US President Biden is fighting for his political survival. His opponent Trump, on the other hand, is brimming with strength after surviving the assassination attempt and choosing his candidate – and is exploiting the Democrats’ crisis.
The pressure from US Democrats on President Joe Biden within the party is constantly increasing. At a rapid pace, more and more Democrats in Congress are stepping forward to publicly call on their 81-year-old party colleague to drop out of the presidential race. The tone is also becoming harsher. One congressman publicly admitted that they no longer recognized Biden when they recently met him. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump used his first campaign rally after the assassination attempt on him to lash out at his faltering opponent Biden and mock his crisis.
The rebellion of the Democrats
The background to the revolt is doubts about the president’s mental fitness and his ability to beat Trump in the November election and hold office for another four years. Meanwhile, around three dozen party colleagues from both chambers have openly called on Biden to drop out of the race for a second term.
Behind the scenes, media reports say that the party’s very first ranks are also trying to persuade Biden to withdraw, including the two top Democrats in Congress, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, as well as the former Speaker of the House and still influential Democrat, Nancy Pelosi. Biden’s former boss, former President Barack Obama, is also said to have expressed concerns.
The concerted action from within his own party is remarkable. The fact that non-public statements by the most influential Democrats in the country have been leaked out in parallel in recent days is also unlikely to be a coincidence.
And gradually unpleasant details are also being made public. In his call for withdrawal, Democratic Representative Seth Moulton described an encounter with Biden on the sidelines of the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy: “For the first time, he didn’t seem to recognize me.”
Cover-up?
The Republican leader of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, accused the Democrats of trying to cover up Biden’s true state for a long time. Johnson told CNN that they had constantly told voters how fit and agile the president was. “They all knew that wasn’t true,” he complained. “Everyone who had dealt with him in recent years knew that wasn’t true.”
After being infected with the coronavirus, Biden retreated to his private home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, a few days ago and has not attended any meetings since then. He has so far firmly rejected all calls for his withdrawal and instead announced that he will return to the campaign stage next week. His campaign team has also steadfastly stressed that he has no plans to give up. According to US media, the 81-year-old is secretly no longer categorically ruling out a withdrawal from the presidential race in view of the enormous resistance within his own ranks.
Trump’s gloating
For Trump, the crisis of his competitor and the Democratic Party is a godsend. “They have a few problems. First of all, they have no idea who their candidate is,” the Republican mocked at a campaign event in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The 78-year-old was himself chosen as presidential candidate by his party a few days ago with great pomp and a show of unity.
Trump repeatedly made fun of the Democratic incumbent during his appearance. Biden cannot find his way off the stage on his own. “He has no idea what he is doing.” The Republican denigrated his competitor as a “weak old man” and a “stupid person” who surrounds himself with communists and bad people.
Trump also took an offensive approach to Vice President Kamala Harris, who is considered the most likely replacement candidate in the event of Biden’s withdrawal from the election campaign. “She’s crazy,” Trump raged. He could tell by her laughter. “She’s crazy.”
It was Trump’s first classic election rally since the assassination attempt on him. A week earlier, a gunman had opened fire and shot Trump at a similar campaign rally in the town of Butler in the state of Pennsylvania. The perpetrator, who fired from a flat roof outside the venue, was killed by security forces. One visitor to the rally died and two others were wounded. Trump was injured in the right ear. The incident was an escalation in the already heated US election campaign and raised serious questions about whether Trump was adequately protected.
Secret Service under pressure after assassination attempt
Trump’s event in Grand Rapids was not held outside, but in an arena. The Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting high-ranking politicians in the USA, has since admitted that in the past it has not always complied with requests for additional resources for Trump’s protection. The agency’s spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi, initially rejected such allegations immediately after the assassination attempt.
Now, when asked, he explained: “In some cases where certain Secret Service special units or resources were not made available, the agency has made changes to ensure the safety of the person being protected.” This includes, for example, other agencies taking on special tasks. The head of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, is due to testify in Congress on Monday and Tuesday about the assassination attempt on Trump.
In Grand Rapids, the Republican also appeared for the first time at a campaign rally together with his new vice presidential candidate JD Vance. “I made the right choice,” Trump said of his new partner. “He’s so good.”
His campaign team also released details of Trump’s gunshot wound. In the assassination attempt, the bullet missed the ex-president’s head by less than a centimeter, said Trump’s doctor Ronny Jackson. The shot hit the upper part of Trump’s right ear and caused a wound about two centimeters wide. It is healing well. Jackson emphasized: “It is an absolute miracle that he was not killed.”
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
