Joe Biden has a new solution to calm concerns after his abysmal debate against Donald Trump last week: he just needs to get more rest.
Biden — now facing increasing pressure to drop out of the race after his performance last Thursday featured a hoarse voice, meandering thoughts, verbal flubs, and vacant expressions — met with key Democratic governors on Wednesday to stamp out naysayers.
He again brushed off criticism of the debate as a one-off mistake, according to CNN and The New York Times.
And the 81-year-old president said he’s still ready to defeat Trump. He told the governors he just needs to get more sleep and stop holding events after 8 p.m., according to the outlets.
(Biden’s disastrous live debate last week began at 9 p.m.)
The solution wasn’t well-received by governors present for the statement, according to CNN. Biden’s campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider about the reports.
Biden’s campaign had previously chalked up the poor performance to a cold and jet lag from international trips he had taken days earlier.
According to Politico, Biden’s family has privately blamed top aides including his senior advisor, Anita Dunn, Biden’s attorney, Bob Bauer, and Biden’s former chief of staff, Ron Klain, for his lagging performance.
For now, Biden’s political allies and surrogates are publicly backing him. That’s even true after the governor’s meeting.
“The president has always had our backs,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told reporters. “We’re going to have his back as well.”
Other governors said they’d support Biden as he remains the nominee.
— Roy Cooper (@RoyCooperNC) July 4, 2024
But the leak about Biden’s planned break from evening events likely won’t help calm nerves about his mental capacity.
A growing number of House Democrats are questioning whether he should just step down, and key Biden ally Rep. Jim Clyburn discussed supporting Vice President Kamala Harris if Biden were to step aside, a signal that the once-unthinkable is now being considered.
One representative told CNN anonymously that House lawmakers are giving Biden space to decide what to do next.
Meanwhile, Biden has a high-stakes event to plan for. On Friday, he’ll have a taped interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, an opportunity to prove he’s up to the task of running for president — or a chance for a gaffe that could torpedo his campaign.
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