Biden tells ally he is weighing whether to withdraw from 2024 race against Trump: Live updates
President struggling to soothe Democratic fears about his health as Republican rival continues to gloat over Supreme Court immunity ruling shielding him from criminal prosecution
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Joe Biden has reportedly told a key ally he may not be able to continue with his 2024 campaign if he cannot change the American electorate’s mind about his health and well-being with his next handful of public appearances, the first indication from the president that he understands the seriousness of the damage done by his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump in Atlanta, Georgia, last week.
But Biden also said on a call with White House staff on Wednesday: “No one’s pushing me out. I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win.”
Biden, 81, has an interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News scheduled on Friday and campaign stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as he seeks to reassure voters and his party that he remains the right man to lead the country.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates wasted no time in dismissing the story, calling the claim “absolutely false” and attacking The New York Times for not giving the West Wing sufficient time to respond to its request for comment.
Biden campaign raises more money in June than Trump despite disastrous debate
The president’s campaign raised more than Trump in June, despite his disastrous debate performance last week.
The Biden team raised $127m last month, compared to his Republican rival’s $111.8m, according to announcements from the two campaigns on Tuesday.
The president’s June fundraising haul includes $38m in the four days after the Atlanta debate, which is at least encouraging for Democrats.
Martha McHardy reports.
![](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/07/02/19/GettyImages-2159035036.jpg?quality=75&width=1200&auto=webp)
Biden campaign raises more money than Trump in June despite disastrous debate
The president’s June fundraising haul includes $38m in the four days after the 2024 debate
How Biden’s potential replacements have reacted to rumors they could step in
President Biden’s debate performance on Thursday sent Democrats into a tailspin of panic.
But while the party has an abundance of young talent, any ambitious politician who comes forward to say Biden should step aside immediately risks becoming a pariah.
That may be why, for the time being, only a single sitting Democrat has spoken out about replacing the president at the top of the ticket.
Eric Garcia reports on what his potential successors have been saying instead.
![](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/07/02/14/INDYCOMP_US_HARRIS_4WAY_RR.jpg?quality=75&width=1200&auto=webp)
How Biden’s potential replacements have responded to post-debate rumors
So far, most Democrats have publicly stuck by Biden after his disastrous debate performance
‘Enough is enough’: Marianne Williamson volunteers to be Democrats’ saviour
Don’t ever change, Marianne.
“President Biden deserves our respect, and our compassion, and our gratitude,” she says in a new five-minute video statement posted to X.
“But the debate on Thursday night made it very clear that the Democrats need a new nominee on the ballot in November.”
The former self-help guru, 72, is once more throwing her hat in the ring and calling on the party to “recalibrate” and hold an open nomination at its convention in Chicago in August.
RFK Jr confronted with allegations about barbecued dogs and sexual assault
And you thought Joe Biden was having a rough week...
He says the accusations are “garbage” but that he is not a “church boy” (?) and had a “rambunctious youth”.
Trump-backed challenger ousts Freedom Caucus chair Bob Good in revenge for DeSantis support
The GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee has taken his revenge against the chair of the House Freedom Caucus in a primary that proves his endorsement is still a kingmaker within the Republican Party.
The race in Virginia’s 5th district was called Tuesday afternoon, with all 24 localities reporting.
Virginia’s Department of Elections declared that John McGuire, a retired Navy SEAL and state senator, won the primary with 31,209 votes compared to representative Bob Good’s 31,583, creating a margin of just 374 votes.
The results took days to come in as the race remained on a knife edge and Good, who earned Trump’s animosity by backing Florida governor Ron DeSantis in the primaries, has already said that he will ask for a recount.
Here’s more from John Bowden and Eric Garcia.
![](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/06/18/23/GettyImages-2153411579.jpg?quality=75&width=1200&auto=webp)
Trump starts his Revenge Tour by ousting Freedom Caucus chair Bob Good
Bob Good tried to make amends with trip to New York to support Trump in court, but ultimately failed
Trump sneaker line sues over knockoffs
The company behind Trump’s line of vulgar “Never Surrender” high-top sneakers has filed a lawsuit alleging trademark and copyright infringement against a number of retailers it accuses of marketing and selling knockoff versions of the shoes online.
And one of their customers appears to be MAGA favourite Lauren Boebert!
Here’s our story.
![](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/02/18/06/GettyImages-2018463118.jpg?quality=75&width=1200&auto=webp)
Trump sneaker manufacturer sues over knockoffs
Company behind former president’s gold high-tops files lawsuit against online retailers selling unlicensed replicas, hoping to reclaim ‘any and all profits’ from their illicit reproduction
Trump on the importance of ratings: ‘You can be evil, horrible, cruel, or elegant'
Ramin Setoodeh, author of the new book Apprentice in Wonderland, is proving a real thorn in Trump’s side and yesterday emerged with fresh audio in which the Republican offers some revealing thoughts on the oxygen of publicity.
Here’s some of our previous reporting on the writer’s other revelations from the six interviews he conducted with the the former reality TV star turned aspiring dictator.
![](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/06/18/22/SEI209346960.jpg?quality=75&width=1200&auto=webp)
Trump ‘still believed he had foreign policy powers after leaving White House’
Ramin Setoodeh says former president ‘deflated, conflicted and angry’ during post-presidency interviews and told him at one point he ‘needed to go upstairs to deal with Afghanistan’
Ivanka to attend RNC as she calls Trump’s conviction ‘painful’
Trump’s daughter plans to attend the upcoming Republican National Convention (RNC) and witness his formal nomination as the GOP’s presidential candidate, despite maintaining more public distance from his political machine in recent months.
Josh Marcus reports.
![](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/04/22/18/GettyImages-1197785192-1.jpg?quality=75&width=1200&auto=webp)
Ivanka to attend RNC for her dad’s nomination as she calls his conviction ‘painful’
Decision comes as Trump sentencing in hush money case delayed until after convention
Democratic congressman says Trump will win election ‘and I’m OK with that’
If the Doggett line weren’t bad enough for Biden, Jared Golden of Maine is also distancing himself from the president in an op-ed in his state’s Bangor Daily News.
Golden writes that Biden’s debate performance “didn’t rattle me as it has others, because the outcome of this election has been clear to me for months: While I don’t plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win. And I’m OK with that.”
He continues: “There are winners and losers in every election. Democrats’ post-debate hand-wringing is based on the idea that a Trump victory is not just a political loss, but a unique threat to our democracy. I reject the premise.
“Unlike Biden and many others, I refuse to participate in a campaign to scare voters with the idea that Trump will end our democratic system.”
Golden argues that the election is about the economy, not democracy and “when it comes to our economy, our Congress matters far more than who occupies the White House”.
First Democratic lawmaker calls for Biden to drop out of 2024 race
Representative Lloyd Doggett of Texas has called for Biden to end his re-election campaign, marking the first time a sitting Democratic member of Congress has supported the president dropping out of the race.
Biden has run “substantially behind” other Democratic candidates in high-stakes races, has trailed Trump in most polls and then “failed” to expose his Republican rival’s lies during the debate, according to Doggett.
“Our overriding consideration must be who has the best hope of saving our democracy from an authoritarian takeover by a criminal and his gang,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Alex Woodward reports.
![](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/07/02/18/2156221770.jpg?quality=75&width=1200&auto=webp)
Texas congressman is first Democratic lawmaker calling for Biden to drop out
Biden’s loss risks an ‘authoritarian takeover by a criminal and his gang,’ according to Rep. Lloyd Doggett
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