Criticism from the Senate and Hollywood Pelosi, Clooney - Schumer too? Support for Biden is crumbling
Biden was actually supposed to shine at the NATO summit. But the debate about his political future is overshadowing everything. And the criticism is coming from ever more prominent quarters.
11.07.2024, 05:10
11.07.2024, 11:57
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- In a TV interview, top Democratic politician Nancy Pelosi refused to say clearly whether US President Joe Biden should remain in the race for the presidential candidacy.
- Pelosi's comments are just the latest example of how Biden's support within the party continues to crumble.
- Peter Welch is the first senator to openly call on Biden to withdraw.
- According to a report, the Democratic majority leader in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, has also shown himself open to donors to replace Biden.
Sometimes silence is louder than words: In a TV interview, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi refused to say clearly whether US President Joe Biden should remain in the race for the presidential candidacy. Instead, she called on the 81-year-old to make a decision about his candidacy. Pelosi's subtle distancing from Biden weighs heavily and reverberates. It is just the latest example of how Biden's support within the party continues to crumble. And even some of Biden's financially strong supporters in Hollywood are no longer keeping their feet still.
Report: Schumer considers Biden alternative possible
Meanwhile, the situation for Biden continues to deteriorate in Washington. Peter Welch is the first senator to openly call on Biden to withdraw. And according to a report, the Democratic majority leader in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, has also shown himself open to donors to replace Biden. This was reported by the news portal Axios, citing two unnamed sources. Schumer had previously publicly backed Biden. In response to the report, his office merely stated that Schumer supports Biden and will continue to work to ensure that Republican Donald Trump is defeated in November. The public judgment of another Biden supporter earlier came with the force of a thunderclap: Hollywood star George Clooney settled accounts with Biden's candidacy in the "New York Times" and called on him to resign.
If Schumer also turns against Biden so publicly, the 81-year-old could finally lose support in Congress. The fate of Biden's candidacy could then be sealed. Pelosi's words are already a slap in the face for Biden. She is not just a close confidante of Biden. The former leader of the US House of Representatives is also a powerful figure in the Democratic Party.
Pelosi puts pressure on Biden
On "Morning Joe", supposedly Biden's favorite political breakfast TV show, the 84-year-old said: "It's up to the president to decide whether he runs." She added: "We all encourage him to make that decision. Time is running out." When the moderator pointed out that Biden had apparently already decided to stay in the race, Pelosi responded evasively.
Instead, she added: "He is loved, he is respected, and people want him to make this decision." After Biden's TV debacle against Republican challenger Donald Trump, Pelosi had initially stood firmly behind the US President. However, last week Pelosi expressed her first doubts and said that it was a "legitimate question" whether Biden's blunder in the TV duel was "just an episode or a condition".
At 84, Pelosi herself is no longer the youngest. She is standing for re-election to the US House of Representatives in November. The well-known Democratic Senator John Fetterman, who is backing Biden, reacted with surprise to Pelosi's latest statements. "It's settled. It's strange that she would say something like that." Hours after Pelosi's interview, another congressman turned on Biden.
A clenched fist against criticism
Biden is currently fighting to save his candidacy for the presidential election in November. There is a debate in the USA as to whether Biden is the right candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination due to his advanced age. Since his disastrous performance in the TV duel against Trump, Biden has had to put up with increasing questions about his mental fitness. However, he reacts defiantly to criticism and sometimes appears stubborn. So far, he has vehemently ruled out dropping out of the race.
At the NATO summit, Biden countered a journalist's question as to whether Nancy Pelosi was still behind his presidential candidacy with a clenched fist. The scene occurred when the heads of state and government of the 32 NATO states gathered for a family photo. Biden's self-confident counterattack brought a smile to the face of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was standing diagonally behind him.
The important summit of the defense alliance in the US capital Washington should actually be demanding Biden's full attention at the moment - but the unrest in his party should be keeping Biden just as busy.
Republicans attack
Meanwhile, the Republicans are stepping up their attacks on Biden. The chairman of the important oversight committee in the House of Representatives summoned several senior White House staffers. The Republicans accuse Biden's entourage of covering up his state of health. Among those subpoenaed is a close advisor to First Lady Jill Biden. It remains to be seen whether the subpoenaed individuals will actually testify. The Republicans accuse Biden of being mentally unfit to hold office. Journalist answers Biden's question from a passer-by.
The Democrats have not yet reached a critical mass against Biden. But the doubts continue - and new calls for his resignation are added every day. Today, an endurance test awaits the Democrat: The final press conference of the NATO summit. There, Biden will have to face questions from the press without a teleprompter. It is precisely at such moments that he tends to make mistakes and slip-ups.
Biden has also announced a new TV interview to show that he can hold his own in a situation without a prompter. On Monday evening (German night to Tuesday) he will face questions from NBC journalist Lester Holt. Last week, Biden gave his first post-debate interview to ABC and emphasized that only God could make him withdraw.
The journalist who interviewed Biden was George Stephanopoulos - who of all people has now made an explosive statement. A video shows the journalist in New York saying that Biden could not stay in office for another four years. "Earlier, I answered a question from a passer-by. I shouldn't have done that," US media quoted Stephanopoulos' spokesperson as saying.
Clooney settles accounts with Biden
Rather without remorse, actor George Clooney was scathing about Biden in an opinion piece in the "New York Times". The 63-year-old bluntly called on the US President to withdraw from the race. One battle he could not win, he said, was the fight against time. Successful director and producer Rob Reiner ("When Harry Met Sally") joined Clooney and wrote: "Democracy is facing an existential threat. We need someone younger to fight back. Joe Biden needs to make room." Biden is supported by various stars - Hollywood is considered to be rather liberal.
Just a few weeks ago, Clooney collected millions in donations for Biden's election campaign in Los Angeles at a campaign event with other stars such as Julia Roberts. Biden had traveled directly from the G7 summit in Italy to Hollywood to take part in the glamorous event. Commenting on the event, the actor wrote: "He was the same man we all saw at the debate."
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