After his TV interview with George Stephanopoulos on Friday evening and declaring that only “the almighty” would make him resign from the presidential race, President Joe Biden beelined to Mt. Airy Church of God in Christ in Philadelphia on Sunday morning. Unlike the silence of the debate and his lackluster performance therein, the church greeted him with a rousing reception and he quickly cut to the chase. “I know I look 40…I’ve been doing this a long time,” he began, putting the age factor at the top of the speech, which he mostly read before a Black congregation.
Some concerns about his appearance with Stephanopoulos were raised on Sunday at a virtual conference chaired by House Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, and according to reports, five or six of the top Democrats at the session believed that Biden needs to step aside. At the church on Sunday, Biden maintained his defiance toward those calling for him to get out of the race.
“I, honest to God, have never been more optimistic about America’s future if we stick together,” Biden said, reading from a prepared text.
A full account of Sunday’s meeting with several Democratic committee leaders is forthcoming, although two people familiar with the meeting said, on anonymity, that several members said Biden should step aside. On the other hand, some members of the Congressional Black Caucus strongly favored that he remain in the race.
If Biden should step aside, his potential replacement becomes another pressing dilemma for Democrats, but Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, who played such a decisive role in Biden’s 2020 victory, told reporters that he would back Vice President Kamala Harris. Should this event occur, another question arises: Who would be her running mate?
And the questions continue.
