Faced with questions about his mental acuity, Joe Biden, 81, said he would reassess his candidacy if he were diagnosed with a medical condition, marking the first time Biden has opened the door to the idea of abandoning his campaign.
Asked by BET on Tuesday what might make him consider throwing in the towel, the presidential candidate replied: “If I had a medical problem that came up, if someone, doctors came to see me and said: ‘you have such and such a problem’.”
Joe Biden has been playing for his political survival since his disastrous performance in his debate with Donald Trump, which sparked a wave of questions about his physical and mental abilities.
Democrat Adam Schiff urges him to ‘pass the torch’
On Wednesday, California Rep. Adam Schiff urged Biden to “pass the torch,” saying he doubted the president could beat Donald Trump in November.
Adam Schiff thus becomes the highest-ranking Democratic elected official to publicly make this request after the debate. He is also the first to relaunch this call since the assassination attempt against Donald Trump at a campaign rally on Saturday.
Joe Biden “has been one of the most consequential presidents in our country’s history,” Schiff said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. “But our nation is at a crossroads,” he added.
“A second Trump presidency would undermine the very foundations of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about the president’s ability to defeat Donald Trump in November,” he added.
Calls for the president to step down have been muted after the shooting of his Republican rival. Mr. Schiff’s statement ends that interlude. About two dozen members of the House and one senator have so far urged Joe Biden to throw in the towel.
Others want to speed up the nomination process…
Amid the tensions, Democratic Party officials announced Wednesday their intention to speed up Biden’s nomination process with a virtual voting system, much to the dismay of those hoping to see him drop out of the race.
The system would allow for virtual voting during the first week of August rather than waiting until the Democratic Convention, which begins in Chicago on August 19, when the candidate must be officially nominated for the November 5 presidential election against Donald Trump.
Some Democrats have criticized the plan, saying it is a way to force through Biden’s candidacy despite doubts about his ability and without discussing possible alternatives. Some lawmakers plan to sign a letter denouncing it.
Vice President Kamala Harris is considered the favorite if Biden steps down.
Democratic officials estimate the virtual campaign should be in place before the state of Ohio’s Aug. 7 deadline for submitting candidate nominations.
Biden says Democratic voters support him, but according to a recent poll, nearly two-thirds of them want the president to throw in the towel.
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