Summary
That’s all for live coverage today, thanks for following along on this busy news day. Some links and key events from the day:
The White House insisted Joe Biden is staying in the race despite mounting calls for him to resign.
If Biden were to withdraw, vice-president Kamala Harris has emerged as the frontrunner to replace him.
After meeting with Joe Biden at the White House, a group of Democratic governors expressed support for the president.
Reed Hastings, the co-founder of Netflix and a Democratic party mega-donor, called for Biden to take himself out of the race.
Two House Democrats publicly called for Biden to withdraw from the race, and a third said he had “grave concerns” about his ability to defeat Donald Trump.
A new poll from the New York Times/Siena College showed that 49% of voters would vote for Trump, compared with 43% of voters who said they would vote for Biden.
A different poll said former first lady Michelle Obama is the only Democrat who could beat Trump, but she has previously said she would not be running.
ABC announced it would be airing its full interview with Joe Biden on Friday night.
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ABC to air full Joe Biden interview on Friday
ABC has announced that it will be airing its highly anticipated interview with Joe Biden in its entirety on Friday as a primetime special at 8pm ET and will also be making a transcript available:
BIG change to ABC's Biden interview rollout plan: It "will air in its entirety as a primetime special, Friday, July 5, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on ABC." Additionally, "a transcript of the unedited interview will be made available the same day."
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) July 4, 2024
The network previously said it would air the George Stephanopoulos interview in parts, with excerpts on Friday, Sunday and Monday, a plan that had drawn criticisms.
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Newsom on Biden: 'He's all in – and so am I'
Gavin Newsom, the California governor, another high-profile Democrat known for his presidential ambitions, has also issued a short message of support for Biden after meeting with him at the White House:
I heard three words from the President tonight -- he’s all in. And so am I.@JoeBiden’s had our back. Now it’s time to have his.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 4, 2024
His comment that the president and governors have each other’s backs echoes the comments of support from other governors who spoke briefly to reporters after their meeting.
Newsom has been a top surrogate for Biden’s re-election campaign, but has also garnered increasing buzz as a potential replacement if the president were to withdraw. He was swarmed by reporters after the debate ended last week, some asking him if he’d replace Biden.
For further reading, check out our recent coverage about Newsom’s rising profile post-debate:
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Whitmer gives backing to Biden: 'He's in it to win it and I support him'
The Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer has also thrown her support behind Biden in a post after the governors’ meeting with the president:
.@JoeBiden is our nominee. He is in it to win it and I support him.
— Gretchen Whitmer (@gretchenwhitmer) July 4, 2024
The governors of Minnesota, Maryland and New York spoke to reporters after the meeting and suggested they had relayed their concerns to Biden but were continuing to throw their weight behind his campaign.
Whitmer is one of several Democratic governors who have been cited as possible replacements if Biden were to withdraw his candidacy, though vice-president Kamala Harris has emerged as the frontrunner in recent days. Biden and White House officials, however, have forcefully denied reports that he’s considering stepping down.
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Democratic governors express support for Joe Biden
Some Democratic governors leaving their meeting with the president offered words of support for him and said they had “honest” conversation about their concerns.
Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor, said:
We, like many Americans, are worried because the threat of a Trump presidency is not theoretical for governors … We are all looking for the path to win … He has had our backs through Covid, through all of the recovery … The governors have his back … A path to victory in November is the number one priority.
Wes Moore, governor of Maryland, said:
We were honest about the feedback we’re getting … and the concerns we’re hearing from people … We said we would stand with him … we’re going to have his back … the results we’ve been able to see under this administration have been undeniable … We’re hopeful for the future … We know as we’re standing right here that we’re behind. But we also know that path to be able to make sure we can pull ahead in November is real.
Kathy Hochul, governor of New York, said:
President Joe Biden is in it to win it, and all of us said we pledged our support to him because the stakes could not be higher … We feel very confident in his abilities.
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'President Biden is in it to win it': Democratic governors voice support
Democratic governors are just leaving the meeting with Joe Biden. We appear to have our first reactions:
Clear show of support from Dem governors outside WH:
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) July 3, 2024
“The president has always had our backs, we’re going to have his back as well,” MD Gov @iamwesmoore just now.
“President Biden is in it to win it. We pledge our support to him,” NY @GovKathyHochul
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Seth Moulton, a Democratic representative from Massachusetts, is among the latest to question Joe Biden’s ability to win in November.
