Top Democrats close ranks around Biden amid calls for him to drop out of 2024 US race
- US president’s unsteady debate performance fuels growing anxiety over whether he should remain in the race against Donald Trump
Democratic leaders rallied behind US President Joe Biden following his poor debate performance last week, as the White House denied a report he was meeting with family to assess his candidacy.
No major party figures have broken ranks to call for Biden to step down, with prominent Democrats including past presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton voicing full-throated support amid a torrent of doubts from everyday Americans – and even a call from The New York Times editorial board to move aside.
The wave of party backing follows the 81-year-old’s stumbling performance Thursday in the debate against Republican candidate Donald Trump, in which Biden often hesitated, tripped over words and lost his train of thought, highlighting concerns about his age.
“It’s not about performance in terms of a debate, it’s about performance in a presidency,” Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker, told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.
On “one side of the screen, you have integrity, the other side you have dishonesty,” she said, echoing a number of party figures attempting to shift the focus from what they say was Biden’s unfortunate performance to the barrage of lies that came from Donald Trump during the debate.