What’s next for Joe Biden? Rich donors want him to resign

PublishedJuly 3, 2024, 14:20

USA: Rich donors quietly demand Joe Biden’s resignation

Wealthy Democratic supporters apparently no longer consider Joe Biden to be the right man for the job.

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• Following Joe Biden’s weak performance in the TV debate with Donald Trump, US Democrats are discussing a possible replacement for the 81-year-old.

• A Biden resignation would be complicated and there are currently no indications that he wishes to step down.

• Rich Democratic donors are increasingly calling for Biden to resign.

Since Joe Biden’s disastrous performance at the TV debate with Donald Trump, a heated debate has broken out within the US Democrats about whether the 81-year-old should be replaced by another presidential candidate. While it is still feasible, it would be a complicated undertaking. This would be particularly challenging if Biden does not resign voluntarily – so far, there are no signs that the president is considering withdrawing.

If Biden does indeed resign, the nomination process would be entirely open and extremely dramatic. Due to the lack of time, no new primaries could be organized. Therefore, the party convention would likely see intense debates and negotiations about a replacement for Biden.

Biden did not appear particularly fit during the TV debate with his opponent Donald Trump. Now, the 81-year-old Democrat is attempting to show that he is still capable of leading the White House.

20 minutes

Rich donors quietly discuss Biden

Wealthy Democratic donors who believe another candidate has a better chance are increasingly staying silent about President Biden for fear of negative consequences for the party. However, they are closely monitoring poll results following the disastrous TV debate, the New York Times reports.

On Friday morning, nearly 50 donors met in Aspen, Colorado. An overwhelming majority expressed their belief that Biden should resign. Possible alternatives are being discussed intensively within donor networks such as the Democracy Alliance and Way to Win.

Negative effects on party feared

Previous attempts to pressure Biden to resign have failed or sparked backlash, the New York Times continues. Many donors are hesitant to publicly exert pressure, fearing negative effects on the party. Nevertheless, prominent supporters such as Seth Klarman and Reid Hoffman are considering alternatives to Biden.

If Biden were to step down, Vice President Kamala Harris would not automatically become the new presidential candidate. Since Harris has been somewhat inconspicuous as Vice President, she would not necessarily be the best choice to be the presidential candidate in an open vote.

These would be the possible candidates

Possible alternatives to Biden include the governors of California and Illinois, Gavin Newsom and JB Pritzker, as well as the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer. They are all experienced politicians, but, like Harris, haven’t shown any interest in running for president this year.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama is also repeatedly mentioned; she is an inspiring figure for many Democrats. However, she has consistently stated in the past that she is not a political figure and has never been interested in the presidency.

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PublishedJuly 3, 2024, 14:20

USA: Rich donors quietly demand Joe Biden’s resignation

Wealthy Democratic supporters apparently no longer consider Joe Biden to be the right man.

von

• After Joe Biden’s weak performance in the TV debate with Donald Trump, US Democrats are discussing a possible replacement for the 81-year-old.

• A Biden resignation would be complicated and so far there are no signs that he wants to step down.

• Rich Democratic donors are increasingly calling for Biden to resign.

Since Joe Biden’s disastrous performance at the TV debate with Donald Trump, a heated debate has broken out within the US Democrats as to whether the 81-year-old should be replaced by another presidential candidate. Although this is still feasible, it would be a complicated undertaking. It would be particularly difficult if Biden does not resign voluntarily – so far there are no signs that the president is considering withdrawing.

If Biden does indeed resign, the nomination process would be completely open and extremely dramatic. Due to the lack of time, no new primaries could be organized. The party convention would therefore probably see intense debates and negotiations about a Replacement for Biden.

Biden did not look particularly fit during the TV debate with his opponent Donald Trump. Now the 81-year-old Democrat is trying to show that he is suitable for the White House.

20 minutes

Rich donors quietly discuss Biden

Wealthy Democratic donors who believe another candidate has a better chance are increasingly keeping quiet about President Biden for fear of negative consequences for the party. However, they are closely monitoring the poll results following the disastrous TV debate, the New York Times reports.

On Friday morning, nearly 50 donors met in Aspen, Colorado. An overwhelming majority said Biden should resign. Possible alternatives are being discussed intensively within donor networks such as the Democracy Alliance and Way to Win.

Negative effects on party feared

Previous attempts to pressure Biden to resign have failed or sparked backlash, the New York Times continues. Many donors are hesitant to exert pressure publicly because they fear negative effects on the party. Nevertheless, there are prominent supporters such as Seth Klarman and Reid Hoffman who are also considering alternatives to Biden.

If Biden were to step down, Vice President Kamala Harris would by no means automatically be the new presidential candidate. Since Harris has remained rather inconspicuous as Vice President, she would not necessarily have the best chances of becoming the presidential candidate in an open vote.

These would be the possible candidates

Possible alternatives to Biden include the governors of California and Illinois, Gavin Newsom and JB Pritzker, as well as the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer. They are all experienced politicians, but, like Harris, have not yet signaled any ambitions to run for president this year.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama is also mentioned again and again; she is an inspirational figure for many Democrats. However, she has consistently stressed in the past that she is not a political person and has never had any interest in the presidency.

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The pressure on Biden from wealthy Democratic donors is a sign of the deepening divisions within the party. While some donors are pushing for a change at the top, others are hoping that Biden can turn things around. Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to resign will be up to Biden himself.

The upcoming presidential election is already one of the most closely watched in recent history. The outcome will have significant implications for the direction of the country and the future of the Democratic Party. It remains to be seen if Biden will be able to weather the storm and remain in office, or if he will be forced to step aside for a new candidate.