President Biden’s campaign on Friday squelched talk of replacing him as the Democratic presidential nominee amid anguish and alarm within the party after Mr. Biden’s disastrous debate performance.
“No,” a campaign spokesperson told The Washington Times in response to questions about whether Mr. Biden will be replaced on the Democratic ticket.
Calls for Mr. Biden to step aside have amplified in the hours after the CNN debate. Democratic lawmakers and party operatives have begun talking about looking for an alternative nominee.
A CNN flash poll of debate watchers found that 57% of voters said they have “no real confidence” in Mr. Biden’s ability to lead the country after his stumbling performance.
Separately, a campaign advisor says Mr. Biden still intends to participate in the second debate against Mr. Trump, which is scheduled for September.
The president had a raspy, barely audible voice, which the White House blamed on a cold, but also lost his train of thought, struggled to finish sentences and gave meandering answers.
However, the most likely scenario for Democrats to get a new nominee would be for Mr. Biden to decide to withdraw, which he has insisted he won’t do during other bumpy stretches of his campaign.
Mr. Biden has already won 99% of his party’s pledged delegates. Anyone seeking to challenge Mr. Biden for the nomination would have to win over the delegates who were initially pledged to Mr. Biden.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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