“The unfortunate reality is that the status quo will likely deliver us President Trump,” he said in a statement. “President Biden is not going to get younger.”
Moulton, who ran a long shot campaign for the presidency in 2020, stopped short of explicitly calling on Biden to step down. Instead, he said, “we should have all viable options on the table”.
My thoughts on where things stand with President Biden and the state of the race: pic.twitter.com/z4lEP4GeoF
— Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) July 3, 2024
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Anthony Fauci, the former White House chief medical adviser, said he believed Biden had the “vigor and mental capability” to continue in office, in a new podcast interview.
“In my interactions with him, I have no doubt,” Fauci said of Biden on the CBS News podcast The Takeout .“And I can only speak in my own interactions with him,” Fauci added in the interview released Wednesday.
He added that it would be “unfair and inappropriate” to diagnose someone “from just a 90-minute clip”, noting that a cold, or antihistamines that he may have taken could have made Biden groggy or affected his voice and demeanor on stage.
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Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are currently meeting with 25 Democratic governors of US states and territories, according to the White House.
Many have joined virtually, and some have joined in person. The only Democratic state governor not participating today is Tony Evers of Wisconsin, who has said he supports the president’s candidacy. “I don’t care how he performs on that stage. To me, it doesn’t matter. He’s a great leader. Just think about what he’s done for Wisconsin,” Evers said after the debate.
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The Netflix co-founder, Reed Hastings, a Democratic Party megadonor, has called for Biden to step down, the New York Times reports:
Mr. Hastings became one of the first to say publicly what many Democratic megadonors are saying privately. ‘Biden needs to step aside to allow a vigorous Democratic leader to beat Trump and keep us safe and prosperous,’ he said in an email with The Times.
Mr. Biden and White House officials have said he has no plans to step aside. But Mr. Hastings’s public statements represent another crack in the armor in the president’s foundation of support.
The White House has denied reports that donors and allies within the Democratic party are urging him to drop out of the presidential race.
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As Joe Biden fights for his political future, voters remain concerned that Donald Trump would not concede the election if he loses.
In a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, 71% of Americans said they doubted the former president would concede. A 78% majority said that Biden would accept the results if he lost the election.
During the debate last week, Trump would not explicitly commit to accepting the results if he lost. He said he would concede “if it’s a fair and legal and good election” and repeated false and unfounded claims about election fraud, as he has done since losing the 2020 election.
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Joe Biden won the Democratic primaries earlier this year, but would not officially become the party’s candidate for president until endorsed at the 2024 Democratic national convention in Chicago, which takes place from 19-22 August.
Martin Belam and Chris Michael report:
There is no formal mechanism to replace him as the presumptive nominee, and such a move would be the first time a US political party has attempted to do so in modern times.
In effect, Biden would have to agree to step aside and allow the delegates he won in the primaries – who vote to nominate a candidate at the Chicago convention – to choose someone else.
There is no legal requirement for delegates to vote for the person who won in the primaries, but they are asked to vote in a way that “in all good conscience reflects the sentiments of those who elected them”.
Were Biden to step aside, he may try to name someone – most likely his vice-president, Kamala Harris – as his preferred candidate, which would carry some weight with delegates but would not be binding.
The most drastic course of action open to Biden – resigning the presidency – would make Harris president. But that would not automatically make her the Democratic nominee for 2024.
If a candidate were to be chosen at the Chicago convention that would make what is conventionally a highly choreographed event, where a party presents its nominee to the public over several days, into a much more volatile open, or contested, convention – a rarity in modern US politics. About 700 party insiders, who may not be united, would have the choice of picking a new candidate. They would then have only three months to unite behind and campaign for them before the November election.
There is no clear frontrunner, but here are some possible options:
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Joe Biden is meeting with nearly all Democratic governors this evening
Amid growing calls for him to step away from his campaign, the US president will be meeting with nearly all of the nation’s Democratic governors.
Some, including California’s Gavin Newsom, Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer and Kentucky’s Andy Beshear – each of whom have been discussed as possible replacements if Biden steps down – will be there in person. Others will be joining virtually.
The meeting will be closed to press. Several governors have publicly said that they are attending in order to show support for Biden, and would not consider the presidential nomination should Biden decide to step down. “Joe Biden is not going to take himself out of this race, nor should he,” said Maryland governor Wes Moore to CBS.
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Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan widely spoken of as a possible Democratic candidate for president should Joe Biden cede to growing pressure and leave the race, wants to meet members of a far-right militia who plotted to kidnap and kill her.
