Biden tries to ease fitness concerns as Democrats consider his future

WASHINGTON, July 4 (Reuters) – President Joe Biden faces close scrutiny in public appearances on Thursday and over the U.S. holiday weekend, as he resists pressure to end his reelection bid after a poor debate performance raised concerns about his stamina and mental acuity.

The 81-year-old Democrat’s shaky showing at a June 27 debate with Republican rival Donald Trump has sparked questions about his ability to keep up a grueling pace of work for the next 4-1/2 years and calls from some in his party to step aside.

Vice President Kamala Harris is the leading contender to take his place in the Nov. 5 election if Biden were to drop out, sources have said, though his allies believe he can assuage the concerns of voters and donors.

Biden will host the annual July 4 Independence Day festivities at the White House on Thursday, give an interview to ABC News on Friday that will be aired in full at 8 p.m. ET (0000 GMT Saturday) and travel to Wisconsin the same day for a campaign rally.

Dozens of Democrats in the House of Representatives are watching closely and prepared to ask Biden to step aside if he falters in the ABC interview, a source told Reuters. Democrats see capturing control of the House in November as critical, as it could be their last hold on power in Washington if Trump returns to the White House and Republicans capture the Senate.

Biden faces a new reality since last week’s debate – even if he doesn’t falter verbally or physically, serious concerns about his viability as a candidate are likely to linger. If he does mangle words or look unfocused or confused, he will face renewed pressure to depart.

If reelected, Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term. He is being asked by some former supporters to step aside to preserve his legacy and lessen the chances of a second Trump presidency. With just four months to go before the election, a decision needs to be made soon, they say.

Democrats, including top allies, have left the door open to having Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket.

Seen by a doctor

The White House has repeatedly said the president was suffering from a cold and jet lag on the night of the debate. On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden had not had any kind of medical exam since his annual physical in February. “He did not get checked out by the doctor. It’s a cold, guys. It’s a cold,” she said at a news briefing.

However, spokesperson Andrew Bates said on Thursday that Biden saw a doctor after the debate. “Several days later, the president was seen to check on his cold and was recovering well,” he said.

Trump, 78, who made multiple false statements from the debate stage in Atlanta, falsely claimed in a video that was circulated on social media that he had driven Biden out of the race. He made disparaging comments about Harris in the same video, which the Trump campaign stood by.

In a radio interview with WURD that aired on Thursday morning, Biden spoke about his record delivering for Black Americans as president. He stuttered occasionally.

Asked whether there was any reason for the American people to be concerned after last week’s debate with Trump, Biden demurred.

“No, I had a bad debate,” he said, adding that this should not erase what he has done as president for three and a half years.

“The guy I’m running against is a convicted felon who is, said he wants to be a dictator on Day One. Not a joke, he means it,” Biden said.

Biden’s standing in opinion polls took a hit after the debate, with surveys by the New York Times and Wall Street Journal showing Trump opening up a wider lead. A Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed Tuesday showed the two tied with 40% support among registered voters.

Some 59% of Democrats responding to the Reuters/Ipsos poll said that Biden was too old to work in government, a concern that has shown up persistently in public opinion polling over the past year.

Biden met with a group of Democratic governors on Wednesday at the White House to make his case. Some told reporters afterward they were sticking by his side.

“President Joe Biden is in it to win it,” New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul told reporters after the talks.

Maryland Democratic Governor Wes Moore said: “We know that we have work to do. It’s going to take all of us to make it happen.” Gavin Newsom, the California governor whose name is often floated as an alternative to Biden, said on X, formerly Twitter, he was “all in” for Biden.

Arizona’s Raul Grijalva has called on Biden to drop out of the race while Representative Seth Moulton from Massachusetts called Biden’s age a liability.

“The unfortunate reality is that the status quo will likely deliver us President Trump,” Moulton said in a statement. “President Biden is not going to get younger.”

On Sunday, Biden and his wife Jill are due to speak to thousands at the National Education Association in Pennsylvania. Next week he hosts dozens of world leaders at the NATO summit in Washington, and holds a rare solo news conference.