Washington [US], July 11: US President Joe Biden is resisting pressure to withdraw from the race but there are growing concerns about his chances of winning.
Democrats' concerns
It's been two weeks since President Biden 's disastrous debate with his rival, former President Donald Trump , but the buzz around his campaign has yet to subside. According to CNN, Biden temporarily overcame the storm on July 9 when Democratic lawmakers in both houses returned to Washington DC after their break and held serious closed-door meetings about the prospects of the party's nominee.
After the House meeting, many lawmakers declined to publicly say whether they would support Biden's reelection, a sign of division on the issue. However, seven House Democrats have now publicly called on Biden to end his reelection campaign, the latest being Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey.
On the Senate side, no one has called for Biden to be replaced as the party's nominee, but there are concerns that the leader will not be able to defeat Trump. Senator Michael Bennet was the first to go public, saying that Trump was on track to win big and give Republicans control of both houses. CNN reported that at least two other senators also predicted that Biden would not win. However, President Biden still argues that he is best positioned to defeat Mr. Trump. During a press conference on July 9, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre affirmed that President Biden would serve the rest of his second term, that is, until early 2029, if he is re-elected.
Mr. Trump challenges
On the evening of July 9, Mr. Trump gave a speech to supporters in Doral City, Florida, where he spent most of his time fiercely attacking his election opponent, contrary to his restraint in recent days, which observers said was intended to let Mr. Biden's crisis become the focus of the media.
In his speech, the Republican candidate accused the Democrats of lying to the public about Mr. Biden's health problems, according to AFP. The former president said that the United States was on the brink of disaster and the world was racing against time to avoid a nuclear disaster. Mr. Trump also challenged his opponent to another debate this week to "make things right" and challenged Mr. Biden to a golf match. "It will be one of the most watched sporting events in history," Mr. Trump declared.
In response, Mr Biden's campaign representative declared that the president "has no time for bizarre antics because he is busy leading America and protecting the free world".
Trump is expected to be elected the Republican Party's nominee at the party's convention in Wisconsin from July 15 to 18. Former candidate Nikki Haley announced on July 9 that she would release all the votes from the electors she won in the primaries and call on them to support Trump at the upcoming convention. According to Reuters, Trump has said he will announce his running mate before or during the convention. The most potential names include Senator Marco Rubio, Senator JDVance and Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper