Some top Democrats tell CNN they want Biden out of the race this week
Summary
TLDRIn the wake of President Biden's poor debate performance, Democratic leaders and donors are reportedly urging him to step aside for the party's benefit, fearing his declining health could lead to a loss against Trump. The New York Times reports noticeable lapses in Biden's cognitive function, with European officials expressing concern. While Biden's family and close advisors remain supportive, party insiders suggest an alternative candidate may be considered to secure victory in the upcoming election.
Takeaways
- 🗓️ Biden is scheduled to meet with several Democratic governors to address their concerns following a recent debate.
- 📰 The New York Times reports that Biden's cognitive lapses are becoming more frequent, as noted by some attendees of the debate.
- 🔍 Concerns are growing within the Democratic Party, with top leaders and donors suggesting Biden should consider stepping aside for the party's and country's benefit.
- 🌐 Biden attributed his poor debate performance to fatigue from his overseas travel schedule, which was criticized by a senior European official for its impact on his physical state.
- 🤔 There is speculation that Biden's cognitive issues may be more than just travel-related, with increasing frequency of moments where he appears lost or disoriented.
- 🏛️ Former special assistant Michael LaRosa suggests that anonymous sources alone won't be enough to convince Biden's family for him to step aside.
- 🗣️ Public figures like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer would need to voice their concerns directly for any significant change to occur.
- 👥 The decision for Biden to step aside would likely involve a consensus from his close circle, including his wife, sister, and political advisors.
- 🚫 Biden's wife is unlikely to be the one to suggest he end his political aspirations, as they have supported each other's ambitions throughout their marriage.
- 🤝 There is no clear alternative to Biden within the Democratic Party, with some suggesting Vice President Harris might have an edge, while others propose an open primary.
- 📝 The White House has been cautious about discussing Biden's cognitive health, but recent events have forced them to address the issue publicly.
Q & A
What is the main topic of discussion in the provided transcript?
-The main topic is the concern about President Biden's cognitive decline and the calls from some Democratic leaders for him to step aside due to his recent poor performance in a debate and increasing lapses.
What was the reason given by President Biden for his poor debate performance?
-President Biden attributed his poor performance to fatigue from his overseas travel schedule.
According to the New York Times report, what has been the reaction of European officials to President Biden's physical state?
-The European officials have noticed a decline in President Biden's physical state and were shocked by his apparent disengagement during conversations.
What does the term 'the dam is breaking' imply in the context of this transcript?
-It implies that there is a growing sentiment among top Democratic Party leaders and donors for President Biden to step aside, indicating a potential shift in support.
What is the view from the White House regarding the calls for President Biden to step aside?
-The view from the White House is that it will take more than anonymous sources to convince President Biden and his family to step aside, suggesting a strong resistance to these calls.
Who are some of the individuals mentioned as part of President Biden's close circle of advisers?
-President Biden's close circle includes the First Lady, his sister Valerie, Margaret, the ambassador to the European Union, Mike Donlin, and Ted Kaufman.
What is the role of the First Lady in advising President Biden on political matters?
-The First Lady, while being his spouse, is not his primary political adviser. She is one of several who discuss matters with him, but she would not be the one to tell him to end his aspirations.
What are some of the concerns raised by the journalists and sources in the transcript about President Biden's cognitive health?
-The concerns include the increasing frequency, prominence, and worry of President Biden's cognitive lapses, which some believe may be more than just the result of his travel fatigue.
What is the potential plan mentioned by some party leaders regarding the Democratic nomination if President Biden steps aside?
-Some party leaders are considering the idea of opening up the nomination to all contenders, possibly having a series of debates and leaving the final decision to the convention, with the primary concern being who can beat Donald Trump.
What has been the White House's response to the concerns about President Biden's cognitive health?
-The White House has been reluctant to engage in discussions about President Biden's cognitive health, and it has been a forbidden topic. However, they have released a statement from his doctors ruling out certain conditions like Parkinson's.
What is the strategy suggested by David Sanger for the White House to address the concerns about President Biden's performance?
-David Sanger suggests that the White House should get President Biden out in various forums and interviews to demonstrate that his poor debate performance was a one-off event, although this carries the risk if he has another bad day.
Outlines
😔 Concerns Over Biden's Cognitive Decline
The first paragraph discusses President Biden's upcoming meeting with Democratic governors, prompted by their concerns following Biden's poor debate performance, which he attributed to fatigue from overseas travel. The New York Times reports that Biden's cognitive lapses are becoming more frequent, with some European officials noting a decline in his physical state. Top Democratic Party leaders and donors are reportedly urging Biden to step aside for the good of the party and the country, fearing he would lose to Donald Trump. The paragraph also includes commentary from David Sanger, who co-authored the Times piece, and Michael LaRosa, a former special assistant to Biden, who suggests that the Biden family is unlikely to be swayed by anonymous sources and that public figures like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer would need to intervene for any significant change.
