Joe Biden has admitted he “messed up” in last week’s election debate, and yesterday called an emergency meeting to try to drum up support among concerned Democratic governors.
The president reportedly revealed at the meeting that he had undergone a medical checkup in the days following last week’s televised face-off with Republican candidate Donald Trump, in which he appeared tired and stumbled over his words.
In response to a governor who asked about his physical condition, Biden insisted he remains in good health, knocking on wood for effect. Politico Reports citing insiders.
In an effort to allay fears about his fitness to run and to emphasize his belief that he can carry out the campaign, he reportedly told the 20 governors involved: “I’m the Democratic Party’s nominee. Nobody’s going to kick me out. I’m not leaving.”
He also took advantage of the day yesterday to offer something of an apology, admitting in an interview on a Wisconsin radio station that he made a “mistake” with his shaky debate performance but urging voters to judge him by his time in the White House.
Joe Biden has admitted that he “messed up” in last week’s election debate that involved a car crash. Pictured yesterday during a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House
Maine’s Democratic governor, Janet Mills, told Biden directly that she had no problem with his age, but that she felt he was not fit to compete against Donald Trump.
Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico questioned whether Biden could even beat Trump in her state, according to sources present
New York’s Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul, offered unanimous support to the ailing 81-year-old president after yesterday’s meeting, but other politicians present say she had no right to do so.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills didn’t mince words about her performance in last week’s debate, telling Biden directly that she had no problem with his age but felt he wasn’t up to the task of competing against Donald Trump.
The governor, joined by Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico and Ned Lamont of Connecticut, asked him what his path forward was, citing the need to make his case to his constituents.
According to sources present, everyone was wondering whether they could beat Trump in their states. No Democrat has lost Connecticut or Maine since 1988.
“Obviously, we, like many Americans, are a little concerned. We’re concerned because the threat of a Trump presidency is not theoretical,” Walz said.
In his bid to win the governors’ support, Biden promised he was “in this to win” and got some supporters to back him.
Several liberal governors, including potential successors Gavin Newsom of California and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, followed Hochul’s lead, obsequiously tweeting their support after the meeting.
Ned Lamont of Connecticut asked what his path forward was, citing the need to make the case to his constituents.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who attended in person, posted his reaction on social media platform X: “I heard three words from the President tonight: He’s fully engaged. And so am I.”
Many of the governors, including Whitmer, attended the meeting only virtually. Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser was also there.
The summit came after nearly a week of bad press and calls for her to drop out of the race following the disastrous debate with Trump.
It lasted more than an hour and attendees described the conversation as “candid” and a kind of motivational meeting.
New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul (center) offered unanimous support to the ailing 81-year-old president after the meeting, but other politicians present say she had no right to do so.
Vice President Kamala Harris, seen by many as the likely successor at the top of the ticket, ended the meeting by reiterating the threat to democracy that a Trump victory would pose, according to the New York Times.
Several of the governors tried to assure Democrats that Biden was capable of doing it and that they owed him their support.
“The president has always had our backs. We’ll have his backs, too,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told reporters.
“The president… is our candidate. The president is the leader of our party,” he added.
Moore, Hochul and Tim Walz of Minnesota, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, were the only three of the 12 who attended in person to speak to the media afterward.
The Biden campaign said the president reiterated his determination “to defeat the existential threat of Donald Trump at the ballot box in November” and discussed the importance of electing Democrats at all levels of the ticket.
“All participants reiterated their shared commitment to do everything possible to ensure that President Biden and Vice President Harris defeat Donald Trump in November,” it said.
Biden’s efforts to pull multiple levers to salvage his faltering reelection bid include an impromptu appearance with campaign aides, private conversations with senior lawmakers, a weekend of travel and an interview on a television network.
But he faced serious signs that support for him was rapidly eroding on Capitol Hill and among other allies.
Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., said that while he supports Biden as long as he is a candidate, this “is an opportunity to look the other way” and what Biden “has to do is take responsibility for keeping that position, and part of that responsibility is getting out of this race.”
Wealthy donor Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix, also called on Biden to step down.
