Biden aides keep tight protective grip as allies say he still needs to prove his vigor
After his dismal debate performance, President Joe Biden set out to prove to voters and Democratic leaders alike that he’s not the befuddled politician they may have seen on stage that night.
WASHINGTON — After his dismal debate performance, President Joe Biden set out to prove to voters and Democratic leaders alike that he’s not the befuddled politician they may have seen onstage that night.
He has given a few interviews, spoken at rallies and mixed with union members and Black churchgoers. On Thursday, he'll hold a news conference, and Monday he is to be interviewed by NBC News’ Lester Holt.
Yet his grip on his party’s nomination remains precarious, even as the tide of lawmakers calling for him to step aside seems to have slackened for now. Many Democratic lawmakers, donors and strategists say he still hasn’t displayed the vigor Americans expect of a president. They’d like him to quit the race, an invitation Biden has refused.
“The campaign needs to accept that it [the debate] wasn’t just a blip, this is a real problem,” Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., said in an interview. “They also need to understand that we have to get him out and do more public-facing events that are unscripted. If he’s able to do that, that’s great, let him do it. If he’s not able to do that, then we really have to think about whether he’s the right person to move forward to keep Donald Trump out of the White House.”
Biden's events in the two weeks since the debate underscore why doubts persist. Aides have drawn a cordon around him with the point of minimizing potential embarrassment. A controlling communications operation limits the more free-wheeling exchanges with the media that other presidents were more willing to accept.
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