“We are doomed.” Panic grows over Joe Biden’s Democratic nominationThe fear is that the situation could descend into unprecedented chaos as Congress reopens. To try to unify ranks and decide on a strategy, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has called an emergency meeting of party leaders, many of whom hope the president will decide to retire by next Friday.
Although only five lawmakers have publicly called for the president to drop out of the race for the White House, the risk is that the number will grow as the days go by. The New York Times reported that it had spoken to about 50 members of Congress who are calling for Biden to step down, while the Washington Post, citing an adviser to some major financiers, reported that “for every 10 people who want him out, there is one who wants him to stay.”
“Our mission is to take back the White House. We really need to have a family discussion,” said one Democrat invited to the virtual meeting. “We’re done” with Biden, another admitted, indicating concern about losing not only the White House but also Congress. In the Senate, which Biden has called home for his years there, powerful Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner is trying to rally a group of senators to call on the leader to retire. “I don’t know anything,” Senator Chris Murphy told CNN on the subject. “The president has to do more. This week is going to be the week.” California Congressman Adam Schiff was also cautious about Biden’s chances, convinced that Vice President Kamala Harris could win a landslide against Trump.
“We’re voting for Harris anyway, even if Biden stays in the race, because she clearly won’t be able to serve another four years. So why can’t we vote for her outright and give her a chance to establish herself?” asked former Obama adviser and CNN commentator Van Jones. Instead, Sen. Bernie Sanders defended the president, advising him to change strategy and focus on policies, not age.
For Republican Lindsey Graham, a key Trump ally, Biden will eventually be replaced. Much attention is focused on the next moves of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the only one with the political standing to have a frank discussion with the president about his potential exit. Many are also looking to Jill Biden, the first lady and senior adviser to the president, as a top pick. Russia is watching from afar, mocking the developments and, with Foreign Minister Lavrov, calling them a “sad spectacle.”
As the party debates its future, Biden is in Pennsylvania, a key state heading into November. Biden won it in 2020, but polls now show him trailing Trump by 4.5 percentage points. In Philadelphia, he stopped at an African-American church: The president quoted Bible verses, joked about his age—“I look like I’m 40”—and urged us to “stay united.” The welcome he received was warm, with attendees shouting “four more years.” The next stop was Harrisburg, then back to Washington, where Biden faces a crucial week between the NATO summit and the pressure to withdraw: time is running out to back down.
ANSA Agency Biden says directly: “I will not surrender unless God asks me to” – News – Ansa.it Democrats angry, another MP calls for withdrawal (ANSA) The interview the US president gave to ABC did not have the hoped-for effect in reassuring Democrats, many of whom believe Biden should leave.
Jill Biden’s ex-husband: ‘He should take a cognitive test’
Bill Stevenson, Jill Biden’s ex-husband, said he was “concerned” that Joe Biden should take a “cognitive test” because he “seems to be having issues.” In an interview with the New York Post, Stevenson — who was married to the first lady from 1970 to 1975 — said he hoped Biden “stays in the race and Donald Trump beats him. That would be better for the country. My life was better, the economy was better, everything was better with Trump.”
Trump closes in on his VP, with J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio in the lead
Donald Trump is pushing to pick his running mate, aiming to announce it perhaps within days, but certainly by July 15, when the Republican Party convention opens.
Attention is focused on two names: on the one hand, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, and on the other hand, Marco Rubio, even if – as the Washington Post reports – North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum has not yet definitively dropped out of the race.
By choosing his second-in-command, Trump is partly deciding on the new leadership of the Republican Party, the leadership that will pick up his legacy and carry it forward. In fact, the vice president is likely to lead the presidential ticket in 2028. That’s why age is a key requirement in the selection: Trump needs a “young person” who will support him and then fly in the next election. Rubio and J.D. Vance, 53 and 39, have that important requirement. So do other names being floated for vice president, including Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, 40, and Senator Tim Scott, 58.
Despite overcoming his dislike of “Little Marco,” as Rubio called him during the 2016 campaign, Trump still appears to be leaning toward Vance. The Ohio senator is reportedly in the running for the top spot. Author of the best-selling book “Hillibilly Eleby,” Vance is on his side because of his youth, his status as a champion of the working class — the voters who form the core of the MAGA movement — and his foreign policy positions that make him against “forever wars,” wars with no end in sight, such as Afghanistan.
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