Joe Biden’s camp forced to deny president is ‘mulling dropping out’ as dementia question raised after debate disaster
THE White House has denied reports that Joe Biden is considering withdrawing from the 2024 presidential election.
The 81-year-old president’s cognitive health was again raised as a concern during a media briefing on Wednesday after reports circulated that Biden conveyed to a close ally that he’s weighing whether to continue in the race.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reassured the media that Biden is “clear-eyed and staying in the race.”
When pressed again on whether Biden will step aside, Jean-Pierre reaffirmed, “Absolutely not.”
The White House press secretary repeated that Biden had a bad night during the June 27 debate.
Jean-Pierre doubled down on Biden’s remarks, explaining that his poor debate night performance was due to a cold and jet lag from his trips to Europe.
Concerns about Biden’s cognitive state were brought to the spotlight when a reporter bluntly asked the press secretary if the president has “Alzheimer’s or dementia.”
“No. And I hope you’re asking the other guy the same exact question,” Jean-Pierre clapped back, referring to Trump.
A second reporter chimed in, asking if Biden has an “afternoon nap every day.”
“Let me be very clear about this – this is a president that wakes up every morning and puts the American people first,” Jean-Pierre replied with a smirk on her face.
“That’s what he does. He does that every single day. That is his focus. I am not going to speak to sources out there, unnamed sources out there.”
Panic has mounted in the Democratic Party following the fallout of Biden’s worrying performance in the first presidential debate.
Several Democrats have publicly called on Biden to step aside and for the party to nominate a new candidate.
However, during a call to his staff on Wednesday, Biden doubled down on his status and pleaded with his team to block out the noise.
“The past few days have been tough,” Biden told his campaign staff, according to CNN.
“I’m sure you’re getting a lot of calls. Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can and as simply and straightforward as I can.
“I am running. I’m the nominee of the Democratic Party. No one is pushing me out. I’m not leaving.”
The president continued, “I’m in this race to the end. We’re going to win because when Democrats unite, we will always win.
“Just as we beat Donald Trump in 2020, we’re going to beat him again in 2024.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, who also joined the call, reiterated her support for Biden, “We will not back down,” she said, according to The New York Times.
“We will follow our president’s lead. We will fight, and we will win.”
As the Biden administration attempts to regain the public’s confidence in the commander-in-chief, the Trump campaign has remained largely silent on the chaos consuming the Democrats.