🤔 Speculation on Biden's Successor and Party Strategy
The second paragraph delves into the Biden family's support for the president's political aspirations and their history of mutual support throughout their marriage. It raises questions about who could be an alternative to President Biden, with some sources suggesting Vice President Harris might have an edge, while others propose a broader primary process with debates leading up to the convention. The main concern for party leaders is identifying a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump. The paragraph also touches on Biden's age-related cognitive issues, as reported by people present during his recent interactions, and the White House's reluctance to address these concerns publicly. David Sanger notes that the White House has started to provide medical reassurances, ruling out conditions like Parkinson's disease, and suggests that Biden will need to appear in various public forums to demonstrate that his debate performance was an anomaly.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Democratic governors
💡Debate
💡Fatigue
💡The New York Times
💡Lapses
💡European officials
💡Step aside
💡Disastrous debate performance
💡Vice President Harris
💡White House
💡Political advisers
💡Speed dating pool primary
Highlights
Biden will meet with Democratic governors to discuss their concerns after a poor debate performance.
Some Democratic leaders and major donors want Biden to step aside for the good of the party and the country.
Biden's debate performance was seen as a disaster by many, raising concerns about his mental state.
European officials noticed a decline in Biden's physical state and were shocked by his behavior during meetings.
Biden's lapses in memory and focus are becoming more frequent and worrisome to those around him.
The White House has been dismissive of concerns about Biden's mental state, calling it a one-off event.
Biden's family is reportedly urging him to stay in the race despite growing concerns.
Some party leaders are considering opening up the nomination to all contenders, not just Vice President Harris.
The primary concern for Democratic leaders is finding a candidate who can beat Donald Trump in the election.
Biden's age and instances of forgetfulness have been a concern, but his doctors have ruled out serious conditions like Parkinson's.
The White House may need to have Biden participate in more public forums and interviews to demonstrate his mental acuity.
There is a debate within the Democratic Party about whether Biden's poor debate performance was due to fatigue or deeper issues.
Biden's travel schedule has been grueling, with multiple long flights across time zones, which may have contributed to his fatigue.
Some Democratic leaders believe Biden's family will not be swayed by anonymous sources and will need public pressure to consider stepping aside.
The decision for Biden to step aside would ultimately come down to a consensus among his close family and advisors.
There is no clear alternative to Biden as the Democratic nominee at this time, with some suggesting a short primary process to determine the best candidate.
Transcripts
Biden will meet with a number
of Democratic governors tomorrow.
According to multiple sources,
they sought the meeting
to discuss their concerns
in the wake of the debate,
which he blamed tonight on fatigue
from overseas travel,
according to a new report
in The New York Times.
This wasn't a one off.
The headline in The Times.
Biden's lapses are increasingly common,
according to some of those in the room.
Joining us now is David Sanger,
who shares a byline on The New York Times
piece.
Also, CNN Jamie Gangel with her own
new reporting.
Joining us as well is Michael
LaRosa, former special assistant
to President Biden and Press secretary
to the first lady.
So, Jamie, you heard Congressman Doggett
call on the president to step aside.
What are you hearing from
your Democratic sources
about where others in the party stand?
Anderson, I think it's fair to say
the dam is breaking.
Top Democratic Party
leaders, this includes
former and president
present administration officials,
as well as major party
donors, are now saying out loud
what we've been hearing
privately for days, that after
what was a disastrous debate performance,
they want President Biden to step aside
for the good of the party
and the country.
They do not think this was a
one off event or just a bad night
and they think the stakes are too high
and that, frankly,
he would lose to Donald Trump.
David, we mentioned that tonight
President Biden
blamed a poor performance
in the debate on his busy
travel schedule
in the weeks leading up to it.
You write about that in the Times, quote,
A senior European official
who was president
said that there had been a noticeable
decline in Mr.
Biden's physical state
since the previous fall
and that Europeans had been,
quote, shocked by what they saw.
The president at times
appeared out of it.
The official said
it was difficult
to engage in the
conversation while he was walking,
end quote.
To be clear,
they were saying it was more
than someone who was simply tired.
What else have you heard from
people that are in your article?
Also, a mixed picture, Anderson,
And what we set out to do with
just about the whole times
White House team and and other reporters
that we have around
Europe is reconstruct
these last three weeks
and try to answer just that question,
which is,
could this
just be from the fact that they had him
by the president's own
description tonight, very unwisely,
flying across the Atlantic twice
and then the last time from Italy
to Los Angeles for a fundraiser
and back to Washington.
