« JI can do the job.” Joe Biden strove on Friday to silence allegations of a possible withdrawal of his presidential candidacy, after a disastrous debate against Donald Trump which deeply shook his supporters.
“I don’t speak as fluently as I used to, I don’t speak as fluently as I used to, I don’t debate as well as I used to,” the 81-year-old Democrat acknowledged at a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina. “I give you my Biden word. I wouldn’t run again if I didn’t believe, with all my heart and soul, that I could do this job,” the American president added, however, declaring his “intention to win” this disputed southeastern state.
Obama supports Biden
No question of withdrawal of candidacy, therefore, for a president almost unrecognizable on Friday, after the 90 painful minutes he spent Thursday evening facing his 78-year-old Republican rival, between swallowed words, unfinished sentences and haggard expression. The leader subsequently received the strong support of Barack Obama – who remains one of the most respected voices in the Democratic Party.
“Bad debates happen,” the former president dismissed, assuring that this election “remained a choice” between someone “who fought his whole life for ordinary people” and Donald Trump, “who only cares about himself.” In Raleigh, Joe Biden – helped, unlike the day before, by a teleprompter – repeated all the attacks that had fallen flat during the debate, boasting about his record and his ideas. He even took a few running strides as he arrived on stage.
Donald Trump “is a wave of crime all by himself,” he said about his opponent who was criminally convicted and prosecuted in a series of cases.
“Trump ate him alive”
At his side, his wife Jill Biden, very involved in this re-election attempt, wore a dress with multiple inscriptions “Vote. »
The Biden camp therefore wants to believe that by November, the terrible impression left Thursday evening could fade, while the “lies” spouted by Donald Trump and the concerns for American democracy would take over.
It will be difficult. The Raleigh speech obviously has nothing comparable in terms of audience with the debate organized by CNN. According to the Nielsen institute, the latter gathered 48 million viewers.
“Joe Biden, a good man, a good president, is in no position to seek re-election,” wrote a columnist in the New York TimesThomas Friedman, even saying he “cried” at the performance of his “friend” Joe Biden.
Even Donald Trump’s supporters were careful not to add more. “The guy almost hurt me. Trump ate him whole,” commented Paul Meade, a 65-year-old retiree met by Agence France Presse in Chesapeake, Virginia, where the 78-year-old billionaire is expected early this afternoon.
Kamala Harris, in case of withdrawal
Vice President Kamala Harris herself acknowledged that Joe Biden had a “laborious” start but felt that he had finished “strongly” against an opponent who made a series of false claims without ever losing his calm or his aplomb. The 59-year-old Democrat will campaign in Nevada on Friday.
His name obviously appears on the list of those who could replace Joe Biden in the event of his withdrawal before November, with those of some prominent Democratic governors, such as Gavin Newsom in California or Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan.
