Press
Biden’s botched TV debate is having further repercussions. A New York Times report about the US President’s alleged thoughts of resigning was promptly followed by a clear denial from the White House.
Washington – The White House has rejected a report in the New York Times suggesting that US President Joe Biden is considering withdrawing from the presidential race. “This claim is absolutely false,” a spokesman for the government headquarters said when asked. “If the New York Times had given us more than seven minutes to comment on this, we would have told them so.”
The newspaper’s report says that Biden spoke to a “key ally” about it. According to the ally, the 81-year-old said that he knew he might not be able to save his candidacy if he could not convince the public of his suitability as a presidential candidate in the coming days.
Last week, Biden put in a disastrous performance in a TV debate against his challenger Donald Trump. Meanwhile, pressure on the Democrat is also growing within his own ranks. The party’s best-known faces have so far refrained from harsh criticism and are publicly supporting Biden.
The White House is trying to dispel doubts about his suitability for the office and to make people forget his botched television appearance as best it can.
Biden plans to meet with Democratic governors today to secure their support. He plans to give a television interview on Friday. Campaign appearances in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are also planned for the coming days. Next week he plans to hold a press conference at the NATO summit in Washington.
Shortly after the New York Times report appeared, the US broadcaster CNN published a report with similar content, citing an ally. It was unclear whether the person was the same source. When asked what statement the White House would make on the matter, the spokesman answered curtly: “The same.” dpa
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