President Joe Biden is planning to retreat with close family members to discuss his reelection path after a poor debate performance on Thursday night against former President Donald Trump. NBC News reports that Biden will meet with his family at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland following a debate that left many fellow Democrats concerned about his ability to defeat Trump in the fall, per five sources.
The outlet mentioned that the trip had been planned prior to the debate. The president and First Lady Jill Biden joined their children and grandchildren late on Saturday. “So far, the party’s top leaders have offered public support for Biden, including in tweets posted by former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Senior congressional Democrats, including Reps. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Jim Clyburn of South Carolina and Nancy Pelosi of California, have privately expressed concerns about his viability, said two sources apprised of those discussions, even as they all publicly back the president,” NBC reported.
NBC added: “One Democratic House member who believes Biden should drop out of the race — but has yet to call for that publicly — told NBC News that three colleagues expressed the same sentiment to him during votes on the House floor Friday.” House Democratic leaders are publicly supporting the president, but privately, they are expressing doubts about his chances against Trump.
NBC noted further:
At the same time, there is an understanding among top Democrats that Biden should be given space to determine next steps. They believe only the president, in consultation with his family, can decide whether to move forward or to end his campaign early — and that he won’t respond well to being pushed.
“The decision-makers are two people — it’s the president and his wife,” said one source familiar with the situation, NBC reported. The source noted further: “Anyone who doesn’t understand how deeply personal and familial this decision will be isn’t knowledgeable about the situation.” One source told NBC that the only person who has any sway at all with the president his the first lady. “The only person who has ultimate influence with him is the first lady,” that person told NBC. “If she decides there should be a change of course, there will be a change of course.”
Top-rated SiriusXM podcaster Megyn Kelly turned heads with a stunning prediction following Biden’s rocky first debate after many believed the 45th president clearly won. Kelly reacted to the debate by questioning whether Biden could serve out his current term, much less serve another four years if he is victorious in November.
“I want to talk to you directly about what we just saw on stage in Atlanta. In my view, it is over for Joe Biden. His presidential campaign came to an end tonight, whether he knows it or not. There will be meetings tonight, first thing tomorrow, and for the foreseeable future among Democratic Party leaders about how to get him off the ticket,” she said.
“Already, we are seeing some reaction come in from top Democrats who rarely criticize the president suggesting he needs to have a serious look at his performance tonight and assess for himself whether he can go forward. That number will only mount. There will be more and more. It was an unmitigated disaster,” she continued. “It was uncomfortable to watch. I sat with my family and friends and, for the first 25 minutes of the debate, we kept grabbing each other’s arms. It was so jarring. He was so distant, so frail, so hard to comprehend, so unsteady. I honestly didn’t know whether he was going to make it through the answer, never mind through the debate or through a second term.”
The former Fox News star went on: “The contrast between Joe Biden and Donald Trump has never been more stark. Trump came out calm, cool, collected. He looked comfortable. Donald Trump, Jr. tweeted that he thinks the format actually helped his father stay composed and presidential. I think he is right. The inability for him to interrupt Biden due to the microphone situation did wind up helping Trump. He maintained his dignity for the most part. He was in control and strong the entire time – unlike his opponent. I have never seen anything like that. I have never seen a politician at any level perform like Joe Biden performed tonight.
“And not only do I have questions about whether he will be his party’s nominee, I have questions about whether he can possibly serve out his term. He is the president of the United States right now – that man, who couldn’t spit out numbers, say trillion or billion correctly, and lied to every answer because he seemed confused. How was that our leader? How are the Democrats going to nominate that man? And shame on you, Jill Biden, for allowing that,” Kelly continued.
“I want answers from all these top Democrats who have been telling us how robust he is behind the scenes. That is who I want to hear from most. You lied. Did you not think this moment was going to come? Did you think we would never see this? Why did you agree to put him out on the debate stage when you knew what the truth was and that we would eventually find it out for ourselves?” she asked.
“It is a dark day for this country. He is our leader. No one wants to see him embarrassed, but we embarrassed ourselves tonight. That is our president, and he could very well win a second term if the Democrats continue their lawfare and don’t do the responsible thing here,” she concluded.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.