President Joe Biden continues to face intense pressure to quit the race for the White House after more of his fellow Democrats added their voices to calls for him to step aside on Sunday – an unwelcome distraction as the president prepares to host a major Nato summit in Washington DC this week.
In behind-closed-door crisis talks convened by House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, several representatives including Jerry Nadler, Susan Wild, Adam Smith and Mark Takano suggested it was time for Biden, 81, to make way following his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump in Atlanta last month.
Five Democrats have now come forward publicly to say the same, with vice president Kamala Harris tipped to take over as the party’s 2024 nominee and praised by the influential Adam Schiff yesterday.
But the president insisted in an ABC interview on Friday that only “the Lord Almighty” could persuade him to go, saying he remains convinced he is the right man to challenge Trump.
Biden spent his weekend on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania, speaking at a church in Philadelphia yesterday before briefly meeting with campaign staff, union members and local Democrats, including senator John Fetterman.