Defiant President Joe Biden refused to step down during a lively rally on Friday night as it emerged that Democratic donors had withheld £69m pledged to his campaign.
As a crowd of 2,000 supporters chanted “Don’t give up” and “We’ve got your back,” Biden accused rival Donald Trump of rape and insisted he would not drop out of the race for the White House.
Trump was found guilty in a civil case of sexually assaulting writer E. Jean Carroll, and Biden said at the rally: “(He) raped her.”
The former president has always denied the rape allegations.
Biden insisted he would stay in the race despite a disastrous debate performance and further gaffes, including introducing Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky at a NATO conference this week as “President Putin.”
Defiant President Joe Biden refused to step down during a lively rally on Friday night when it emerged that Democratic donors had withheld £69m pledged to his campaign.
Trump will be formally “crowned” as his party’s nominee at the Republican National Convention that begins tomorrow in Milwaukee.
He also called Vice President Kamala Harris “Vice President Trump.” The 81-year-old denied he was planning to resign, saying, “I’m running and we’re going to win.”
“I’m the only Democrat or Republican who has ever beaten Donald Trump, and I’m going to beat him again.”
But support from within his own party has waned: 21 Democratic House members and one senator are calling for him to go.
A source said: “It’s a constant drip, drip, drip and it’s getting worse. He’s holding on but it’s death by a thousand cuts.”
“Privately, no one I’ve spoken to within the party believes he can survive. The question is not if he steps down, but when.”
Hollywood supporters, including actors George Clooney and Ashley Judd and writer Stephen King, have urged him to leave.
As of last night, £69m that had been pledged to Democrats was being held up by donors including theme park heiress Abigail Disney and Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings.
One donor told The Mail On Sunday the party expects the figure to rise to £100m “in a couple of days”.
“When the money starts to disappear like this, so will any remaining support for Joe.”
Analysis by former Conservative deputy leader Lord Ashcroft, shared with The Mail On Sunday, concludes that voters rate Biden’s “mental and physical ability” as a more important factor in the election than Donald Trump’s “character and judgement” by a three-point margin.
Trump is expected to be formally “crowned” as his party’s nominee at the Republican National Convention, which begins tomorrow in Milwaukee.
He is expected to take the stage with his yet-to-be-announced vice presidential pick.
Mr Trump has said he wants to reveal his running mate “Apprentice style”, a reference to his former reality show.
He told the Clay & Buck radio show: “It’s like a very sophisticated version of The Apprentice.”
Sens. JD Vance of Ohio, Marco Rubio of Florida and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum are the favorites to be elected.
Melania Trump will appear on stage alongside her husband in a rare show of support.
This came after a poll revealed that Biden’s mental capacity was playing an increasingly dominant role in the presidential campaign.
Analysis by former Conservative deputy leader Lord Ashcroft, shared with The Mail On Sunday, concludes that voters regard Biden’s “mental and physical ability” as a more important factor in the election than Donald Trump’s “character and judgement” by a three-point margin.
Asked whether they approve of the way Biden is handling the presidency, 55 percent said no and 42 percent said yes.
The numbers aren’t much better for Harris, with 50 percent disapproval.
The poll also found Trump ahead on four of five major issues — cost of living, the economy and jobs, immigration and crime — while Biden leads only on health care.
And while Trump’s recent fraud conviction makes 36 percent of voters less likely to vote for him, it makes 21 percent more likely to do so.
And for 42 percent “there is no difference.”
A troubling 63 percent agreed that the United States is “going in the wrong direction,” while 24 percent think it is “going in the right direction.”
The poll also found Trump ahead on four of five major issues — cost of living, the economy and jobs, immigration and crime — while Biden leads only on health care.
The president’s troubles mean only 33 percent think he will win, while 47 percent are betting on Trump.
In an article published in this newspaper today, Lord Ashcroft states: “The new prominence of Biden’s health as a campaign issue effectively neutralises Trump’s drawbacks.”
l 20,210 American adults were interviewed online between May 17 and July 7.
