Published 12/07/2024 15:34 | Edited 12/07/2024 15:44
US President Joe Biden’s recent lapses and confusion have increased pressure from fellow Democrats to replace him in the November election race.
On Thursday (11), during a press conference, Biden confused his vice president, Kamala Harris, with his opponent, Donald Trump. Shortly before, he also swapped the name of the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, for that of the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin.
Asked about Kamala Harris’s ability to run against Trump, he responded, changing the names: “I would not have chosen Trump to be vice president if I did not think she was unqualified (sic) to be president.”
On the same day, in a speech after the NATO Summit, he introduced Zelensky to the audience, saying: “and now I want to move on [a palavra] to the President of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination. Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin.”
When he realized his mistake, he tried to correct himself: “President Putin! We will defeat President Putin. President Zelensky. I am focused on defeating Putin. We have to deal with that. Anyway, Mr. President.”
These are not the first gaffes that Biden has made, but they gain special attention in the current context in which his poor performance during the debate with Trump, at the end of June, raised red flags for the Democrats.
Still, a recently released survey by the Marist Poll institute indicates a two percentage point improvement, within the margin of error, for Biden in the race against Trump. According to the survey, 50% of the US population would vote for the current president, compared to 48% who prefer the Republican. A poll prior to the debate showed 49% for each.
Read too: Biden says he will change campaign strategy against Trump to donors
On the other hand, the current vice president is emerging as stronger than the president. An Ipsos poll showed that 67% would like Biden to give up the candidacy to another Democrat. Considering this possibility, Kamala Harris would have 49% of intentions against 46% for Trump.
Furthermore, the survey shows that 85% of those interviewed consider Biden (81 years old) too old for the position, compared to 60% who think the same about Trump (78) — the age difference between them, however, is only three years.
So far, at least 17 Democratic lawmakers in Congress have called on Biden to drop his candidacy to allow another candidate to be chosen.
Democratic public figures have also spoken out in this regard. “I love Joe Biden, but we need another candidate,” wrote actor, director and producer George Clooney in an article published in The New York Times. Another actor, Michael Douglas, also expressed “great concern” about running for reelection.
Adding to the pressure, on Friday (12), Democratic donors told Biden’s largest group of financiers that they will freeze about $90 million in pledged donations if the president withdraws his candidacy, according to the New York Times.
With agencies
(PL)
Source: vermelho.org.br
