Joe Biden to discuss ‘future of his re-election campaign’ with family members after disastrous debate performance

Still reeling from his debate performance, and besieged by calls for him to stand aside, Joe Biden is reportedly speaking to his family.

American President Joe Biden is reportedly set to discuss “the future of his re-election campaign” with family members on Sunday, US time, further fuelling speculation that he could drop out of the race after his widely panned performance in Thursday night’s first debate against Donald Trump.

Mr Biden, 81, fed already mounting concerns about his age and mental acuity in a halting display against Mr Trump, during which he struggled to put forward a coherent case for his election to a second term.

He was already scheduled to spend Sunday with his wife, Dr Jill Biden, children and grandchildren at the presidential retreat Camp David. That day away from the White House now assumes far more significance.

While elected members of Mr Biden’s Democratic Party have universally voiced support for him in public (if not necessarily in private) since the debate, his poor showing prompted a deluge of calls from party luminaries and media figures for him to stand aside.

Significantly, an editorial from the influential New York Times argued that “to serve his country, President Biden should leave the race”.

President Biden had a nightmarish night on the debate stage. Picture: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP

It came with Mr Trump already leading consistently in the polls. Picture: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP

NBC News has now published an extensive report on the Democrats’ internal tensions, with senior figures privately doubting Mr Biden’s ability to beat Mr Trump – but also believing the best course is to give the President and his family space to discuss the matter themselves.

“Despite delivering a rousing speech at a rally in North Carolina on Friday that calmed some of his allies, Biden was described by one person familiar with his mood as humiliated, devoid of confidence and painfully aware that the physical images of him at the debate will live beyond his presidency,” reports NBC.

“The only person who has ultimate influence with him is the First Lady,” one unidentified source described as “familiar with the dynamics” said.

“If she decides there should be a change of course, there will be a change of course.”

Publicly, the Biden campaign denies that any formal discussions are taking place at Camp David, and says the President has not discussed dropping out with his staff.

“We had a bad debate,” Anita Dunn, a top adviser, told MSNBC on Sunday.

“The President, above all, is focused on what do we do next? What do I need to go do?”

At a rally on Friday – the one that reassured some Democrats – Mr Biden stressed that he “would not be running again” if he “didn’t believe” he could do the job.

Joe and Jill Biden after the debate on Thursday night. Picture: Mandel Ngan/AFP

Biden ‘a shadow’ of his former self

The New York Times’ editorial board led the post-debate arguments for Mr Biden to stand aside as the Democratic presidential nominee the day after the debate.

“The president appeared on Thursday night as the shadow of a great public servant,” it wrote in its Friday editorial.

“He struggled to explain what he would accomplish in a second term. He struggled to respond to Mr Trump’s provocations.

“He struggled to hold Mr Trump accountable for his lies, his failures and his chilling plans. More than once, he struggled to make it to the end of a sentence.

“The greatest public service Mr Biden can now perform is to announce that he will not continue to run for re-election.

“As it stands, the president is engaged in a reckless gamble. There are Democratic leaders better equipped to present clear, compelling and energetic alternatives to a second Trump presidency. There is no reason for the party to risk the stability and security of the country by forcing voters to choose between Mr Trump’s deficiencies and those of Mr Biden.

“It’s too big a bet to simply hope Americans will overlook or discount Mr Biden’s age and infirmity that they see with their own eyes.”

The editorial conceded that, if Mr Biden and Mr Trump both remained as their party’s candidates, the paper would still “unequivocally” prefer Mr Biden to be president.

The President and First Lady. Picture: Mandel Ngan/AFP

One rather significant problem for the Democrats: the time to force Mr Biden aside against his will is long past. He has already run in, and won, the party’s primary contests, having been all but unopposed, and is set to be confirmed as its presidential nominee at the national convention in mid-August.

The delegates he won in those primaries are overwhelmingly pledged to him, and therefore bound to select him as the candidate unless he himself releases them.

Even if Mr Biden were to stand down voluntarily, there is no obvious replacement among other elected Democrats. Vice President Kamala Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer would all be contenders – but one of them would have to claim the nomination in a potentially chaotic vote at the convention.

Some officials are floating the radical idea of allowing Mr Biden to claim the nomination before he announces his withdrawal, in which case the Democratic National Committee would choose his successor.

The one principle fact remains, however: if Mr Biden decides to stay in the race, that’s that.

Originally published as Joe Biden to discuss ‘future of his re-election campaign’ with family members after disastrous debate performance