President Biden's political future remains uncertain in the wake of his shocking debate performance during which he appeared confused and stiff, often unable to communicate effectively. While calls for the president to bow out of the 2024 election from members of his own party increase, others, including Biden himself, say he's staying in and will win reelection.
Wednesday evening, 22 Democrat governors met with Biden at the White House to discuss his future.
After the meeting, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told reporters the governors were concerned about Biden's mental health.
"When you love someone you tell them the truth," he said. "I think that we came in and we were honest about the feedback that we were getting. We were honest about the concerns that we were hearing from people."
President Joe Biden listens during a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House, July 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said when Biden told the group he wants to stay in the race, they vowed to help him get reelected.
"President Joe Biden is in it to win it," she said. "All of us said we pledged our support to him because the stakes could not be higher."
Earlier in the day, during an all-staff campaign call, the president said he has no plans to drop out of the race, while the White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeated that message to reporters.
"The President is clear-eyed and he is staying in the race," she said.
Jean-Pierre said Biden spoke to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries to assure them he plans to continue his race and capture the White House.
"He has done this outreach, he's having these conversations," she said. "It is important to him to do so."
However, Biden reportedly told at least two people in private that he's "keeping an open mind" about his path forward, and that his upcoming public appearances are critical to determining whether he'll remain in the race.
CBN Political Analyst David Brody said it will be difficult for Biden to ease concerns about his mental health because his condition is likely to only get worse.
"The problem for Joe Biden here is that Democrats want to see him perform at a top level. And the reality is he's not at a top level," Brody said. "That means he's going to have to be error-free in the next few weeks, let alone the rest of the campaign. And that's going to be a really hard climb for Joe Biden at this point."
Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett became the first congressional Democrat to publicly call for Biden's withdrawal, followed by Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva, possibly signaling the beginning of the end.
"I think what's happening now is that we're moving from the, 'Will he resign?' stage to the, 'When will he resign?' stage," Brody said. "I think it's just a matter of time. At this point, the dam clearly has started to break. We've seen some elected congressmen, Democrat Congressmen, come out and say, 'No more, Joe.' I think that number will grow."
A new poll from The New York Times and Siena College taken after Biden's dismal debate performance shows 74 percent of Americans believe he is too old for the job.
The gap between him and former President Trump has widened to six points, with Trump ahead 49 to 43 percent.
Meanwhile, polls show Vice President Kamala Harris scoring two points higher against Trump, but still losing.
***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving the latest news.***
Did you know?
God is everywhere—even in the news. That’s why we view every news story through the lens of faith. We are committed to delivering quality independent Christian journalism you can trust. But it takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to do what we do. Help us continue to be a voice for truth in the media by supporting CBN News for as little as $1.
Support CBN News
