US election: Time to go? – Biden under pressure after TV debacle

Just four months before the US presidential election, calls for the Democrat to withdraw from the race are growing following Joe Biden’s disastrous performance in the TV debate against Donald Trump.

“Mr. Biden is no longer the man he was four years ago,” writes the New York Times in a drastic opinion piece about the 81-year-old US president. “There are leading Democrats who are better able to present clear, convincing and forceful alternatives to a second Trump presidency.” The US broadcaster CNN says: “Dear Joe, it’s time to go.”

The Washington Post puts it less brutally, but is also clear: “Mr. Biden cannot be forced to do something he does not want to do. Nor should he,” it says. “What he can do is what many Americans are doing this weekend – wondering if he is up to the task.” It is noteworthy that major liberal media outlets are advising the president to throw in the towel. Other media outlets are striking a similar tone in their opinion pieces, with the conservative Wall Street Journal writing: “The debate has shown that the president is clearly not capable of remaining in office for four more years.”

Quo vadis, Democrats?

But the decision about Biden’s withdrawal will not be made by the US media, but by the 81-year-old and his team. Biden was combative after the debate and assured that he was up to the task. In fact, the coming days are likely to be decisive. Polls will then show whether Biden’s weak performance is reflected in voters. The front row of Democrats is still united behind the incumbent – Biden is receiving support from his predecessors Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. But there is likely to be a lot of unrest in the party.

So far, polls suggest that it will be a neck-and-neck race between Republican Trump and Biden in November. If Biden does decide to leave the field, a Democratic victory in the presidential election is by no means certain. The party would first have to unite behind an alternative candidate before the party convention in Chicago in August. The presidential candidate will be officially chosen at the convention. Theoretically, it is possible that the party could change course at short notice and take Biden out of the race. But who could replace him?

The possible candidates

Kamala Harris: The 59-year-old vice president would actually be the natural successor. But Harris is unpopular in the USA. During her time as vice president, she remained noticeably pale – even paler than vice presidents already are. But unlike other possible alternatives to Biden, she is well known on the national stage. It would be an affront to the party to ignore her as a successor. If Biden really does give up, it would be important for the party to present a united front and not publicly fall apart over the candidate question.Gavin Newsom: The 56-year-old governor of the liberal US state of California has had his eye on the White House for some time. During the election campaign, for example, he had a TV duel with Republican Ron DeSantis when DeSantis was still in the running for his party’s presidential nomination. The eloquent and well-connected Newsom, once mayor of San Francisco, openly backed Biden after the debate debacle. His name is currently the first to come up when asked about an alternative to the 81-year-old – alongside Harris.Gretchen Whitmer: The 52-year-old is governor of the state of Michigan. In recent years she has tried to make herself known on the national stage. The lawyer has a long career in politics and is part of the leadership circle of the Democratic Party. In the 2020 presidential election, she was on Biden’s shortlist as a candidate for the vice presidency. Because of her relatively strict corona policy, she has become the enemy of many Republicans. The fact that several men were arrested in 2020 who had planned her kidnapping also made headlines.Michelle Obama: There are repeated calls for the former First Lady to enter the race for the White House. The popular wife of former President Barack Obama has always rejected this and asserted that she has no interest in it. Nevertheless, for many in the Democratic Party, the 60-year-old is a kind of shining light who could turn things around. After the disastrous debate, the Obamas’ phone must have rung again. It is considered very unlikely that she would suddenly enter the race.

There are other names circulating – such as that of the Governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro. The name of the Governor of Maryland, Wes Moore, also comes up again and again. However, these Democrats are even less well-known nationally than Whitmer or Newsom. And at least currently, there are no signs that Biden is dropping out of the race. His wife Jill is the most likely person to convince him of this. But she said clearly after the debate: “There is no one I would rather have sitting in the Oval Office right now than my husband.”