So he crossed a lot of time zones.
He was certainly tired.
Staff members
who were younger than he was were
far younger than he is,
were certainly complaining about it.
But there may be something
deeper going on here
because what
the White House calls
it, a one off event.
In talking to staff members, others
who have been dealing with the president.
It's clear
that there has been
an increasing
frequency of these moments
where he is either
frozen
or lost the thread of his conversation.
And that's made a lot of people worry
and make them wonder
that whether or not
it was more than just the travel
that the travel may have made it worse,
but may not be the underlying cause.
Michael,
you know, the what we've been with
all the reporting is
that his family is telling him to
to stay in.
What do you think
their thought process is on this?
What do you have?
What would be the view
from the White House?
So you have two very respected,
very credible journalists,
and I don't doubt
a single reporting in their pieces.
I would just say it's
going to take a lot more than
blind sources to push this family out.
They're just not going to bend to
he's not going to step aside
because of blind sources
and reminds me of Ed Rendell
when he used to say
a nation of wusses
is almost like a party of wusses.
If they think that
if they want the leader of the party
to step aside,
there's probably, you know,
a lot of valid
validity, validity to what
they're saying to their concerns.
However, they have to be public about it,
like it's
going to take Nancy
Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to really be
the ones like Hugh Scott
and Barry
Goldwater and John Rhodes
did in 1974 to go down and say
there is no support for you, Mr.
President. I don't see that happening.
This is not a dam
breaking because there is one congressman
from Texas.
And all respect to Congressman Doggett.
There is one congressman
who called for Bill Clinton to resign.
In the end,
this decision would boil down to
the first lady and the president.
No, no, the first lady,
while she
is his spouse, she
is not his political adviser.
She is now she is one of several.
Valerie, his sister,
Margaret, and Steven,
the ambassador to European Union.
Mike Donlin.
Ted Kaufman.
Yes, they will.
They will discuss
this kind of thing together.
And it's usually the way
Biden world works is like there's
a committee, consensus by committee,
and then they will go to him.
But she would never be
the one to say, Joe,
I want you to end your aspirations.
She doesn't.
They have not done that for each other
throughout their 47 year marriage.
She supported his three campaigns
for president.
He supported her getting three
advanced degrees, teaching
as first lady, teaching a second lady.
They just have never lived
in each other's shadows like that.
Jamie, is it clear to you,
I mean,
who the alternative
to President Biden would be?
Is Congressman Clyburn saying, you know,
you can't pass over Vice President Harris
and, you know that
she would be the person.
Right.
And she is rejected
calls for President Biden to step aside,
which would be very inappropriate
as far as his vice president.
Look, some of our sources
think that Vice President
Harris would have an edge.
But other party leaders
we talked to are already
floating the idea
of opening it up to all contenders,
having,
let's call it
a five week speed dating pool
primary, maybe having debates between now
and the convention
and then leaving it up to the convention.
Their number one concern.
Who can beat Donald Trump, Anderson.
David, you also write
in The Times, quote,
Like many people his age, Mr.
Biden, 81, has long experienced instances
in which he mangled the sentence
for got a name or mixed up a few facts,
even though he could be sharp
and engagement was the time.
But in interviews,
people in the room with him
more recently said the lapses
seemed to be growing more frequent,
more pronounced and more worrisome.
Have those people raise concerns
internally in the White House?
It's not clear to me if they have.
And it's been sort of a forbidden topic
in the White House.
And you'll remember how sharply
the White House responded
and the president did
when the special counsel her
turned out a report
in which they referred to the president
as sounding like a sort of elderly
and forgetful man.
And they they really came down on that.
I think part of what's going on here
now is that these questions
have been whispered about for some time.
The White House has not wanted
to engage in it.
Then came the debate
and what was happening
was evident for everybody to see.
And now they've got to come up with
an explanation.
I did note that for the first time
that I can recall in recent times
his down to the White House
print out the statement saying
his doctors have ruled out
some of the things,
including Parkinson's and so forth.
It is not under
any kind of treatment for that.
That was all reassuring news.
I suspect
what's going to have to happen,
Anderson, is
that they're going to have
to get the president out
in many different forums,
interviews, public forums and so forth
if they're going to really demonstrate
that this was a one off event
and maybe they will do that,
it's a little bit high risk
if he has a bad day again the way he did
on Thursday night.
But I don't
see another way that they could
they could get at this.
David Sanger,
Jamie Gangel, Michael
LaRosa, thank you very much.
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