Joe Biden’s family has blamed the president’s campaign team for his disastrous debate performance, questioning whether top advisers should be fired while insisting he should remain in the White House race, according to reports.
First Lady Jill Biden, son Hunter Biden and the president’s grandchildren convened at Camp David on Sunday to rally behind the president amid calls for him to wind down his re-election campaign.
It marks the first time that the entire family has gathered together since the Biden and Donald Trump’s first televised debate of the 2024 election on Thursday evening, which saw the 81-year-old stumbling over his words, losing his train of thought and, at points, freezing altogether. Democrats immediately went into panic mode, with party members left divided on whether Biden was the right person to run for office.
Following his lacklustre performance, in an exercise of damage limitation, his family were said to have shifted blame onto his campaign team, with questions being raised about whether some of his senior staff should be ousted, an advisor told CNN. Currently, it does not appear that the president – who is known for being loyal to his aides – has made any major staffing changes.
During the family discussions, Hunter Biden, who was convicted on federal gun charges in early June, was unwavering in his support for his father’s bid for the White House and maintained that he is shrewd and in command of facts, a source informed with Sunday’s discussions told The New York Times.
Jill Biden was also said to voice support for her husband, dispelling the notion that Thursday’s debate was a nail-in-coffin moment for his re-election bid. The Bidens expressed confidence in his ability to serve as president for a second consecutive term.
“The entire family is united,” one source said about the discussion. “You get up and keep fighting,” they added.
Disdain towards Biden’s senior advisers has radiated wider than just within his family. Top Democratic donor, John Morgan, publicly called out and demanded the resignation of three senior staff: Ron Klain, Anita Dunn and Bob Bauer.
“[Biden’s] advisers failed him,” he wrote on X on Sunday. “Format was a disaster for him and a plus for Trump. He over practiced and was drained… who wouldn’t be.”
Meanwhile, Biden’s campaign team has been quick to downplay Sunday’s visit to Camp David, pointing out that it was planned in advance to Thursday’s debate and denying that it was something of a last-ditch crisis meeting. The family had planned to participate in a photo shoot with celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz.
Biden’s age and mental fitness had already been a top concern, with Thursday’s debate meant to be the president’s shot to silence dissenters. But just hours after Biden left the CNN debate stage in Atalanta, Georgia, a slew of critics – including those within his own party – questioned whether the president should step aside from the race.
Former Democratic senator Claire McCaskill questioned whether “things can be done to fix this,” after being bested by a more coherent Trump, she told MSNBC.
A snap poll conducted by CBS and YouGov after the debate also showed that less than 30 per cent thought Mr Biden should be in the 2024 presidential race. Eighty-six per cent of respondents cited Biden’s age while 59 per cent said they had concerns about his ability to campaign when asked why they thought the president should not be running for another term.
