President Biden plans a blitz of meetings and public appearances to quell concerns about his mental acuity after last week’s abysmal debate performance.
The White House announced Mr. Biden will meet with Democratic governors on Wednesday, just days after they held a meeting to discuss his political future. The meeting will likely be virtual.
Worries about Mr. Biden’s ability to serve — and the potential ramifications for other Democrats on the ballot with him this November — were aired in a call Monday organized by Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz.
Governors on the call vented frustrations that none of them had heard from the president himself.
Mr. Biden will also meet with Democrats on the Hill, the White House said, after it was revealed that Mr. Biden had yet to personally reach out to Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both New York Democrats.
“The president is going to take some time and talk to those members and Democratic governors tomorrow,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Asked why it’s taken so long for Mr. Biden to reach out to the Hill leadership and governors, Ms. Jean-Pierre insisted senior staff and members of the campaign are “regularly” speaking with lawmakers.
Mr. Biden has also stepped up personal appearances as part of his bid to save a campaign that has been in crisis mode since last week’s debate.
The president scrapped plans to spend the Fourth of July weekend at home in Wilmington, Delaware. Instead, he will travel to Wisconsin on Friday and Philadelphia on Sunday, as he tries to reassure supporters in two critical swing states.
The president will also sit down for his first television interview since the debate, speaking with “Good Morning America” anchor George Stephanopoulos for the Friday edition of “World News Tonight with David Muir.” Additional portions of the interview will air Saturday and Sunday.
The president will also hold a solo press conference during the NATO summit in Washington next week, according to Ms. Jean-Pierre.
Mr. Biden’s last solo press conference was in the fall of 2022.
The appearances come as formerly private concerns about Mr. Biden’s age, mental acuity and physical fitness have spilled into the public domain after the president struggled to provide coherent answers to questions during the debate.
The fallout from the debate rolled over to this week. On Tuesday, Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas became the first House Democrat to publicly call on Mr. Biden to step down from the Democratic ticket.
A CNN poll released Tuesday found that 75% of registered voters said Democrats have a better chance of beating former President Trump in November with someone else as their candidate.
At Tuesday’s White House press briefing, Ms. Jean-Pierre was on the defensive against an onslaught of questions from reporters.
Asked if Mr. Biden has Alzheimer’s, any form of dementia or a degenerative illness, a visibly annoyed Ms. Jean-Pierre said, “No.
“And I hope you’re asking the other guy the same exact question,” she said.
While she acknowledged that Mr. Biden “did not have a great night,” she insisted he was dealing with a cold and a hoarse voice.
“He knows right from wrong. He knows how to tell the truth. And again, he knows how to deliver for the American people,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said.
But reporters called on her to release the president’s full medical records with one reporter asking if Mr. Biden got a neurological scan after the debate.
“We have been transparent. We have released thorough reports from his medical team since we’ve been in office,” she said.
When a reporter noted that the White House hasn’t provided any medical updates on the president since February, Ms. Jean-Pierre shot back that “February was this year.”
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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