As we get closer to the US presidential election, the whispers have only grown into loud cries — should the 81 year old Joe Biden step down and make way for another Democrat to take on Donald Trump in November?
Concerns about the US President’s health have grown in the past few days with a series of videos that have gone viral, purportedly showing Biden looking lost or frozen.
In one clip during the G7 summit in Italy, he wanders off from the group which has gathered for a photo and is gently pulled back by the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. In another clip, the US President is seen awkwardly saluting Meloni before walking offstage. And it doesn’t stop here.
There was another viral video from a fund-raiser where Biden appeared to freeze up before being led offstage by former US president Barack Obama. Later, when a reporter questioned Biden about it, he laughed it off and mumbled something in reply.
The White House has dismissed the string of videos as “cheap fakes”, saying they had been spread in “bad faith”, and blamed the Republicans. However, that has not stopped the scrutiny of Biden’s health and his ability to run this campaign and possibly lead the United States again.
Historic low ratings
It is actually heartbreaking to see Biden age this way. He has struggled with so many challenges his whole life and remained steadfast throughout it all.
All of us will grow old one day and many of us will lose our cognitive functions. But the issue is whether Biden is competent to stand for President and whether he should continue to be in the race at all. I think the time has come for him to drop out and let someone else take on Trump.
Trump and Biden will come face to face in the first Presidential television debate later this week. And if it goes badly for Biden, the Democrats will suffer a huge blow.
The White House is banking on the debate to turn the conversation around ahead of the Democratic national convention in August. Biden’s ratings haven’t been great, most polls show his job approval ratings at historic lows for an incumbent President.
Cannot force Biden
A new poll done by NPR/PBS News/Marist shows Biden and Trump tied at 49 per cent of the registered voters. And this is where the TV debate on June 27 becomes crucial. The poll shows that 9% of voters polled said they haven’t yet made up their mind who they’ll vote for.
And another 25% said they have a “good idea” who they would vote for, but “could still change their mind.” 6 out of 10 voters who were polled said they would watch the TV debate. The Democrats cannot force Biden out of the race.
The Democratic Party convention is in late August and it is only Biden who can decide by then on whether to stay on the ticket or not.
The Democrats are very worried about a second Trump presidency and what that could mean for them and for the country. The very essence of American democracy is at stake in this election. Biden’s poor ratings aren’t helping.
He has alienated a significant section of the youth and Arab vote, which is key in battleground states like Michigan, through his staunch support of Israel.
Perhaps the only way to save the American Republic from Trump is for Biden to drop out, now.
