White House defends Biden’s fitness as he commits to race

Steph Whiteside and Kellie Meyer

4 hours ago

(NewsNation) — The White House is pushing back on claims President Joe Biden is considering dropping out of the presidential race.

A New York Times report cited an ally of the president who said that Biden is weighing whether he should bow out of the race if upcoming interviews and appearances don’t do enough to soothe voter fears in the wake of the presidential debate.

Democrats sounded the alarm bells after Biden’s debate performance, where he appeared to be confused at times, reigniting concerns that he is too old to serve another term. Biden has attempted to recover in public appearances, but some Democrats have begun publicly calling for him to step aside and cede the ticket to another candidate.

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said on X the reports were false, tweeting, “This claim is absolutely false and if we had been given more than 7 minutes we could have communicated this before it was publicized.”

In a press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the president is still in the race and is committed to continuing his work to serve the American people and winning the election.

In a briefing that was defensive and, at times, combative, reporters raised questions about Biden’s ability to govern and questioned whether he had a responsibility to review and respond to polls and donor concerns.

Jean-Pierre said any reporting that Biden has told aides the next few days are critical to determining if he can stay in the race are false, reiterating Bates’ comment that the White House was not given adequate time to respond to the New York Times story.

When asked about the president’s comments that jet lag was to blame for his debate performance despite having been back in the country for more than a week, Jean-Pierre noted that in addition to the travel, the president had been performing his duties and doing debate prep as well as having a cold. She also stressed that those things were not an excuse for his performance but an explanation that the press had asked for.

The press secretary also took responsibility for not raising travel as a factor in Biden’s performance before he brought it up to supporters.

She also stressed Biden’s outreach to voters, including pointing out the fact that events were occurring outside of the 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Biden has been reported to work. Jean-Pierre also said Biden has not had any additional medical exams since his last physical.

The Biden campaign also held an all-hands staff meeting Wednesday morning to boost morale. According to a source familiar with the call, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris attended to thank the people on the ground.

Biden reportedly acknowledged that it has been a tough few days but pledged to beat former President Donald Trump in November with Harris expressing support.

On Wednesday, Biden had lunch with Harris and is also set to have a last-minute meeting with Democratic governors. That meeting is said to include several who have been named as potential replacements, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Other top Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have made comments suggesting they are open to putting another candidate on the ticket.

The Biden campaign has repeatedly pushed back on those who were disappointed in his debate performance, continuing to insist Biden is fit to run and serve a second term. Polling numbers show voters may be less convinced, the president falling behind Trump in recent polls.

If Biden does decide to step aside or Democrats launch a push to replace him at the party convention this August, it could be a complicated process.

Biden faced no meaningful challenges during the primary, which means a majority of state delegates are already pledged to support him. While it’s not a strict requirement for delegates to adhere to the primary results of their state, it’s expected that they “in good conscience” represent the wishes of voters.

Should Biden step aside voluntarily, it’s not entirely clear what would happen with delegates already pledged to him. If he were to suggest a preference for a replacement, it’s likely that would carry heavy weight with the party.

The president is set to have several appearances and interviews in the coming days, which could prove critical when it comes to determining if he will still top the ticket in November.