Biden interview fails to quell Democrat concerns over fitness

President Joe Biden’s Friday night TV interview failed to quell dissent within his own party, intensifying calls for him to end his re-election campaign following a lackluster debate performance against Donald Trump.

Adding to the chorus, a fifth House Democrat, Angie Craig of Minnesota, joined her colleagues on Saturday in urging the president to step aside, with indications that more may follow suit.

During his rare prime-time ABC News appearance, Mr. Biden brushed off his debate showing as merely a “bad episode,” asserting that only divine intervention could sway his decision to withdraw from the race.

The 81-year-old president spent Saturday at his Delaware family home before scheduled public engagements on Sunday.

While no senior party figures have explicitly demanded his resignation, concerns among Democrats are mounting. Some polls indicate Trump widening his lead over Mr. Biden, heightening fears of losing not just the presidency but also House seats and potentially the Senate majority if Biden remains on the ticket.

Angie Craig, contesting a competitive district in Minnesota, stated on Saturday her skepticism about Biden’s ability to effectively campaign against Trump, despite respecting his long service. She emphasized that the stakes were too high to risk another Trump presidency.

Shortly after the ABC interview, Texas congressman Lloyd Doggett, the first House Democrat to call for Biden’s withdrawal, emphasized on CNN the urgency of the situation, suggesting that delaying a decision would only complicate efforts to replace Biden with someone capable of defeating Trump.

Joining the chorus, other House Democrats including Mike Quigley of Illinois and Seth Moulton of Massachusetts also urged Biden to step aside on Friday.

They join Arizona’s Raúl Grijalva’s call on Wednesday.

In his interview, Mr Biden declined to take a cognitive test and make the results public to prove he was fit to serve another term.

“I have a cognitive test every single day. Every day I have that test – everything I do [is a test],” he told George Stephanopoulos.

This response did not resonate with Democratic congresswoman Judy Chu of California, who told Politico that his answer was “unsettling and not particularly convincing” and that she would “be watching closely… especially in spontaneous situations”.

During the 22-minute ABC interview, Mr Biden rejected suggestions allies may ask him to stand aside, saying “it’s not going to happen”.

Mr Stephanopoulos pressed the president on his capacity to serve another term.

“I don’t think anybody’s more qualified to be president or win this race than me,” Mr Biden said.

Mr Biden, who is due to speak at a rally in Pennsylvania on Sunday, thanked Vice-President Kamala Harris for her support during the ABC News interview.

Ms Harris has emerged as a top contender to replace him if he were to step down.

In an interview on Saturday at the Essence black culture festival in New Orleans, the vice-president said that November’s election was crucial to American democracy, but made no mention of Democratic disquiet about Mr Biden.

“Understand what we all know – in 122 days, we each have the power to decide what kind of country we want to live in,” she said.

She said Trump “has openly talked about his admiration of dictators and his intention to be a dictator”.

Essence was the first of a number events in July that appear to target female black voters, a key constituency for Democrats in November.

However, questions around Mr Biden’s candidacy and the potential for Ms Harris to take his place will be difficult to avoid.

Ms Harris has spent the last week close to the president, flying from Los Angeles to attend the White House 4 July celebration, sitting in a meeting with governors and Mr Biden, and also being involved in his call with Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister.

Vice-presidents have the delicate balancing act of projecting unequivocal support for their bosses while also tacitly proving they are up to the main job. That has been more so for Ms Harris as questions swirl around Mr Biden’s re-election bid.

However, some Democrats acknowledge concerns about Ms Harris as a presidential candidate. She struggled to gain her footing early in her vice-presidency as she was given responsibility for issues including immigration, student debt and voting rights.

Low approval ratings have dogged her in office, although they have improved in recent months. She has since refocused her attention on issues such as abortion rights, which Democrats believe will be crucial in November.