“I asked whether I could meet with one of the handful of plotters who’d pleaded guilty and taken responsibility for their actions, just to talk,” Whitmer writes in a new book, of the plot motivated by resistance to Covid-19 public health measures and revealed with 13 arrests in late 2020.
The attorney general of Michigan, Dana Nessel, said it might be possible to talk to the plotters, Whitmer writes, though it has not happened, due to “all the various trials and appeals.
“But I do look forward to being able to sit and talk, face-to-face. To ask the questions and really hear the answers. And hopefully to take some small step toward understanding.”
As described by Nessel’s office, the affair of the “Wolverine Watchmen” resulted in “20 state felonies against eight individuals alleged to have engaged in the planning and training for an operation to attack the state Capitol and kidnap government officials”. Five men were convicted.
Federal charges were filed against six more men, four of whom were convicted. Two pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges and cooperated with prosecutors.
Whitmer describes the plot, and how she coped with it and other threats from the armed pro-Trump far right, in True Gretch: What I’ve Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between. The book will be published in the US next week. The Guardian obtained a copy.
Given Whitmer’s presence in the ranks of proposed replacements for Biden after the president’s disastrous debate against Donald Trump escalated Democratic panic last week, the governor’s book will be eagerly read.
Whitmer has said she does not want to replace Biden, but that has not stopped speculation. On Wednesday, she was due to be among Democratic governors meeting Biden at the White House.
Read the full story here:
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Analysis: White House efforts to shield Biden’s missteps are unraveling
For three and a half years, Joe Biden was wrapped in a metaphorical ball of cotton wool by an anxious White House staff eager to protect him from the worst of himself.
Worried about signs of ageing and an increasing propensity for verbal missteps, they cut press conferences and media interviews to a minimum.
Meetings with members of Congress, frequent enough in his first year – despite it coinciding with part of the Covid-19 pandemic – were whittled down by two-thirds by year three.
Public appearances were tightly rationed and controlled, with the president speaking predominantly from an autocue.
Unscripted exchanges with journalists were deemed too hazardous, resulting in 81-year-old Biden staging fewer presidential news conferences than any US chief executive since Ronald Reagan. Even the traditional pre-Super Bowl television interview – a chance to reach the biggest audience ever likely to tune for a political broadcast – was given a wide berth for the past two years.
Now the approach has unravelled spectacularly, seemingly exposed as a desperate damage limitation exercise by last week’s floundering performance in a televised debate with Donald Trump that has left Biden’s presidential candidacy in dire jeopardy.
Democrats considering replacing him on the ticket accuse his handlers of putting up a wall of denial to counteract a years-long low murmur of talk about his age-related decline, only for the truth to burst into the open in a manner that greatly increases the chances of a second Trump presidency.
“We kind of just feel lied to,” an unnamed Democratic senator told Punchbowl website. “They’ve been shielding him from those types of settings for months and even after it became undeniable, they’re still lying to us.”
The complaint reflected a deep discontent with White House efforts to dismiss the abject debate display as an unrepresentative one-off.
Read the full analysis here:
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Interim summary
Here is where the day stands:
Joe Biden vowed to stay in the presidential race and continue his re-election bid, telling his staffers: “No one is pushing me out,” according to multiple reports. In a call on Wednesday following his lackluster performance during last week’s presidential debate and amid growing panic from Democratic donors and lawmakers, the president said: “Let me say this as clearly as possibly can, as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running.”
House Democrat Raúl Grijalva of Arizona has joined his fellow House Democrat Lloyd Doggett of Texas in calls for Joe Biden to withdraw his re-election bid. In an interview with the New York Times, Grijalva said: “If he’s the candidate, I’m going to support him but I think that this is an opportunity to look elsewhere … What he really needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat – and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race.”
A new poll released this afternoon by the New York Times/Siena College showed that 49% of voters would vote for Donald Trump, compared to 43% of voters who said they would vote for Joe Biden. According to the New York Times, Trump’s lead over Biden by 6% points marks the largest lead the ex-president has recorded in a Times/Siena poll since 2015.
Donald Trump’s campaign has released a statement on what it called the “total collapse of the Democrat party”. On Wednesday, Trump’s campaign said: “Every Democrat who is calling on Crooked Joe Biden to quit was once a supporter of Biden and his failed policies that lead to extreme inflation, an open border, and chaos at home and abroad.”
