Post Biden-Trump debate poll finds 4 in 10 Democrats think party should replace president as 2024 nominee: Live

Biden and Republican challenger squared off last week at CNN-moderated debate in Atlanta, Georgia, that went badly for the commander-in-chief as he pursues a second term in the White House aged 81

Biden addresses debate performance: ‘I don’t debate as well as I used to’

Joe Biden should be removed as the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nominee following his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump, according to 41 percent of Democratic voters surveyed in a new poll by USA Today/Suffolk University, the latest blow to his ailing campaign.

The president, 81, met with his family at Camp David in Maryland on Sunday to discuss his political future in the wake of his frail, confused appearance in Atlanta last week, which only heightened doubts about his cognitive ability and sparked calls for him to drop out of the race for the White House.

Biden’s family reportedly encouraged him to stay the course as he spent Sunday with First Lady Jill Biden, his children, and grandchildren, with the possibility of firing campaign advisers said to have been discussed.

Top Democrats are believed to have been in crisis talks over the last three days amid speculation the party could move to replace Biden with another candidate.

US Vice President Kamala Harris, Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Governors Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, Wes Moore, and JB Pritzker have all been named as possible emergency successors.

Key Points

• Post-debate poll finds four in 10 Democrats think party should replace Biden as 2024 nominee
• President meets family at Camp David as calls mount for him to quit US presidential race
• Biden clan tries to blame campaign staff for disastrous debate performance
• Top Democrat admits party is having ‘serious’ talks about dropping Biden
• US Supreme Court awards Trump some immunity from prosecution

[1 July 2024 12:00 · Joe Sommerlad]

Pelosi attacks Trump and says he might have ‘dementia’ after Biden’s rocky debate

Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi went on the attack on Sunday, coming to the defense of Joe Biden following his disastrous debate performance last week.

Pelosi, responding to calls from some Democrats and newspaper editorial boards for Biden to step aside and polling showing that a clear majority of Americans believe that he does not have the mental faculties to be president, pivoted to attacking the Republican candidate instead.

“There are healthcare professionals who think that Trump has dementia,” she told CNN.

“If we’re just talking about mental acuity, let’s be fair about it. Not even that he lies, that he doesn’t know the truth.”

Here’s what Trump thought of her remarks, by the way.

John Bowden has more.

[1 July 2024 11:30 · Joe Sommerlad]

Biden clan tries to blame campaign staff for disastrous debate performance

The president’s family has blamed his campaign team for his disastrous debate performance on Thursday, questioning whether top advisers should be fired while insisting he should remain in the White House race.

James Liddell has more.

[1 July 2024 11:00 · Joe Sommerlad]

Raskin admits Democrats are having ‘serious’ talks about dropping Biden

One of the president’s most influential allies in the House of Representatives, Jamie Raskin, became the first elected Democrat to admit to a news program on the record this weekend that his party is having “serious conversations” about whether Joe Biden should continue as the Democrats’ presidential nominee.

Raskin appeared for an interview with Ali Velshi on MSNBC and explained that the party would be unified in the fall — whether it was behind Biden, or another nominee he indicated the party could possibly choose before then.

“Obviously, there was a big problem with Joe Biden’s debate performance,” Raskins said.

“And there’s also just a tremendous reservoir of affection and love for Joe Biden in our party. So this makes it a difficult situation for everybody, but there are very honest and serious, rigorous, conversations taking place at every level of our party.

“One thing I can tell you is that regardless of what President Biden decides, our party is going to be unified... And so whether he’s the candidate or someone else is the candidate, he is going to be the keynote speaker at our convention, he will be the figure that we rally around to move forward and beat the forces of authoritarianism and reaction in the country.”

John Bowden reports.

[1 July 2024 10:30 · Joe Sommerlad]

Biden meets family at Camp David as calls mount for him to quit US presidential race

Joe Biden met with his family at Camp David in Maryland on Sunday to discuss his political future after Thursday’s disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump, which only heightened doubts about his cognitive ability and sparked calls for him to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.

The president’s family reportedly encouraged him to stay the course as he spent the day with first lady Jill Biden, his children and grandchildren, with the possibility of firing campaign advisers said to have been discussed.

Here’s more from Shweta Sharma.

[1 July 2024 10:00 · John Bowden]

Fetterman defends Biden debate flub

Joe Biden’s defenders rallied to his side on Sunday across the cable news circuit and rejected calls for the president to drop out of the 2024 race.

Chief among them was John Fetterman, whose own rocky debate performance in 2022 following a stroke was thought by some to have been a death knell of the now-senator’s campaign.

The Pennsylvania senator appeared on Fox News Sunday, where host Shannon Bream asked him about calls from Democratic supporters as well as media outlets such as The New York Times and Atlanta Journal-Constitution arguing that the president should immediately step aside and allow Democrats to pick a successor.

“There’s no value in any of those things,” Fetterman told Bream, after mockingly clutching his cheeks and quipping, “oh no!”.

“There was the same kind of a freakout after my debate, and in fact I might even say that I had a more difficult evening than the president did. And here I am right now, having this conversation.”

[1 July 2024 08:00 · Ariana Baio]

Lincoln project releases ad calling Trump a ‘liar'

[1 July 2024 00:00 · Ariana Baio]

Voices: Biden and Trump show it’s time we had upper age limits for the elderly

“You might think these three are exceptions to the rule. Most people in their dotage are delightful, quietly getting on with their retirement by making jam and sucking on endless Werther’s Originals, or volunteering with local charities, where they like to teach the paid employees a thing or two…

We also cannot ignore that these three examples are all men. And it does seem to be a particularly (though not uniquely) male tendency to become an ever more braggadocious know-it-all as time goes on.”

Will Gore writes:

[30 June 2024 23:00 · Ariana Baio]

Biden campaign raised $33 million since debate

The Biden campaign announced they have raised more than $33 million since the first presidential debate on Thursday, including $26 million from grassroots donations – amid concerns from Democrats about his ability to win the 2024 presidential election.

The campaign said that Thursday was their best grassroots fundraising day and Friday was the second best.

[30 June 2024 22:00 · Ariana Baio]

Catch up before the Supreme Court’s decision tomorrow

The Supreme Court will decide if Donald Trump, or any future president, is immune from criminal prosecution tomorrow.

Here’s what to know before the decision drops.

Alex Woodward reports:

[30 June 2024 21:00 · Ariana Baio]

Fetterman defends Biden debate flub amid calls for president to drop out of the race

Joe Biden’s defenders rallied to his side on Sunday across the cable news circuit and rejected calls for the president to drop out of the 2024 race.

Chief among them was John Fetterman, whose own rocky debate performance in 2022 following a stroke was thought by some to have been a death knell of the now-senator’s campaign.

John Bowden reports: