Biden opened the door 'a crack' to stepping aside

More calls have joined the push for President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race after fumbling key moments in his speeches on Thursday. Brookings Institution senior fellow in governance studies and Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. joins the Morning Brief to discuss Biden's candidacy and the future of the 2024 election.

Dionne Jr. notes that Biden's performance in his NATO speech was a "tour de force on foreign policy." He believes that if the Biden campaign did more interviews after his debate performance, "we'd be talking about how deep his understanding is of foreign policy" rather than his age and mental competence. He explains that many Democrats "still admire President Biden and appreciate what he did. But they have come to the conclusion that there is no way that the age issue can simply disappear."

Despite Biden reiterating his standing in the race, Dionne Jr. believes the door isn't totally shut on him stepping aside: "Biden was just ever so slightly more open to at least the remote possibility that he might step aside. He said very strong, good things about Kamala Harris, even if he got her name wrong initially. And he didn't just say, 'There's no way I'm out.' He said, 'Well, if I weren't the strongest candidate, maybe this could be justified.' He opened the door, at least a crack."

As the president's future in the race is unknown, he asks, "Is a switch more dangerous, or could it energize the campaign?"

Read more about the calls for Biden to step aside from the 2024 presidential race:
Biden-Trump debate sparks Democratic party concerns
Top concerns around a last-minute Biden exit from election
Biden's 2024 hopes 'on collision course' with Democrats' fears
2024 election may be a 'bloodbath' for Dems if Biden runs

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This post was written by Melanie Riehl

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