Michelle Obama is the only Democrat that can beat Donald Trump, a new poll has found. According to a new poll on Tuesday conducted by Reuters and Ipsos, the former first lady is the only Democrat that is able to attain victory over Trump in November in a hypothetical match, leading with 50% support compared to his 39%.
The White House pushed back against a new New York Times report that Joe Biden allegedly told a key ally that he is weighing whether to stay in the presidential race. On Wednesday, the New York Times reported an anonymous source saying of Biden: “He knows if he has two more events like that, we’re in a different place,” referring to last week’s presidential debate in which Biden did poorly. In response, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates took to Twitter/X, posting publicly: “That claim is absolutely false.”
House Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington said that Biden “is going to lose to Trump” following the president’s poor debate performance last week. In a new interview with KATU News, Gluesenkamp Perez said: “About 50 million Americans tuned in and watched that debate. I was one of them for about five very painful minutes. We all saw what we saw, you can’t undo that, and the truth, I think, is that Biden is going to lose to Trump.”
Dozens of House Democrats are considering signing a letter to call for Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, Bloomberg reports, citing a “senior party official”. According to the source, Democrats currently running for re-election in “traditionally safe Democratic districts are circulating the letter”.
Updated
A new poll released this afternoon by the New York Times/Siena College showed that 49% of voters would vote for Donald Trump, compared to 43% of voters who said they would vote for Joe Biden.
According to the New York Times, Trump’s lead over Biden by 6% points marks the largest lead the ex-president has recorded in a Times/Siena poll since 2015.
Additionally, Trump leads the president even more among registered voters, 49% to Biden’s 41%.
Trump’s lead in the polls over Biden comes after a disappointing performance by Biden during last week’s presidential debate which Trump later capitalised on and declared a “big victory”, despite making multiple false statements during the 90 minutes.
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Amid the political crisis surrounding the Democratic party, Joe Biden hosted a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House today during which he posthumously honoured two Union soldiers.
The soldiers, private George Wilson and private Philip Shadrach fought in a “military operation 200 miles deep into Confederate territory in April 1862”, Biden said, recognising them for their “gallantry and intrepidity”.
Today, I had the distinct honor of posthumously awarding the Medal of Honor to two great Americans for their gallantry and intrepidity while participating in a military operation 200 miles deep into Confederate territory in April 1862. pic.twitter.com/le3yZLuCyX
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 3, 2024
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The next platform of the Republican National Committee (RNC) is going to be closed off from the public, Semafor reports.
Unlike previous years, next week’s party platform proceedings will not be aired via C-Span. Instead, it will be held privately and away from the public and members of the media.
According to RNC emails reviewed by Semafor, committee meetings “are only open to members of that particular committee”.
Speaking to Semafor, Oscar Brock, an RNC committee member from Tennessee, said:
The lack of transparency is unwelcome … When people operate behind closed doors, you always have to wonder what the outcome is going to be.”
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Donald Trump’s campaign has released a statement on what it called the “total collapse of the Democrat party”.
On Wednesday, Trump’s campaign said:
Every Democrat who is calling on Crooked Joe Biden to quit was once a supporter of Biden and his failed policies that lead to extreme inflation, an open border, and chaos at home and abroad.
Make no mistake that Democrats, the main stream media, and the swamp colluded to hide the truth from the American public - Joe Biden is weak, failed, dishonest, and not fit for the White House.
Every one of them has lied about Joe Biden’s cognitive state and supported his disastrous policies over the past four years, especially Cackling Copilot Kamala Harris.
The statement comes after last week’s presidential debate which saw an energized Trump with starkly more coherent delivery – despite being packed with lies and misinformation – compared with Biden who struggled to articulate his policies throughout the 90 minutes.
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Second House Democrat calls on Biden to drop out of race
House Democrat Raúl Grijalva of Arizona has joined his fellow House Democrat Lloyd Doggett of Texas in calls for Joe Biden to withdraw his re-election bid.
In an interview with the New York Times, Grijalva said:
If he’s the candidate, I’m going to support him but I think that this is an opportunity to look elsewhere … What he really needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat – and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race.
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As Joe Biden’s campaign team rushes to soothe concerns among Democrats amid the fallout following the president’s poor performance during last week’s presidential debate, the team posted a new job listing: Kamala Harris’s social media platforms strategist.
