Increasing Calls for Joe Biden to Withdraw from Election Race

Despite the "strong" support of senior Democratic Party representatives for Joe Biden as their candidate for the November presidential election, a growing number of Democrats are calling for his replacement due to his age. Democrats have described Biden's performance in the first debate against Donald Trump as "weak," and Biden has acknowledged this but insists he will continue his campaign. Reuters reported that one in three Democrats wants Biden to withdraw from the election and be replaced by someone else. The report adds that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has also expressed concern over Biden's weak performance in the debate, and 25 Democratic representatives are preparing to formally request Biden to withdraw from the election. Senior Democratic Party members have rejected the idea of sidelining Biden from the election. One of the notable issues from the first debate, held on June 28, was Biden's distraction. The U.S. President, who had a weak and hoarse voice from the start of the debate, appeared several times with a blank and bewildered expression towards Trump or stared blankly at the television cameras during Trump's remarks. Reuters writes that some Democratic donors have called for Biden to step down, and Democrats are openly worried that he may not be prepared to defeat Trump in the November 5 election. Meanwhile, a joint poll by Reuters and Ipsos conducted after the debate shows that one in three Democrats believes Biden should end his efforts for re-election. Lloyd Doggett, a Democratic representative from Texas, was the first Biden ally in Congress to call for his withdrawal and expressed hope that other Democratic lawmakers would follow suit. Kamala Harris, Biden's Vice President, responded to these remarks in an interview with CBS, stating, "Biden is our representative; we defeated Trump once, and we will defeat him again." Despite continuing to support Biden, Pelosi has expressed concern about the President's performance in the first debate and stated that both candidates should be examined. In the U.S. presidential election, 78-year-old Trump is competing against 81-year-old Biden. On Friday, Biden responded to concerns about his debate performance by saying he is no longer young and lacks youthful energy: "I don't walk and debate as easily as I used to, but I know how to tell the truth and how to handle this job (the presidency)." Biden is preparing for an interview with ABC this week to showcase his ability to answer "tough questions." He will also have meetings with state governors and is scheduled to attend a NATO meeting next week.