Biden will face ‘serious pressure’ to concede if he stumbles in debate, Democrats warn

Joe Biden will face serious pressure to step aside if he stumbles because of his age during Thursday’s presidential debate, Democratic insiders warn.

The US president must survive 90 minutes on stage with Donald Trump without making a major gaffe, warned David Axelrod and David Plouffecreators of the Obama campaign.

Thursday night’s debate in Atlanta, Georgia, gave the 81-year-old president his “best opportunity” to allay concerns about his age and change the trajectory of the race, Plouffe said.

“It’s all about Joe Biden, and obviously Joe Biden has to know that this is the most important 90 minutes of his long political life,” he told the Hack on Tap podcast, co-hosted by Axelrod.

The senior Democrat acknowledged that the threshold was easy to reach because constant questions about Biden’s competence and unflattering coverage meant “the bar is extremely low.”

Plouffe said that if Biden fails this test, Democrats will put serious pressure on him to concede and choose another candidate.

“It’s a scary prospect, but if he has a bad night … we will hear prominent Democratic voices” urging the party to “re-examine” its support for his re-election bid, he said.

Plouffe said that if Biden “doesn’t make any sense” or appears to have “stamina issues,” the party will be watching closely “how voters respond.”

He said calls for him to step down would be presented before the Democratic convention in mid-August, when Biden is expected to be formally crowned the party’s nominee.

However, he admitted that the prospect of removing Biden from power is a “fantasy that will not come true.”

The practicalities of replacing Mr. Biden are fraught with difficulties because his allies have full control of the party apparatus and in several states the deadline to submit candidates on the November ballot is fast approaching.

Any move to replace Biden would ultimately depend on the president himself, who has shown no willingness to make way for a new generation of potential Democratic leaders.

Kamala Harris, his running mate, is unpopular among influential Democratic Party figures, and polls show that the public has serious doubts about her ability to win the presidency, including among her own party.

Biden’s decision to accede to Trump’s request for a live televised debate is a risky one for the president, forced by his dismal approval rating. He is closely tied to his Republican opponent in a number of polls.

He stayed at the presidential residence at Camp David for several days to intensively prepare for the debate.

Insiders say Biden’s strategy is focused on “stimulating” Trump, with advisers writing one-sided definitions and insults that they hope will prompt furious speeches from the Republican that could turn off viewers at home.

One Biden source told NBC News the goal was to incite a “Trump crowd,” a reference to the casual, combative style the Republican former president adopts with his MAGA base.

An old movie theater and airplane hangar at Camp David have been transformed into a replica of the stage where a dozen advisers spend hours preparing Biden’s line of attack.

They focused on Trump’s role in the January 6, 2021 election, the Capitol riot, his ambiguous stance on abortion and his refusal to support a hardline immigration bill that had bipartisan support in Congress.

Biden’s advisers also want him to forcefully refute claims by Trump and his allies that he is confused or weak.

The Trump campaign, in turn, downplayed the extent of their preparations, saying Trump had not engaged in traditional debate practice.

Instead, he held policy briefings with subject matter experts and Republican senators.

There was speculation that Trump might reveal his vice presidential pick shortly before the debate to distract Biden before their meeting on stage.

Doug Burgum, the governor of North Dakota, and senators JD Vance and Marco Rubio are said to be serious candidates.

The Republican candidate stated that he had made a decision on his running mate and that he would be present during the debate.

Burgum, Rubio and Vance are expected to serve as Trump campaign surrogates in the spin room after the Atlanta debate.

However, Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to Trump, seemed to pour cold water on the reports, saying, “Yes… it could happen as soon as today… or… sometime in mid-July.”

The Trump campaign has long suggested that the announcement of the vice presidential pick would most likely occur around next month’s Republican convention.

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