Joe Biden is to meet Democratic governors, Wednesday, to assuage growing anxiety over the viability of his candidacy following a disastrous debate performance.

The White House said Biden will meet with Democratic governors on Wednesday evening, to reassure them of his competence as he faces growing pressure to withdraw his candidacy, following last week’s dismal debate performance.

J.B. Pritzker, governor of Illinois, explained that the governors had asked for the opportunity to hear from the president directly.

“Right now, Joe Biden is our nominee, and I’m 100 percent on board with supporting him as our nominee, unless he makes some other decision” he told CNN.

Vice President Kamala Harris – a leading contender to replace Biden if he exits the race – said Tuesday she was proud to be his running mate.

“We beat Trump once and we’re going to beat him again,” she said.

 

However, some supporters have openly expressed doubts about the 81-year-old’s candidacy after last week’s televised showdown, when Biden stumbled over his words and lost his train of thought.

Congressman Lloyd Doggett became the first Democratic lawmaker to publicly call on Biden to make way for another candidate, saying he was hopeful the president would “make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw.”

The Guardian reports that at least 25 more Democratic congress members are preparing similar calls.

Nancy Pelosi, a Democratic Party heavyweight and former speaker of the House, said it was “legitimate” to ask whether Biden’s debate disaster was indicative of a deeper problem.

Biden has not given a live interview since the debacle, but will be interviewed by ABC on Friday with the first clips released later that day.

On Tuesday, he blamed exhaustion from international travel for his debate flop.

‘Horrified’

Biden traveled to France from June 5 to 9 to commemorate the 1944 Allied landings, headed back to the United States, and then flew to Italy for a G7 summit followed immediately by a visit to California.

He then returned home and went to a presidential retreat for several days of rest and preparation for the debate.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday admitted the debate was “a bad night” but added that Biden “knows how to come back” from adversity.

The polling margins between the president and his Republican predecessor have been razor-thin for months, with Trump showing a slight advantage.

Biden pushed for an unusually early first debate in hopes that he could jolt the race while there was still time — but the plan backfired.

Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse told WPRI-TV he was “pretty horrified” by the president’s performance during the 90-minute CNN match-up, watched by more than 50 million Americans.

Slowing down

Biden has visibly slowed over the last year.

It has been several months since the president, who has tripped in public on several occasions, stopped using his plane’s high gangway, preferring a shorter, more stable staircase.

He has also surrounded himself with aides for the short walk from the White House to his helicopter, hoping to prevent cameras from focusing on his stiff gait.

Biden has not given a long press conference since January 2022 and spends most weekends in one of his Delaware homes, with no official schedule.

Frankie Taggart and Aurelia End, with AFP