Joe Biden fares better in post-debate interview, but is it too late?

Washington, July 6 (IANS) In a widely-anticipated interview, the first since his poor debate performance last week, US President Joe Biden sounded confident and defiant, and spoke cogently and clearly.

But was it enough to stop the train that had already passed the station as calls for him to step aside intensified?

“I don’t think anybody’s more qualified to be the President or win this race than me,” Biden told George Stephanopoulos, the ABC anchor who conducted the interview in which the presumptive Democratic nominee was expected by allies and supporters to undo the damage he did to his candidacy with his disastrous performance in the June 27 debate with his Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump.

“It depends — if the Lord Almighty comes down and tells me that, I might do that,” Biden said when pressed by the interviewer on who or what could convince him to make way for someone else, as being demanded by fellow Democrats.

Calls for Biden’s exit started after the debate and have intensified over the last few days, with few party officials going public with their frustration.

There is a growing fear among Democratic lawmakers that Biden’s weakened candidacy could have an adverse impact on those running for the House of Representatives, the Senate, state governorships, and state legislatures.

Senator Mark Warner is reportedly organising a group discussion with fellow Senate Democrats to discuss the future of Biden’s candidacy. They are meeting on Monday night, according to reports.

Warner is a senior member of the caucus. He is the chair of the powerful Senate Intelligence Committee, which has oversight of the country’s intelligence agencies such as the DNI, CIA, and the NSA.

Additionally, he represents a crucial state, Virginia, which is one of the swing states that determine the outcome of presidential elections.

“Mark is a good man,” Biden said when asked about Warner’s move, adding, “Mark and I have a different perspective.”

Biden cannot be pushed out of the race, according to the rules of the Democratic party. He won the primaries and has the requisite number of delegates to win the nomination, a procedural formality usually, at the party’s convention in August.

Only he can take himself out of the contest to make way for someone more acceptable to the growing ranks of his detractors.

Defiance will not win Biden a second term. To win, he needs to unify the Democratic party and convince voters that the race is not a referendum on him and his administration, but a choice between him and a man who is a “danger to democracy”.

And he seems to be failing on both counts.

The Democratic party has not been as divided as it is now in recent times, and his debacle in the June 27 debate overshadowed Trump’s obvious shortcomings.

Biden’s popularity has slipped further than before, even in his own party.

A poll by The Wall Street Journal showed his support in the Democratic party is down to 86 per cent from 93 per cent in February; Trump has the support of 83 per cent of the Republicans.

The former President has also expanded his lead over the incumbent from 2 percentage points to 6 percentage points.

–IANS

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