Joe Biden should withdraw from the presidential race.
Democratic officials, political operatives, and people close to the president describe an anxious Democratic Party deeply concerned about their candidate’s strength and his ability to defeat Donald Trump in November.
Some of the president’s allies have expressed frustration over how the debate preparation in Atlanta was managed. They believe Biden was over-prepared and overworked by his campaign team and suggest that if he had been given more time to rest in the week leading up to the debate, his performance would have been better. One campaign source suggested that too many voices, perspectives, and data points overwhelmed him, causing him to falter.
While this analysis might be accurate, the claim that Biden was tired and overworked does little to alleviate the very real fears regarding his advanced age and its impact on his ability to win the election.
Concerns about the president’s age, mental fitness, and stamina—and the insistence that something must be done—are not new. In September, prominent political columnist David Ignatius, a confidant of Biden, suggested the president should step aside. Similarly, in February, Ezra Klein of the New York Times made the same suggestion in a column that generated both buzz and irritation within the White House.
Until now, these voices have been isolated. Last night’s poor debate performance changed that.
Name-calling and insults: key moments from Biden and Trump’s debate.
In the early hours of Friday morning, a string of high-profile Democratic strategists, pundits, and former officials joined the call for Mr. Biden to bow out. I appeared on Morning Joe, an American political morning show that the president frequently watches. Joe Scarborough, the host of the program and a defender of the president, made the point that while Mr Biden can still govern the country, perhaps he no longer has what it takes to win the election.
So where does that leave Joe Biden?
First, it is important to remember that the decision of whether to continue is – more or less – entirely his. At this point, if he doesn’t want to step back, it’s virtually impossible for him to be removed from the ticket. One campaign source told me any decision to step down would be made by a very small group that includes the president, his wife, and his sister, Val Biden.
Second, right now the conversation about whether to replace Mr Biden is happening in public among pundits and former officials but it’s still only happening in private among those with actual influence.
Indeed this morning, several of the president’s allies (who are also, awkwardly, being floated as his potential replacements) took to television and social media to defend him.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said he was “very proud of the president”. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro told Democrats to “stop worrying”. Senator John Fetterman put it bluntly, saying: “I refuse to join the Democratic vultures on Biden’s shoulder.”
My reporting suggests no changes will be made imminently. The team wants to give the president a chance to get out in public and erase the memory of that debate appearance.
On Friday, at a markedly more energetic rally in North Carolina, Mr Biden attempted to put concerns over his age and his debate performance to rest. “I know I’m not a young man,” he said. “I would not be running again if I did not believe with all my heart and soul I can do this job.”
On Saturday, he will travel to the ultra-wealthy Hamptons region of New York for fundraisers with Democratic donors.
A source on the campaign tells me that, at the moment, the chance of him stepping aside is only around 5%. But if donors were to abandon him en masse, they acknowledge that could change and prompt a speedier decision about his candidacy.
Polling on the public’s reaction to the debate should filter in over the next few days. That too will guide the discussions.
Already the campaign is pointing to snap polling data from the debate that shows independent voters had a more unfavourable response to Donald Trump than to Joe Biden. They hope that is replicated in later polls.
Joe Biden has been discounted many times before in his political career. When he first ran for Senate he was told he was too young. When he thought of running for president in 2016 he was told it wasn’t his turn. And in 2020 many people felt he didn’t represent the future of a diverse Democratic Party.
He has developed a habit of ignoring skeptics. The only people he trusts are the few close advisers who’ve been with him for years. I’ve been told those advisers, including Ron Klain and Mike Donilon (who prepared him for this disastrous debate), also happen to believe that Joe Biden is the only person who can beat Donald Trump.
They were right in 2020. Are they still right today?
Yes, Joe Biden has a history of bouncing back, but many Democrats are worried this time is different.
