‘Top Democrats’ would feel ‘relief’ if Biden steps down from 2024 election, NBC’s Kristen Welker says
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Some “top Democrats” would be relieved if President Biden stepped off the ticket for the upcoming presidential election, “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker said.
High-up Dems “say there would actually be relief if [Biden] were to step down,” Welker told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell on Monday.
![Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker said "top Democrats" want Biden to step down.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/Screen-Shot-2024-07-02-at-85811-AM-2.jpg?w=1024)
Biden, 81, sent his supporters into a panic last week with his fumbling, confused performance during the debate against Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.
In the immediate aftermath of the abysmal outing, a White House aide insisted that Biden would stay in the race – and that he was already preparing for the second debate in September.
What to know about the fallout from President Biden's debate performance:
- President Biden’s poor performance in the first 2024 presidential debate has left even some Democrats unsure of his fitness for office and future as the party’s candidate.
- Former President Obama admitted that Biden had a “bad” debate, while his rival former President Trump suggested that he was in a “trance” and “choked.”
- Biden told a crowd at a North Carolina rally the day after the debate that he doesn’t “debate as well as I used to” — but insisted that he can still “do this job.”
- The New York Times editorial board called on the president to serve the country by dropping out of the race. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a similar editorial a day later.
- Biden gathered with his family to assess the campaign’s future at Camp David, with his son Hunter reportedly pushing for him to stay in the race. Family members questioned if the president’s top advisors should be fired after the disastrous debate.
- Legendary journalist Carl Bernstein revealed that sources close to Biden have witnessed as many as 20 episodes of cognitive decline in the past year.
- Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) became the first House Democrat to call on Biden to drop out.
If Biden moved aside, Welker explained, powerful Democrats would look to “reintroduce” Vice President Kamala Harris as she moved to the top of the ticket.
![Joe Biden speaks in Washington, DC on July 1, 2024.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/shutterstock_editorial_US_President_Joe_Biden_Deliver_14567236l.jpg?w=1024)
“One person said to me [that] everyone’s counting out Kamala Harris because right now her poll numbers are below President Biden’s, but if she were to be the one to carry this torch into November, there could be a method of reintroducing her to the country that could be effective with independents [and] with moderates,” Welker added.
Democrats have expressed “deep concerns” about Biden following the disastrous debate, but are cognizant of the president’s team closing ranks around him.
- Watch Biden’s worst moments during the presidential debate
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- Democrats panicked at Biden’s debate debacle — and aren’t fooling anyone as they now pretend everything’s fine
- Trump inches ahead of Biden nationally after prez’s disastrous debate: new poll
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“Public, those speaking, the party is closing ranks behind him, giving him space as you say to make this decision,” she said.
“But I am told that the reality is they are also — while they’re going to fight for him if he stays in this race, they’re also going to be very focused on the House, on keeping the Senate, and quite frankly on thinking about strategy heading into 2028 because there is so much concern about his ability to win and beat Trump.”