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10-07-2024
WASHINGTON: White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre says Biden has seen a neurologist three times as president as part of his annual physical exams, and is not being treated for Parkinson’s disease, as reporters push for more information about the president’s cognitive health.
In a letter to congressional Democrats, Biden says he is “firmly committed” to running for re-election against Donald Trump and calls for speculation over his candidacy to end.
Responding directly to calls from some donors and Democrats that he stand aside, Biden says “the voters and the voters alone decide the nominee of the Democratic Party.”
The letter comes after reports that several senior members of Biden’s Democratic Party have privately joined calls for him to drop out.
Speculation has swirled around his re-election bid after a disastrous debate performance fueled concerns about his age and fitness
Adam Smith, a senior House Democrat, has publicly called on Joe Biden to end his candidacy “as soon as possible”.
He said the president should release his delegates so that Democrats can nominate someone new at the party convention in August.
“Any candidate for the highest office in our nation has a strong burden to bear. That candidate must be able to clearly, articulately, and strongly make his or her case to the American people,” he wrote.
“It is clear that President Biden is no longer able to meet this burden.”
The Washington congressman is the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee and a leading voice in Congress on national security matters.
Smith said Biden’s debate performance was “alarming to watch” and said he had “not seriously addressed” voters’ concerns since then.
The congressman hedged his statement stightly by saying that he “will back him (Biden) one hundred percent and without reservation” if he is the nominee but he concluded by saying that if “the President continues his campaign, it would be a mistake.”
Joe Biden will meet with the entire Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) on a Zoom call this evening to discuss his candidacy.
Sources told media that the president intends to talk about the stakes of the upcoming election and their intentions to defeat Donald Trump.
Biden will also take questions.
The president has personally called several members of Congress since his poor debate performance, a Biden campaign official told CBS News. He has since released a letter to Democrats this morning that says he remains “firmly committed” to running for re-election.
The CBC boasts 55 members all Democrat in the House of Representatives and three in the Senate. The highly influential body includes Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and top Biden ally, Congressman Jim Clyburn of South Carolina.
Biden has long touted the support he has earned from the black community, especially in his 2020 race for the White House. Recent polls suggest that support may have weakened ahead of the upcoming election.
Several delegates to the Democratic National Convention have expressed unequivocally that their support for Biden remains unchanged despite calls for him to drop out of the race.
These delegates will cast votes for Biden at the August event in Chicago, which will make him the official nominee. (Int’l News Desk)
