WASHINGTON: Joe Biden is “absolutely not” pulling out of the White House race, his spokeswoman said Wednesday, as pressure mounted on the veteran Democrat following his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump.
The 81-year-old Biden has told a key ally he must convince the public quickly that he can do the job, The New York Times and CNN reported, raising the stakes for Biden’s first post-debate TV interview, scheduled for Friday.
“He knows if he has two more events like that, we’re in a different place,” the ally said, discussing the president’s poor showing against his Republican predecessor last week, according to the Times.
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The White House quickly rejected the reporting as false.
But Democratic establishment figures have voiced bafflement over what they see as deflection and excuses from the president and his aides after his often incoherent debate performance.
And in Congress, lawmakers see Democratic prospects of taking over the House of Representatives, hanging on to the Senate and returning to the White House slipping away, four months ahead of the November 5 election.
The concern was compounded by a new New York Times poll conducted after the debate that showed Trump with his biggest lead ever over Biden — 49 percent to 43 percent of likely voters.
Other post-debate polling by progressive non-profit OpenLabs found that New Hampshire, Virginia and New Mexico — all once safe Biden states — are now in play for Trump.
It wasn’t until Tuesday — five days after the debate — that Biden called House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and congressional staffers have been voicing consternation over the glacial pace of the outreach.
“We are getting to the point where it may not have been the debate that did him in, but the aftermath of how they’ve handled it,” a senior Democratic operative told Washington political outlet Axios.
Biden is “absolutely not” withdrawing from the race, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday, adding he is “moving forward” with his campaign.
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