In its listing, the team described the position as:
The VP Social Media Platforms Strategist will report to the VP Digital Director and be expected to write within an established organizational identity for multiple social media platforms and channels, while strategizing how to further develop and expand the vice-president’s and Biden-Harris campaign’s voice online.
Its duties include:
Write daily content and manage scheduling for Twitter/X, Threads, Facebook and Instagram accounts, including drafting, conceptualizing graphics, videos, brainstorming calls to action, and copywriting
Strategize and execute innovative social media projects to help grow and engage our audience
Project manage publishing assets across multiple social media platforms
Ensure materials are sufficiently accessible for users, including captioning and alternative text
Help the VP digital director report on audience growth, content performance and engagement that can adapt to and meet the needs of stakeholders across the DNC and manage daily outbound report
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Michelle Obama is the only Democrat who ranks higher than Biden in a new poll on who is most likely to beat Trump.
According to a new poll on Tuesday conducted by Reuters and Ipsos, the former first lady is the only Democrat that is able to attain victory over Trump in November in a hypothetical match, leading with 50% support compared to his 39%.
In its findings, Ipsos wrote:
All other hypothetical Democratic candidates either perform similarly to or worse than Biden against Trump.
Vice-president Kamala Harris hypothetically wins 42% of registered voters to Trump’s 43%. California Governor Gavin Newsom hypothetically wins 39% of registered voters to Trump’s 42%.
All other hypothetical Democratic candidates earn between 34% to 39% of potential votes among registered voters.
Despite Michelle Obama’s popularity and calls for her to run for president, her office in March said that “she will not be running for president.”
“Mrs Obama supports president Joe Biden and vice-president Kamala Harris’s re-election campaign,” her office added.
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The editorial board of the Boston Globe has called on Joe Biden to end his re-election bid, following in the footsteps of the New York Times which called on Biden last week to drop out of the race.
In an op-ed published on Wednesday, the editorial board wrote:
… while the party is demoralized, panicked, and angry, there is a ray of hope. A bevy of potential candidates – from vice-president Kamala Harris to the governors of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and California, to name only a partial list – are waiting in the wings to take on Trump.
All that they need is for Biden to graciously bow out of the race and free his delegates to cast their votes for someone else at the Democratic National Convention.
For the good of the country, his party, and his legacy, Biden must do this. And soon.
It went on to add:
The real obstacle to any of this happening is Biden himself. He must walk away from the race on his own, something he seems disinclined to do. His wife and children are said to oppose the idea as well. But with the nation’s future at stake, this is not a decision that should be made by one family alone.
This is a moment when the Democratic party itself, never particularly good at behaving like a party, must step into the fray.
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Biden: 'No one is pushing me out ... I'm not leaving'
Joe Biden vowed to stay in the presidential race and continue his re-election bid, telling his staffers: “No one is pushing me out,” according to multiple reports.
In a call on Wednesday following his lackluster performance during last week’s presidential debate and amid growing panic from Democratic donors and lawmakers, Biden said:
Let me say this as clearly as possibly can, as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running.
Biden went on to add:
No one is pushing me out … I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win.
President Biden on call with staff just now:
— Gabe Gutierrez (@gabegutierrez) July 3, 2024
“Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can, as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running."
"No one is pushing me out.”
"I'm not leaving. I'm in this race to the end and we're going to win."
In the same call, vice-president Kamala Harris – whose name has been increasingly floated around as Biden’s replacement – continued to voice her support for Biden, with reports of her saying:
We will not back down. We will follow our president’s lead. We will fight and we will win. Joe Biden has devoted his life to fighting for the people of our country. In this moment, I know all of us are ready to fight for him.
On call with staff…
— Gabe Gutierrez (@gabegutierrez) July 3, 2024
VP Harris added: "We will not back down. We will follow our President’s lead. We will fight, and we will win…Joe Biden has devoted his life to fighting for the people of our country. In this moment I know all of us are ready to fight for him.”
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'The president is not dropping out,' says White House press secretary
Joe Biden is cleared-eyed and “staying in the race” for re-election, the White House insists.
“The president is not dropping out,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre just said at the media briefing in Washington DC.
She is finding different ways, in response to reporters’ questions, to reiterate the insistence of the Biden team that he is not about to succumb to pressure to drop out after his terribly halting performance when he debated Donald Trump last week.
“There was the travel. And the travel led to a cold. We have all been there, it’s not unusual. And you push through,” she said.
Jean-Pierre added later that such things affect people, whether they are 20 or 80. She said he spoke about how his age had affected his performance and was being upfront.
