The standoff between President Joe Biden and his Democratic Party is intensifying, with 12 more prominent Democrats urging him to step aside from the presidential race.
Despite these calls, the 81-year-old president has vowed to stay in the contest and take on his Republican rival, Donald Trump.
Biden, currently isolating at his beach house in Delaware following a COVID-19 diagnosis, has been vocal online, criticizing Trump and expressing his determination to win.
“Trump’s dark vision for the future is not who we are as Americans. Together, as a party and as a country, we can and will defeat him at the ballot box,” Biden stated.
He promised to return to the campaign trail next week.
The chorus of Democratic voices calling for Biden’s withdrawal includes Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, who faces a tough re-election battle. “I agree with the many Ohioans who have reached out to me asking for Biden to end his campaign,” Brown said in a statement.
New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich, also up for re-election, became the third Senate Democrat to urge Biden to step aside. “By passing the torch, he would secure his legacy as one of our nation’s greatest leaders and allow us to unite behind a candidate who can best defeat Donald Trump and safeguard the future of our democracy,” Heinrich asserted.
Top Democratic figures such as Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and Nancy Pelosi have reportedly also pressured Biden privately to withdraw. However, Biden’s campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon dismissed these concerns on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, describing Biden as the “best person to take on Donald Trump.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, speaking to donors, echoed Dillon’s confidence. “We are going to win this election,” she said. “We know which candidate in this election puts the American people first: our president, Joe Biden.”
A new group, Pass the Torch, has taken their plea to Biden directly through a television advertisement. This ad, running on Morning Joe and other MSNBC shows, urges Biden to “do the right thing and step aside.”
Aaron Regunberg, a member of Pass the Torch’s steering committee, said, “We’ll be going up on his favourite programmes, and we plan to stay up until we hear the announcement that he’s going to step aside.”
Despite the mounting pressure, Biden remains resolute. White House doctor Kevin O’Connor reported that the president’s COVID-19 symptoms have improved, although he still has a dry cough and hoarseness.
Next week, Biden is scheduled to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will address the US Congress amid ongoing conflict in Gaza.
