Biden wavers between acquiescence and defiance amid calls for change after debate loss
Kyiv • UNN
Biden is wavering between accepting the potential consequences of his poor debate performance and rejecting any thought of dropping out of the 2024 presidential race amid calls for changes in his campaign from family members.
In recent conversations with aides, family members, and allies outside the White House, US President Joe Biden has been wavering between acceptance and defiance in the face of a dramatic shift in his political standing within his own party, following a poor debate performance. His family insists on changes in the campaign. NBC cited four sources, UNN reported.
Details
In some conversations, Biden acknowledged that the consequences of his performance at last week's debate may be too serious to overcome, while in others he completely rejected any idea that he might withdraw from his re-election campaign.
As noted, some members of the president's family - in particular, First Lady Jill Biden and their son Hunter Biden - are calling on him to make changes in the state and are increasingly voicing their opinions on his campaign strategy in an effort to revitalize it.
Biden's family members are pushing for changes in the campaign in the wake of his debate debacle. They discussed whether he should fire senior White House adviser Anita Dunn, and possibly even her husband, Bob Bauer, who is Biden's personal lawyer.
Dunn and Bauer were early supporters of Biden's 2020 campaign after they backed his 2016 candidacy, which he ultimately dropped. They were among a number of Biden aides who spent several days preparing him for last week's debate, with Dunn serving as moderator and Bauer taking on former President Donald Trump in a mock debate.
However, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients denies that the issue of removing Dunn or Bauer was discussed.
One of the aides said that Biden told his advisers that he did not blame the team that prepared him for the debate for his performance.
As noted, Biden's family members reject any suggestion that he drop out of the race. Biden is also not inclined to drop out of the race, which he has emphasized in public speeches.
As Reuters reported, US President Joe Biden vowed to stay in the 2024 presidential race during conversations with campaign staff and meetings with Democratic lawmakers and governors on Wednesday, as he sought to shake off calls for him to drop out after a shaky performance in last week's debate.