The White House is working painfully hard to extricate the president from his position between a rock and a hard place.
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Karine Jean-Pierre claimed that Joe Biden “powered through” having a cold when he debated poorly against Donald Trump last week, as is normal for busy professionals.
It was not reassuring, as the White House continues on the defensive amid the crisis over Biden insisting he continue as the Democratic presumptive nominee for re-election, despite performing increasingly unreliably as an 81-year-old president of the United States.
And Jean-Pierre said that the president was jet-lagged and pushing through that, too, last Thursday, even though he had around 12 days back in the US between a spate of grueling overseas trips and the debate.
She said that people “push through” jet lag, trying to convince reporters decades younger than Biden that it would be unsurprising that a cold and jet lag would affect his debate performance.
Some reporters in the West Wing briefing room scoffed openly, mentioning that, yes, they have had colds and, even now, according to one, have jet lag – and yet they continue to perform their jobs much more vigorously than Biden did at the debate.
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Biden 'absolutely not' considering stepping down from candidacy – White House
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has just been asked point blank if Joe Biden is considering stepping away from being the presumptive nominee for re-election to the White House in this November’s election.
“Absolutely not,” she said. Asked if there was anything that would change his mind, she said she can’t speak to that but says he has been “very clear” that he’s busy doing his job and will continue doing that.
“I’m not going to speak to [about] unnamed sources out there,” she said.
Updated
The White House press briefing has begun in the West Wing, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at the podium.
Questions are already beginning about Biden’s performance.
He has owned that he had a bad night at the debate, the press secretary said.
“He also had a cold during the debate,” she said.
That, and the foreign travel that Biden blamed last night, are why he didn’t do well and wishes he could have done better, Jean-Pierre said.
“We certainly don’t want to explain this away,” she added.
She explained that he has “made outreach” to the leading Democrats in Congress, including the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, and the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer.
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Biden, Harris join campaign call, will 'keep fighting' – report
Joe Biden and his vice-president, Kamala Harris, made a surprise appearance earlier today on a Democratic National Committee call, reiterating to staffers that they are in this fight for re-election together, according to three people familiar with the matter who were given anonymity to discuss the private conversation.
The people said it was a pep talk, stressing the stakes of the election and returning to Biden’s previous post-debates comments that when he gets knocked down he gets back up and still plans to win the election, the Associated Press reports.
Democrats have raised increasingly urgent questions about the US president’s ability to remain in the race, much less win in November, after his shaky debate performance last week.
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Interim summary
Here’s a look at where the day stands:
The White House pushed back against a new New York Times report that Joe Biden allegedly told a key ally that he is weighing whether to stay in the presidential race. On Wednesday, the New York Times reported an anonymous source saying of Biden, “He knows if he has two more events like that, we’re in a different place,” referring to last week’s presidential debate in which Biden did poorly. In response, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates took to X, posting publicly: “That claim is absolutely false.”
House Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington said that Joe Biden “is going to lose to Trump” following the president’s poor debate performance last week. In a new interview with KATU News, Gluesenkamp Perez said: “About 50 million Americans tuned in and watched that debate. I was one of them for about five very painful minutes. We all saw what we saw, you can’t undo that, and the truth, I think, is that Biden is going to lose to Trump.”
Dozens of House Democrats are considering signing a letter to call for Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, Bloomberg reports, citing a “senior party official”. According to the source, Democrats currently running for re-election in “traditionally safe Democratic districts are circulating the letter”.
Joe Biden has privately acknowledged how critical the next few days are to his presidential re-election bid, CNN reports. According to the outlet citing an anonymous source, Biden “sees the moment, he’s clear-eyed”. “The polls are plummeting, the fundraising is drying up, and the interviews are going badly. He’s not oblivious,” the source said, adding that Biden allegedly said in a private conversation on Tuesday: “I have done way too much foreign policy.”
The majority of people surveyed in a new poll said that they did not think Biden was fit to be president for another term following his debate performance last week. The latest survey by YahooNews/YouGov found that 60% of people surveyed felt Biden was “not fit” to serve another term as president, the Hill reported. Only 24% of respondents felt that Biden was fit, while 16% said they were unsure.
Another Democratic legislator has suggested that Kamala Harris could replace Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee amid growing discontent following Biden’s poor debate performance. House Democrat Summer Lee of Pennsylvania said Harris was the “obvious choice” in a scenario where Biden decides not to run, CBS News reported.
