Joe Biden told donors at a Connecticut fundraiser that Donald Trump “does not deserve to be president whether or not I’m running.” The 81-year-old, who has the worst approval rating of any U.S. President of the post-war era at this stage in his presidency, resisted calls to step aside in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom, or another younger Democrat this election, but his remarks will raise speculation that a last-minute change could still take place at the Democratic National Convention in August.
Speaking to The National Pulse Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam in September, Donald Trump said he suspected Biden might not “get to the starting gate” in this year’s elections.
“I don’t think that Kamala gets it handed [to her],” Trump said, predicting “all of a sudden everybody would start jumping in.” The former president said Newsom would “probably” win the fight and that he did not see Michelle Obama entering the fray.
The situation in the Democratic Party has moved on since then, with Newsom abandoning his shadow campaign for the nomination and Biden winning the party primaries. His only serious competition was a “vote uncommitted” movement prompted by his position on Gaza. Nevertheless, Biden’s nomination will not be official until the Democrats’ convention.
However, swapping the 81-year-old with a new candidate less plagued by corruption allegations and cognitive decline may only worsen the Democrats’ position. Polling from February shows Trump defeating Biden by five points in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania, with increased leads of nine points over Harris and 15 points over Newsom.