Senior US Democrats and donors are discussing the possibility of replacing Joe Biden as presidential nominee ahead of the party convention in August, in the wake of his disastrous showing in this week’s presidential debate with Donald Trump, Bloomberg reported on Saturday.
The news agency described the US president’s performance in his televised face-off with Trump as “catastrophic.” The 81-year-old appeared frail and confused, struggling to finish his sentences and mixing up words.
The event left Democrat donors “dismayed” and exchanging “furious emails,” Bloomberg said. “From Washington to Wall Street,” many Democratic Party members and supporters came to the conclusion that replacing Biden is now “the only hope for Democrats.”
“Finger-pointing and recriminations have gripped every level of the party,” Bloomberg reported, noting that “down-ballot Democrats will spend the rest of the campaign justifying their support” for the candidate widely perceived as unfit for office.
Mark Buell, a prominent Democratic San Francisco donor, called Thursday’s debate a “wakeup call.” If the current president were to step aside, “the responsible thing that would happen is that the money in campaign coffers would be given to another candidate who we think is plausible and exciting and can get behind, but that’s above my pay grade,” he said.
Another Democrat supporter, billionaire Mark Cuban, branded Biden’s debate performance “awful” and said he was “open to the discussion” about replacing him in the race. Some executives asked other prominent Democrats, including the Obamas, the Clintons, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to press for an alternative to Biden, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, president of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute at Yale University, told Bloomberg.
According to the media outlet, Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as governors Gavin Newsom of California and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, have been named among potential replacements for Biden in conversations between Democrats in Washington.
Former President Barack Obama appeared to be still endorsing his former vice president in the wake of the debate. “Bad nights happen. Trust me, I know,” he said on Friday. Biden’s campaign also reported raising more than $27 million between debate day and Friday evening. The Trump campaign reported receiving $8 million on Thursday.
Earlier, House Speaker Mike Johnson said the debate showed Biden was “not up to the task” and that his condition has put the US in a “very dangerous situation.” The Republican politician argued that the president should not just drop out of the race, but be removed from office immediately.
The New York Times editorial board also urged Biden to withdraw on Friday, arguing there was “no longer a sufficient rationale” for him to remain the Democratic nominee.
Biden himself has vowed to stay in the campaign. On Saturday he doubled down, saying at a fundraiser in New York that he would not be running if he did not believe he could win.