Biden continues to fall behind Trump in polls as he admits he ‘screwed up’ debate: Live

Democrat concedes he had ‘a bad night’ on stage in Atlanta as Republican rival sneers at possibility of Kamala Harris succeeding him

White House says Biden 'staying in the race' for re-election

Joe Biden has conceded he “screwed up” at last week’s disastrous CNN presidential debate against Donald Trump in Atlanta, Georgia, as pressure on him to step aside continues to mount amid a deluge of worrying polling, particularly related to key battleground states.

“I had a bad night,” the president told a Wisconsin radio host on Thursday.

“And the fact of the matter is that I screwed up. I made a mistake. That’s 90 minutes on stage, look at what I’ve done in three-and-a-half years.”

On Wednesday, Biden hotly denied he was dropping out and met with Democratic governors to reassure them about his readiness for the fight.

Meanwhile, a gloating Trump has posted a video to Truth Social in which he is seen falsely claiming that the embattled president has already quit the race for the White House, referring to him as “broken down pile of c***” and ridiculing his vice president Kamala Harris as “pathetic”.

The Republican presidential candidate has largely resisted the lure of the limelight in recent days, preferring to allow the crisis engulfing the Democrats over Biden’s health and fitness to serve another term to play out naturally.

Key Points

• Biden admits he ‘screwed up’ in first Trump debate
• Trump falsely claims ‘broken down’ Biden is quitting White House race and derides ‘pathetic’ Harris
• Biden insists ‘I’m not leaving’ as allies prepare for campaign end
• White House staffers preparing to move Kamala to the top of the ticket: ‘It’s a case of when, not if’
• Michelle Obama is the only Democrat who can beat Trump, new poll finds

[4 July 2024 16:00 · Joe Sommerlad]

Jill Biden is still Joe’s biggest supporter – and she’s ‘all in’ for him staying in the race

The 73-year-old Dr Jill has publicly painted a rosy picture of her husband’s performance in the debate, at odds with almost everyone else’s version of events.

“Joe you did such a great job,” she proclaimed in its immediate aftermath last Thursday, before adding: “You answered every question!”

In the days since, she has remained steadfast – both in public and in private – in her belief that he should remain in the race.

“[We] will not let those 90 minutes define the four years he’s been president,” Dr Biden told Vogue earlier this week.

Here’s James Liddell again with a look at the first lady’s role in this whole mess.

[4 July 2024 15:40 · Joe Sommerlad]

Biden tells Democrats he had a medical check-up after disastrous debate as he tries to keep party on side

Here’s a little more on a line I mentioned earlier from the president’s call with governors – his revelation that he had a medical exam in the aftermath of last week’s events in Georgia and was given the all-clear.

James Liddell has this report.

[4 July 2024 15:20 · Joe Sommerlad]

Truth Social: Trump celebrates Independence Day by posting four-year-old clip of Mount Rushmore speech

Who’s up for some pandemic nostalgia? No, me neither.

Although perhaps the above is preferable to what he posted earlier, a nasty video of a robbery on a train (in which two of the assailants are wearing red baseball caps) accompanied by a declaration that: “Biden Migrant Crime gets bloodier by the day.”

You can see that one here if you must.

[4 July 2024 15:00 · Joe Sommerlad]

Noem says Americans can’t relate to Harris

Conservatives seem to absolutely despise “cackling” Kamala Harris but if there’s one person who should probably keep quiet about being “relatable”, it’s South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, who assumed that telling the world she had murdered her dog would be a guaranteed vote-winner.

[4 July 2024 14:30 · Joe Sommerlad]

How would replacing Biden actually work?

Although the president’s campaign insists he is “absolutely not dropping out”, here is Eric Garcia with a look at the mechanics of replacing him at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket, just in case.

[4 July 2024 14:00 · Joe Sommerlad]

DNC committee member proposes alternative way to replace Biden

James Zogby, a former adviser to Jesse Jackson and Bernie Sanders, has proposed a plan to have an open contest for the Democratic presidential nomination after the incumbent’s disastrous appearance in the first debate last week, writes Eric Garcia.

[4 July 2024 13:30 · Joe Sommerlad]

Biden insiders think there’s ‘no question’ Harris will move to top of ticket

Campaign staffers are preparing to shift their focus to elevating, then electing, vice president Kamala Harris, sources have told The Independent, even as Biden vehemently denies any intention to stand aside.

Here’s the latest from Andrew Feinberg.

[4 July 2024 13:00 · Joe Sommerlad]

‘Everybody wants him to quit’: Democrats continue to pounce on Biden as doubts swirl over his political future

Despite the president’s best efforts, senior Democrats remain in “panic mode” after Biden insisted he would not abandon his presidential re-election campaign despite serious concerns growing over his mental fitness for office.

Anonymous lawmakers described the situation facing Biden and the Democratic party in a pointed interview with Politico.

“Everybody wants him to quit. There’s a sense of despair,” the unnamed lawmaker told the outlet.

“I think people don’t understand how we get out of this hole. And we’re hurtling toward losing to Trump.

“All my text chains in Congress go from a dark humor to ‘let’s take action’… I don’t find any discernible group of people who actually believe we’re going to win with Joe Biden.”

Mike Bedigan has the latest.

[4 July 2024 12:30 · Joe Sommerlad]

Michelle Obama is the only Democrat who can beat Trump, new poll finds

The former first lady remains a popular choice for a Democratic presidential run among voters and beat Trump 50 per cent to 39 per cent in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Wednesday.

The same survey found Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer all narrowly losing out to the loudmouthed Republican felon in hypothetical matchups.

Obama has repeatedly declined any further involvement in politics and a spokesperson repeated that line to NBC yesterday, commenting:  “As former first lady Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president.

“It’s got to be in your soul, because it is so important. It is not in my soul.”

Here’s Martha McHardy on the threat Obama would pose to Trump if she changed her mind.

[4 July 2024 12:00 · Joe Sommerlad]

Biden’s interview with George Stephanopolous ‘could last just 15 minutes’

The president’s forthcoming interview with the respected ABC News anchor has been hastily arranged in the aftermath of debategate to give Biden an opportunity to reassure voters about his fitness and will see Stephanopolous join him in Wisconsin as he campaigns in the crucial swing state to record the sit down.

But, according to The Daily Beast, their heart-to-heart, due to be filmed for Friday evening’s edition of World News Tonight, could last just a quarter of an hour.

That said, the White House has bluntly stated in response to the story: “False. The interview will be longer.”

But exactly how long – 15 minutes and one second? 30 minutes? An hour? – remains a mystery.

Here’s more on that from Martha McHardy.