President Joe Biden is expected to face new calls from Democrats to exit the presidential race as lawmakers head out of town on recess, regardless of how well he performs in his NATO speech Thursday night, Axios reported.
And while the speech won't help him much with a number of Democrats, it could certainly hurt him; Axios reported Biden will face a "deluge" of calls to drop out if he has stumbles similar to his debate performance June 27 against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., told Axios that Biden is operating with no "margin of error at this point."
"I don't know that he could fix everything, but he could certainly accelerate the crash," Huffman told Axios, referring to Biden's NATO address.
A senior House Democrat told Axios that a "really solid press conference" would "dampen down concerns," but if it "suggests he's really slowed down, it's going to be a deluge" of calls for Biden to exit the race.
Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., became the 11th House Democrat to call for Biden to exit on Thursday as lawmakers leave Washington, D.C., for a weeklong recess. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., on Wednesday became the first upper chamber Democrat to call for Biden to step down.
The White House invited criticism on Monday when it pounced on a question from a reporter last week to refer four times to Biden's speech Thursday night as a "big boy" press conference; Democrats are waiting to see if that plays out as advertised, according to the report.
And, some are heeding former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's suggesting to "hold off" on their decisions until after Thursday night.
"I'm skeptical there's going to be any interview, press conference or debate that's going to put to rest the persistent concerns about the president," a House Democrat told Axios.
Biden's speech Thursday night will bring to a close the three-day NATO summit, commemorating 75 years of the alliance. More than 30 world leaders came to Washington to participate in the event — but also to see Biden up close.
"People are coming to witness whether Biden is or is no longer [in charge]," one European diplomat told Axios.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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