President Joe Biden and his White House Staff spent Wednesday delivering motivational speeches in phone calls and meetings with close allies, Democratic governors, lawmakers and the campaign team.
“Let me say this as clearly as possible, as simply and directly as possible: I am running.” Biden a campaign staff member told NBC News in a phone call. “I'm not leaving. I'm in it until the end and we're going to win.”
The comments are a part of Biden's broader firefighting effort as his team tries to calm Democrats' panic about his re-election after his disastrous performance in last week's debate against former President Donald Trump.
Biden also attended Wednesday's campaign event with Vice President Kamala Harris, who’s increasingly being eyed as a possible successor to the president should he drop out of the race.
The president spoke with a few of his closest allies and supporters on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, including former Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.).
The president also recorded interviews for 2 black radio shows: the Earl Ingram Show on the Civic Media Network and The Source with Andrea Lawful-Sanders on WURD Radio, that are scheduled to air Thursday morning, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Wednesday's press conference.
On Wednesday evening, the president can also be scheduled to fulfill with Democratic governors from across the United States, a lot of whom are being regarded as possible replacements for Biden. This meeting follows a Monday briefing of governors who reportedly expressed concerns concerning the path forward for the Democratic Party, in accordance with NBC News.
New polls provide conflicting signals concerning the president’s current position within the direct duel with Trump.
A closely observed New York Times/Siena College A poll released Wednesday showed Trump leading Biden 49% to 41% amongst registered voters surveyed. Among likely voters, Trump led Biden by a rather smaller 6-point lead, but 3 points higher than before the controversy. The New York Times poll surveyed 1,532 registered voters nationwide from June 28 to July 2. The margin of error for registered voters was plus or minus 2.8 percentage points. The debate was held on June 27.
A Wall Street Journal A poll also published on Wednesday confirmed these results. Trump was ahead of Biden by 48% to 42%. The poll surveyed 1,500 registered voters from June 29 to July 2. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
A Tuesday CNN poll Trump also had a lead of 6 percentage points over Biden, but this was the identical result as in April. The margin of error for this query was plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
Polls so soon after the controversy provide a snapshot of immediate voter reactions. However, results could still change as voters need more time to process Biden's subpar performance.
As Biden's campaign continues to run at full speed, pressure is growing on the president to contemplate withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Biden had privately told an ally that he was considering whether to remain within the race. Several media outlets, including CNN and ABC News, followed with similar reports. The White House has repeated said these reports are INCORRECT.
In television interviews on Tuesday, Pelosi and Clyburn said it was reasonable to query Biden's physical and mental fitness, but additionally reiterated their support for the president.
Also on Tuesday, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) became the primary congressional Democrat to officially call on Biden to drop out of the race. Rep. Jared Golden (D-Me.) later released a op-ed He expressed his distrust of Biden's candidacy with the headline: “Donald Trump will win the election and democracy will be fine.”
In response, the White House and the Biden team have announced a series of events for the approaching week to reassure the general public.
The president will give an interview to ABC News on Friday. He will even visit the necessary swing states of Wisconsin on Friday and Pennsylvania on Sunday. In addition, the White House announced that Biden will hold a press conference on the NATO summit next week.
“He has given more than 40 interviews this year alone and we will continue to do so,” Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday. “They were not pre-written. He has given more than 500 'gaggles'. They are not pre-written. And we want to continue to do that.”
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