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The Diplomatic Room, located on the first floor of the White House, is a charming room decorated in pastel tones and typically used for formal photos of the president with his guests at Christmas parties and various other celebrations. Because it is smaller than the large room on the main floor, it was chosen on Thursday, February 8, for Joe Biden to appear before the press after the shocking report released by Special Counsel Robert Hur. .
The document exonerated Biden of misappropriating classified materials but called into question his memory and mental acuity. The idea was to demonstrate superior mental abilities in front of cameras in a more secluded environment, where presidents typically perform better than in front of a crowd. The result was the opposite. Various gaffes he made during the session fueled controversy over whether he was fit to run for his second term.
White House and Democratic Party insiders came out en masse to defend the president, who confused Egypt and Mexico during a heated exchange with reporters and stopped midway through to explain about his deceased son Beau’s rosary. Ta. “No one works here.” [agrees with Hur’s report]. Biden’s press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said at her regular press conference Friday that she works extremely hard, understands the feelings of Americans and fully understands how to respond to issues that are important to them. I consider him to be a person.
The prosecutor’s report describes Biden as “an old man with a poor memory.” His defenders are horrified by this image, arguing that it is a caricature far removed from what they perceive on a daily basis.
“Biden’s age is the biggest obstacle to his re-election, and this statement could be very damaging,” Dan Pfeiffer acknowledged on his blog. He served as an adviser to Biden in the Obama administration (2009-2017), when he served as vice president.
Mr. Xu’s report sparked a debate that had been quietly debated for some time over the president’s eligibility for re-election. Photos, videos and memes depicting his stiff gait, falls and failures abound on social media. Polls show he is the least popular US president since George W. Bush, while ranking second only to his expected Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, ahead of November’s election. ing.questionnaire for new york times A November 2023 poll showed that 70% of voters in battleground states agreed that Biden was “too old to be an effective president.” Only half thought the same about the Republican candidate, who is four years younger than Biden. Trump has also confused names and events in public.
Still, the Democratic Party remains steadfastly behind Biden, who has always struggled with public speaking (he stuttered as a child) and has been prone to gaffes throughout his political career. His supporters point to his management of the economy, which has unemployment at its lowest in half a century, and his normalization of relations with allies after the turmoil of the Trump administration. They also remember that similar arguments have already been raised about Biden’s age and popularity in 2019 and 2020. Although early results in the 2020 Democratic primary were disappointing, he ultimately prevailed and won the general election. Although turnout was quite low in the 2024 primary, Mr. Biden achieved a landslide victory.
Biden has shown no signs of reconsidering his candidacy. He believes he is the best person to defeat Trump again in November. Last Thursday, when a journalist asked about voters’ concerns about the president’s age, the president angrily insisted that this was simply the reporter’s opinion.
In modern times, neither of America’s two major political parties has attempted to replace their candidates. In 2016, then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton passed out while attending a ceremony commemorating the September 11, 2001 attacks. The incident caused Donna Brazile, then acting Democratic National Committee chair, to briefly consider that possibility. But Brazil quickly abandoned the idea (as he writes in his memoirs). A similar incident occurred in the Republican camp that year, with a leaked conversation in which President Trump said there would be no consequences for grabbing a woman “by the pussy.” But then-Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus declared there was “no mechanism” to exclude candidates.
If Biden changes his mind, he could propose a replacement at the Democratic National Convention in August, when he will formalize his nomination for the 2024 presidential nomination. The organization’s rules stipulate that delegates voting in its forums are “entrusted” to candidates, but not “delegated.” They must “honestly” represent the views of their appointees.
There is little precedent for a direct appointment by a convention. The last time was in 1968, when incumbent Democratic President Lyndon Johnson decided not to seek re-election. Vice President Hubert Humphrey was nominated at the party’s convention in Chicago (the same city where this year’s convention will be held) after a tumultuous few days following the assassination of Sen. Robert Kennedy, a favorite of Democratic voters. Ta. Humphrey ultimately suffered a landslide defeat against Republican Richard Nixon.
If such a situation were to arise, one of the questions the party would face would be who would replace Mr. Biden, who is virtually unopposed in the Democratic primary. Vice President Kamala Harris’ approval rating is even lower than his. Other candidates, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, are also fiercely loyal to the president. They seem to be aiming for 2028.
For now, Biden’s supporters intend to continue staunchly defending the president.Recent new york times The editorial suggests that the occupant of the White House should appear in public more often.[Biden must] He reassures the public and builds trust by doing something he has not tried to do convincingly before… [He must do] Increase town hall meetings in local communities and on national television. He should hold regular press conferences and provide command and direction for leading the country. ”
Meanwhile, his Republican rival, Donald Trump, has chosen to remain silent on the age debate, instead focusing on the key issues in Huh’s report: The film focuses on how the country was legally exonerated for its mishandling of classified documents. . The former president, who is facing 41 charges of improperly preserving more materials, said that if prosecutors acquit the current occupant of the White House, “they won’t have any charges against me either.” It should not be done.”
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