Updated
Uncommitted voters across the US have taken on increased influence as debates surrounding Joe Biden’s future swirl.
The Guardian’s Rachel Leingang reports:
After Joe Biden’s poor debate performance and calls by some prominent Democrats to replace him, the hundreds of thousands of anti-war voters and the delegates who represent them have taken on new significance in the US presidential race.
More than 700,000 voters cast ballots in the Democratic primaries for “uncommitted” options after a movement started in Michigan to pressure Biden to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and stop US funding and arms to the Israeli government.
These voters won 29 uncommitted delegates to the Democratic national convention, a small but vocal group that will use their position at the nominating convention to call for an end to the war. The uncommitted vote consists of likely Democratic voters who have consistently said they are anti-Trump and who used the primary process to send a message to Biden.
Their message has not changed, though uncommitted delegates said they have been hearing from more people about the role they could play in the convention since last week’s debate. Their sole platform remains a permanent ceasefire and an arms embargo, and their focus is still on Biden – who is still the president.
For the full story, click here:
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House Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington said that Joe Biden “is going to lose to Trump” following the president’s poor debate performance last week.
In a new interview with KATU News, Gluesenkamp Perez said: “About 50 million Americans tuned in and watched that debate. I was one of them for about five very painful minutes. We all saw what we saw, you can’t undo that, and the truth, I think, is that Biden is going to lose to Trump.”
“I know that’s difficult but I think the damage has been done by that debate,” she added.
Despite her projection, Gluesenkamp Perez did not outright call for Biden to drop out. Her words stand in contrast to Lloyd Doggett of Texas, the first sitting congressional Democrat to openly called for Biden to step down on Tuesday.
Updated
Dozens of House Democrats consider signing letter to urge Biden to withdraw - Bloomberg
Dozens of House Democrats are considering signing a letter in calls for Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, Bloomberg reports, citing a ‘senior party official’.
According to the source, Democrats currently running for re-election in “traditionally safe Democratic districts are circulating the letter”.
Increasing internal pressure and disappointment from Democratic donors and lawmakers have been mounting against Biden and his campaign team after the president’s lackluster performance at last week’s presidential debate.
Bloomberg’s report follows a New York Times report from this morning on Biden allegedly telling a key ally that he is weighing whether to remain in the race.
The White House has denied the report, calling it “false”.
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Biden privately acknowledged critical next steps in re-election bid - CNN
Joe Biden has privately acknowledged how critical the next few days are to his presidential re-election bid, CNN reports.
According to the outlet citing an anonymous source, Biden “sees the moment, he’s clear-eyed”.
“The polls are plummeting, the fundraising is drying up, and the interviews are going badly. He’s not oblivious,” the source said, adding that Biden allegedly said in a private conversation on Tuesday: “I have done way too much foreign policy.”
Biden allegedly also said in the private conversation that he “blamed himself” and was “chastened” after last week’s presidential debate which saw him stumble repeatedly amid a lackluster performance.
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White House denies NYT report that Biden is weighing whether to stay in race
The White House is pushing back against a new New York Times report that Joe Biden allegedly told a key ally that he is weighing whether to stay in the presidential race.
On Wednesday, the New York Times reported an anonymous source saying of Biden, “He knows if he has two more events like that, we’re in a different place,” referring to last week’s presidential debate in which Biden did poorly.
Biden has several public appearances scheduled for the coming days, including an ABC News interview and campaign events in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the outlet reports.
In response, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates took to X, posting publicly: “That claim is absolutely false. If the New York Times had provided us with more than 7 minutes to comment we would have told them so.”
That claim is absolutely false. If the New York Times had provided us with more than 7 minutes to comment we would have told them so. https://t.co/SRTYIVTy7v
— Andrew Bates (@AndrewJBates46) July 3, 2024
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Joe Biden was reportedly the “donkey in the room” during an “anti-Biden vent session” held by House Democrats, Axios reports.
According to sources speaking anonymously to the outlet, the virtual meeting held on Tuesday afternoon was supposed to cover political messaging; however, it swiftly descended into a series of grievances held by Democratic House members.
“Much of the meeting was taken up by members expressing their irritation and misgivings towards Biden and his team,” Axios reports, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
Speaking on the record, House Democrat Lloyd Doggett of Texas, who was present at the meeting, told Axios: “There were a lot of people not very happy.”
Another source said that those who support Biden “feel like, at a minimum, he needs to show a decisive change in course by replacing his top campaign advisers”.
