Democratic leaders are defending President Biden after his disastrous debate against Donald Trump last week, when Biden appeared halting, disjointed, and often seemed to lose his train of thought. Prominent Democrats rejecting calls for the president to step aside include Biden surrogates Senators Raphael Warnock and Chris Coons, Congressmember Jim Clyburn and Maryland Governor Wes Moore. Democratic strategist David Axelrod wrote, “Unless the [President], himself, decides to quit — which he won’t — that issue is settled.” This comes as a new CBS News poll finds 72% of registered U.S. voters believe Biden does not possess the mental and cognitive health required to be president.

On Friday, The New York Times editorial board published an editorial titled “To Serve His Country, President Biden Should Leave the Race.” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s editorial board similarly called on Biden to bow out. Meanwhile, Maryland Democratic Congressmember Jamie Raskin told MSNBC there are conversations among top Democrats about nominating someone other than Joe Biden at the Democratic National Convention in August. 

Rep. Jamie Raskin: “We’re having a serious conversation about what to do. One thing I can tell you is that regardless of what President Biden decides, our party is going to be unified, and our party also needs him at the very center of our deliberations in our campaign. And so, whether he’s the candidate or someone else is the candidate, he is going to be the keynote speaker at our convention.”