President Biden has already scheduled time at Camp David for a family photo session on Sunday and Monday, contradicting an NBC News report suggesting discussions about his re-election campaign. This was reported by AP citing White House officials on the condition of anonymity. Before heading to Camp David on Saturday night, Biden was observed speaking on the phone with historian Jon Meacham. Earlier in the day, President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden attended a private campaign event in East Hampton, New York. The event, held at the residence of Avram Glazer, a co-owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was closed to the media.
Despite the Camp David schedule, concerns about Biden’s re-election campaign are growing among Democratic donors. These concerns stem from a recent debate performance that has sparked widespread discussion and criticism online. Clips and memes from the debate have circulated widely, fueling public pressure for Biden to reconsider his candidacy. Democratic donors in New York, Southern California, and Silicon Valley are privately voicing their concerns. They have begun discussing potential replacements, with a shortlist that includes Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and Vice President Kamala Harris.
As of Friday, there was no organized effort to pressure Biden into stepping aside, and some believed such a move would be impractical given the logistical hurdles of replacing a presumptive nominee just four months before Election Day. However, some donors indicated they planned to suspend their personal contributions temporarily. They acknowledged that receipts from Biden’s weekend fundraiser were likely to remain robust because tickets had been sold and paid for prior to the debate.
Many donors, party strategists, and members of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) are expressing both publicly and privately their desire for 81-year-old Biden to step aside, allowing the party to select a younger replacement at the Democratic National Convention in August. Despite these sentiments, Biden’s closest allies maintain that he is still well-positioned to compete against Republican Donald Trump. They have not indicated any intention to pressure him to end his campaign.
AFP reported that many stakeholders are now eagerly awaiting the release of the first major post-debate public opinion polls to gauge their next moves. Early polling from CNN and 538/Ipsos immediately after the debate indicated that most viewers believed Trump performed better than Biden. However, the favorability ratings for both candidates remained largely unchanged, mirroring the aftermath of Trump’s recent legal troubles related to a hush money scheme during the 2016 election. (With inputs from agencies)
