Dr. Anthony Fauci is the latest liberal luminary to be asked whether or not Joe Biden should end his presidential campaign after his disastrous debate against Donald Trump.
The White House and the campaign attribute Biden’s low and sometimes difficult to understand speaking voice to a “cold.”
Others say that’s just how the president is day to day now, leading even Democrats to wonder whether Biden needs to be replaced in time for November as his poll numbers slip further behind Trump’s.
Fauci, who has worked under every president since Ronald Reagan and became a polarizing figure during the COVID-19 pandemic, appeared this week to promote his new memoir.
During his time there, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) from 1984 to 2022 was asked whether the 81-year-old president should end his campaign or even resign from office.
Dr. Anthony Fauci is the latest liberal luminary to be asked whether or not Joe Biden should end his presidential campaign after his shocking and disastrous debate against Donald Trump.
“You know, I think it’s just an individual choice and you can’t really generalize,” Fauci told ABC News.
He believes voters should focus on the things that are important to them rather than making broad generalizations about fitness for office.
“You know what his passion is, what his energy is,” Fauci said. “Those are those things.”
Ultimately, he said he wouldn’t talk about anything that “could have political implications.”
Fauci declined to give a definitive opinion, opting instead to talk about his experiences with Biden and gave a more cheerful view of the president seen on Thursday.
‘He asks probing questions. He’s right about things. So my personal experience with him has been pretty positive.’
A poll released Sunday found that 72 percent of voters do not believe Biden has the cognitive faculties for another term. This is a seven percent increase from the same poll conducted in early June before the debate.
Former White House physician Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) has repeatedly questioned Biden’s physical and cognitive health.
White House and campaign blame ‘cold’ for Biden’s low, sometimes hard-to-understand speaking voice
Others say that’s what the president is like on a day-to-day basis now, and even Democrats are wondering whether Biden needs to be replaced in time for November as his poll numbers fall further behind Trump.
He suggested that debate preparation for seven days at Camp David was a way to prepare the drug cocktail just before the confrontation with Trump.
Doubts increased from before the debate to after the debate about Biden’s mental acuity and cognitive health.
Biden stumbled through the debate with Trump on Thursday, often speaking in a low voice, mumbling or losing his train of thought. When Trump spoke, the split screen showed the president with his mouth half open and his gaze far away.
The result sparked a chorus of calls for Biden to end his candidacy, even from some of his biggest supporters.
Trump’s performance in the debate, on the other hand, has only increased support for his party.
Fifty percent of registered voters think the 78-year-old has the cognitive faculties to run for a second term in 2024; only 27 percent feel the same about Biden.
It’s unclear what will happen next, but Biden will spend Sunday at Camp David, where he will be discussing the future of this race with his family.
Some blame First Lady Jill Biden for forcing her husband to continue campaigning for re-election, and Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) accused the first lady of “elder abuse.”