President Joe Biden, right, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, are seen on a television at Tillie’s Lounge during the presidential debate on Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Cincinnati. For many voters in the U.S., there’s despair in the air after the presidential debate this past week.
| Photo Credit: AP

Following a disastrous performance at the debate stage in Atlanta, there is a growing clamour within the ruling Democratic party and the mainstream American media for President Joe Biden to step down from the presidential race.

However, the 81-year-old President and his campaign have asserted that he is not giving up and is determined to successfully run for the November 5th presidential elections.

“Mr. Biden is the nominee (of the Democratic party. No switching of the nominee,” campaign leadership has asserted.

Mr. Biden, the 46th President of the United States, has won the Democratic presidential primary.

As of June 29, he had 3,894 delegates as against 1,975 delegates required to win the nomination of the party. These delegates would meet in Chicago from August 19 to 22 to formally nominate the winner of the primaries to run for the November 5 presidential elections.

Mr. Biden, seeking a second term in the White House, stumbled and fumbled during the televised presidential debate with his predecessor Donald Trump on Thursday night in Atlanta, setting off alarm bells among top Democrats about whether he can stay atop the gruelling months ahead of the elections on November 5.

The 78-year-old Mr. Trump, who is the presumptive Republican Party candidate for the presidential election, clashed right from the start with Biden and by the end of the 90 minutes debate, gave enough fodder for serious editorials and opinions as well as memes on social media.

Over the last 50 hours after the first presidential debate in Atlanta on Thursday night, wherein his performance was seen far below par against his rival Mr. Trump, multiple media outlets, including The New York Times and his own party supporters and key decision makers, are calling him to step down from the race.

“Dropping out is Mr. Biden’s most patriotic option,” The Atlantic said Saturday.

“To serve his country, President Biden should leave the race,” The New York Times editorial board wrote Following the debate.

The New York Times wrote, “That is no longer a sufficient rationale for why Mr. Biden should be the Democratic nominee this year.” Similar messages are coming from inside the party as well.

However, his inner circle is standing by the side of Mr. Biden.

A post-debate poll says that 10% of the independent voters have moved towards Mr. Biden after the debate, a point that is being made by his team.

“It wasn’t my best debate ever as Barack (Obama) pointed out. I understand the concern after the debate,” Mr. Biden told his fundraisers in New Jersey. “I get it. I didn’t have a great night, but I’m going to be fighting harder,” he said.

“Research during the debate shows us converting more undecided voters than Trump did, in large part because of his conduct on January 6,” Mr. Biden said. He argued Mr. Trump’s lies were the biggest takeaway: “People remember the bad things during his presidency.”

“I didn’t have a great night but neither did he,” he said again of Mr. Trump.

Several prominent columnists — Paul Krugman, Tom Friedman, Nicholas Kristof, Jonathan Alter, and David Ignatius — argued that the chance of a diminished Mr. Biden losing to Mr. Trump is too high to risk.

Democrat presidential candidate U.S. President Joe Biden listens as Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during their debate in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., on June 27, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Former President Donald Trump gloated on Friday over President Joe Biden’s often halting performance at the first debate ahead of the November election, saying Democrats have no better choices while calling the Democratic incumbent “the most incompetent president” in U.S. history.

Trump spoke to thousands of supporters Friday at a rally in Chesapeake, Virginia, a day after President Biden’s disappointing performance sparked concerns among his allies and other Democrats who were hoping for a more vigorous candidate to secure and improve his chances at reelection. President Biden repeatedly stumbled, paused and could not complete sentences, prompting some people to wonder whether they could replace him ahead of November.

“The question every voter should be asking themselves today is not whether Joe Biden can survive a 90-minute debate performance, but whether America can survive four more years of crooked Joe Biden in the White House,” Trump said.

Trump repeated several of the false claims he made on Thursday, including about abortions later in pregnancy, and again referred to rioters who have been charged with storming the Capitol to try to overturn his 2020 loss as “hostages.” He applauded a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that came out earlier on Friday, limiting a federal obstruction law that has been used to charge Trump and hundreds of Capitol riot defendants. And he called for their release.

“Free the J6 hostages now. They should free them now for what they’ve gone through,” he said, adding that the ruling “was a great thing for people that have been so horribly treated.”

Trump has long suggested the people charged in the riot have been unfairly prosecuted and continues to promote lies and unproven theories about voter fraud.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin appeared alongside Trump on Friday, saying he was going to work to secure a Trump victory in a state Biden won in 2020. The Republican governor, who was once a favorite potential presidential candidate for anti-Trump Republicans, notably waited during this year’s primary and only endorsed Trump in March.

“This is about strength versus weakness,” Youngkin told Trump supporters. “We have seen the weak America that Joe Biden has created, and we all lived through the strong America that Donald Trump built.”

Trump said he did not think President Biden could drop out of the race, mentioning the demands from some Democrats and opinion writers calling for Biden to step aside. He then criticised other high-profile Democrats such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Vice President Kamala Harris and former first lady Michelle Obama.

Trump said he would be very happy going against Ms. Harris, who is Biden’s running mate.

Ms. Harris can’t just swap in for him at the top of the ticket by default should President Biden decide to step aside. Individual state delegations would need to be lobbied to replace Biden ahead of a virtual roll call where the party intends to nominate Biden. The exact date for the roll call has not yet been set.

There is no evidence President Biden is willing to end his campaign. And it would be nearly impossible for Democrats to replace him unless he chooses to step aside.

Christopher James Caton, 49, of Virginia Beach left his home at 4.30 a.m. to see Trump speak on Friday.

“Trump was unbelievable,” Caton, wearing a Second Amendment ball cap, said of Thursday night’s debate. “He was on fire. He was steady. He didn’t stutter.”

Even Democrats have to admit that President Biden performed poorly, Mr. Caton said.