No truce despite national holiday for Biden, in the midst of a crisis over his candidacy

US President Joe Biden continues on Thursday face the storm triggered by his poor debate in front of him. Donald Trump a week ago, the controversy surrounding his ability to &agrav; govern four years longer despite his advanced age; never ending swelling.

According to CNN and the New York Times on Thursday, citing anonymous sources, Joe Biden told Democratic officials during a meeting the day before that he should get more sleep and not plan any more events after 8:00 p.m.

Remarks that frustrated several governors present, according to CNN.

After this meeting, which aimed to reassure his camp, the Democratic governors of several American states publicly confirmed their support for him.

“It was a good conversation with the president and vice president because she was honest,” said Maryland Governor Wes Moore. “We said we would support it.”

The Democratic president, 81, is facing increasing calls to withdraw his candidacy for the November presidential election due to serious concerns about his state of health. shape.

But the White House on Wednesday flatly rejected the possibility that he would withdraw from the race for a second term. The president is “absolutely not” considering throwing in the towel, said his spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre.

Governors Tim Walz (right), Wes Moore (left) and Kathy Hochul speak to the press in Washington on July 3, 2024 after speaking with Joe Biden © AFP – Jim WATSON

Joe Biden is multiplying interventions to try to put out the fire – but Independence Day, a holiday celebrated by American families across the country, did not seem to bring any truce on Thursday.

“I was bad in a debate,” he admitted again during an interview with a local Pennsylvania radio station broadcast Thursday morning. But “90 minutes on stage does not erase what I did for three and a half years,” he argued.

To celebrate the American National Day, Joe Biden must attend a barbecue in the afternoon with soldiers in Washington, in the company of First Lady Jill Biden.

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His every move will then be closely scrutinized when he speaks in the evening, before attending the traditional fireworks, accompanied by his vice -President Kamala Harris, who continues to support him unfailingly in public.

– Cold –

The White House justified Joe Biden's disastrous performance during the debate – staring into space, muddled sentences… – by “a cold” and “jet lag” resulting from international travel.

Adding to the confusion, a White House spokesperson said Thursday that the Democratic president had “been seen” by a doctor for his cold a few days after the debate. However, the White House had on the contrary affirmed on Wednesday that Joe Biden had not been subjected to a medical examination since his health check in February.

After staying in a initially rather withdrawn in the face of his opponent's setbacks, Donald Trump for his part seemed to adopt a more offensive strategy on Thursday.

Joe Biden “strangled himself like a dog during the debate,” he said on his Truth Social network.

< IMG Alt = "AFP" src = "https://img-4.linternaute.com/xsvwidhgxbdgvbio2ijl=/600x/smart/91f0c6f596d642b29b803b460e2140a2/ccmcms-lintern PG " /> Donald Trump (l) and Joe Biden during a CNN debate on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia © AFP – ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS

The Republican billionaire also posted a video showing him on a golf cart and talking to unidentified people.

“I destroyed that good-for-nothing old scumbag” during the debate, Donald Trump says in this video filmed at an unknown date. “That means we end up with Kamala,” he adds, referring to Kamala Harris. “She's so bad, so pathetic.”

– Crucial interventions in sight –

On Friday, Joe Biden is scheduled to hold a campaign rally in Madison, in the decisive state of Wisconsin, and then give an interview to ABC television that is already shaping up to be crucial.

He is also scheduled to hold a press conference next week.

The goal of these interventions in front of the press: to prove one's ability to express oneself without a teleprompter and to silence the doubts that have settled on one's abilities.

Two Democratic congressmen openly called this week to find a candidate more vigorous than Joe Biden for the presidential election.

Without going that far, Democratic congressman Jared Huffman called on his party on Thursday to “admit that this was not just a bad evening.”

Major newspapers, including the editorial board of the New York Times, have called for Joe Biden to withdraw his candidacy. The British newspaper The Economist did the same, publishing a murderous front page showing a walker wearing the presidential insignia.

Two polls released Wednesday showed Donald Trump has a clear lead in national voting intentions.

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