The noose is tightening around US President Joe Biden, whose days as a candidate in next November’s election appear increasingly numbered, even if he is still hanging in the balance a week after a disastrous debate.
Yesterday, The New York Times It reported that President Biden had told an “ally” that he was considering dropping out of the race, igniting the rumor mill. Soon after, members of his team insisted that he was in the race to stay there, denying the newspaper’s assertions.
These are signs that the ship is collapsing. […] “The panic has not been contained on the plane,” says political scientist and Raoul Dandurand Chair researcher Raphael Jacob, of the leaks sprouting up in the Biden clan.
But one thing is certain, the president has “only a few days” to fill in the gaps and make people forget his frustrations in last week’s debate, where he appeared flustered on several occasions.
Unlikely
Moreover, a meeting was held last night at the White House with about two dozen Democratic governors, while prominent figures in the party, such as Nancy Pelosi, have begun to publicly question his future in recent days.
Recent polls also tend to show that he is no longer the right man for the job among the population.
If nothing is impossible in politics, Raphael Jacob believes it is increasingly unlikely that Joe Biden will be able to beat Donald Trump in November.
According to him, Joe Biden and his team have only a few days to change course and secure his place on the ballot. He must also act quickly if he wants to give up his place.
But if the leaks continue in the president's circle, they will “consume his entire campaign” and set more and more tongues wagging among elected officials in his party.
“The Democratic Party is stuck with a short list of bad options,” Mr. Jacob says.
Kamala Harris's Choice
The founder of the US Observatory, Charles Philip David, reluctantly believes that the best-case scenario is that Joe Biden will immediately resign, not just as a candidate, but as president, to make way for his running mate and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“This is what he should do. […]But voluntary departure has never happened in the history of the United States.”
For Mr. David, this is the only way to unleash Mr.I Harris, who could thus preserve the funding and votes gained during the primaries, as well as avoid a Democratic convention that could fall into “total chaos.”