A rapidly growing chorus of Democratic lawmakers called Friday for President Joe Biden to drop his re-election bids even as the president insisted that he had read He will return to the campaign trail next week to push back against what he called a “dark vision” laid out by Republicans. Donald Trump.
As more Democrats in Congress urged him to withdraw — bringing the total since his disastrous debate against Trump to nearly three dozen — Biden remained isolated at his Delaware beach house after being diagnosed with COVID-19. The president, who insisted he can beat Trump, has been catching up with family and relying on a few longtime aides as he resisted attempts to push him aside.
Meanwhile, Trump will hold his first public campaign rally on Saturday since he was injured in a attempted murderwith an event in the state of Michigan, which is all about, along with his new running mateUS Senator JD Vance.
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Third-term U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio was one of dozens of members of Congress who said Friday that Biden should end his campaign.
The call came as Brown faces Republican Bernie Moreno, a Cleveland businessman, in what is seen as one of the most competitive Senate races of the year.
Brown is the only Democrat holding a statewide position in Ohio. His former bellwether state has twice supported Donald Trump by large margins, and Trump has the state’s junior senator, J.D. Vance, as his running mate.
Though Brown has had a long, close relationship with Biden — he was even shortlisted to be Biden’s vice presidential nominee — he has worked to distance himself this cycle amid Biden’s unpopularity. Brown has run ads touting his support for border- and fentanyl-related legislation, highlighting a bill that Brown sponsored “and Trump signed.”
For better or worse, former President Trump had a large audience at his nomination acceptance speech at the RNC on Thursday.
An estimated 25.4 million people watched the final night of the convention on one of the 14 networks that covered it, the Nielsen company said Friday. Viewership peaked at 28.4 million between 10:45 and 11 p.m. Eastern, when Trump’s speech began, Nielsen said.
That would be good news for the ex-president. The beginning of his speech, in which he spoke dramatically about the attempt on his life last Saturday, was widely seen as the most effective. As it stretched past 90 minutes and past midnight on the East Coast, Trump went largely off-script with remarks that resembled his typical campaign speech.
Fox News Channel had 9.4 million viewers for Trump’s speech, well ahead of every other network. An estimated 72 percent of viewers were 55 or older, Nielsen said.
It was the most-watched night of the convention, which is customary for the night when the presidential candidate speaks.
The Congressional Black Caucus prides itself on its authority among Democrats and its influence on President Joe Biden in particular. So far, only one of its roughly 60 members has joined in calling for Biden to drop his reelection bid over concerns about his age and ability to win.
But the caucus’ broad support for the president ranges widely, from enthusiastic endorsement to outright skepticism. And a small but growing number within the group are openly expressing doubts about Biden’s candidacy.
Black voters have been widely credited with helping Biden win the Democratic nomination four years ago and then defeat Republican Donald Trump. Whether black lawmakers continue to rally behind the president, and how fervently they do so, could be crucial in the days ahead as pressure builds up from the highest echelons of the Democratic Party that Biden would end his campaign.
Read about Black Legislators’ Relationship with the President