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Biden calls House minority leader amid scramble for support - report
Biden reportedly called the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, late on Tuesday as more Democrats publicly shared their concern about Biden staying on as the Democratic presidential candidate.
The New York Times first reported that Biden called Jeffries, the top-ranking House Democrat, according to one person familiar with the conversation.
NEW: President Biden called Rep. Hakeem Jeffries today, the leader of House Democrats, according to a person briefed on the call
— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) July 3, 2024
Politico also reported that Biden called Jeffries, according to two people familiar with the phone call.
Biden reportedly also spoke to Democratic senator Chris Coons of Delaware, a staunch ally of the president.
Jeffries’ office did not respond to the Guardian’s request for comment about the reported call or if Biden should drop out of the race.
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The majority of people surveyed in a new poll said that they did not think Biden was fit to be president for another term following his debate performance last week.
The latest survey by YahooNews/YouGov found that 60% of people surveyed felt Biden was “not fit” to serve another term as president, the Hill reported.
Only 24% of respondents felt that Biden was fit, while 16% said they were unsure.
Comparatively, 43% of respondents felt that Trump was fit to be president, while 46% believed he was not.
More than half of the respondents – 56% of those surveyed – watched last week’s debate. Of those who did not watch the debate, 18% said that they watched video clips online to determine who performed better.
The poll surveyed 1,754 adults in total, the Hill reported.
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House Democrat: Harris is 'obvious choice' to replace Biden in race if he steps aside
Another Democratic legislator has suggested that Kamala Harris could replace Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee amid growing discontent following Biden’s poor debate performance.
House Democrat Summer Lee of Pennsylvania said Harris was the “obvious choice” in a scenario where Biden decides not to run, CBS News reported.
During a radio interview, Lee warned that “time is not on our side” when it comes to possibly selecting a new Democratic presidential candidate.
Lee added that Harris has the “name recognition” after serving as vice-president and has been campaigning.
Lee also noted that forgoing Harris, a Black woman, would not be ideal optics.
Read Lee’s full comments here, from CBS’s Scott MacFarlane.
Maybe folks don’t want to hear, but we have timing that is running out. Time is not on our side. We have a few months to do a monumental task. It’s not cheap and it’s not easy. If our president decides this is not a pathway forward for him, we have to move very quickly. There’s not going to be time for a primary. That time is past. The vice president is the obvious choice. She’s sitting right there. She’s already been in the White House. And has the name recognition. And has been on the trail … and the optics of pushing aside a Black woman … it’s not good
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Biden’s support among Democrats is in trouble as at least one Democratic legislator publicly stated that the president should withdraw his candidacy in the 2024 election.
Representative Lloyd Doggett of Texas is the first Democrat to call for Biden to withdraw, elaborating on his thoughts in a interview on Wednesday morning.
While speaking with NPR’s Morning Edition, Doggett said:
We have a criminal and his gang that are about to take over our government. We have to do everything we possibly can to prevent Donald Trump from becoming the new authoritarian strongman in our country …
President Biden has had some significant accomplishments. I’ve supported him throughout. But he has not convinced the American people. He’s lagged behind our Senate candidates and what we hope would add momentum, only widened the gap.
When asked if Biden could beat Trump, Doggett said:
I think that he is far behind and that we have to put our best possibility forward instead of putting forward the same person that so many people, some called the ‘double haters’, have rejected. We need to add some enthusiasm and excitement in our campaign.
Listen to the full interview here.
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Biden scrambles to bolster support as Democrats reportedly look to Harris to replace him
Good morning, US politics readers.
Joe Biden has invited Democratic governors to meet with him at the White House today as the president faces increasingly concerning polls and growing calls to withdraw his candidacy, following last week’s disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, a House Democrat from Texas, Lloyd Doggett, became the first in his party to publicly urge Biden to step aside. Later that evening, a House Democratic aide said that as many as 25 Democratic House members are preparing to call for Biden to withdraw from the race.
According to Reuters, Kamala Harris would be the top alternative to replace Biden if he did decide to step down – although there are no signs that that the president is considering doing so. Among the names being floated are Democratic governors Gavin Newsom from California, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, but Harris is at the very top of that list, the news agency said, citing sources.
Here’s what we’re watching: (all times eastern)
The White House daily press briefing is scheduled at 1:30pm.
Biden will meet with Democratic governors at 6:30pm in the White House.
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