Joe Biden commences campaign, visits Black community church

Amidst mounting calls for his resignation, embattled US President Joe Biden sought solace on Sunday by courting Black voters at a church while he hit the campaign route to save his reelection effort.

The 81-year-old welcomed the warm Philadelphia crowd, telling them that “we’re all imperfect beings.” Worshippers gave him a boost of energy by chanting “four more years.”

Despite growing concerns from Democratic politicians, pundits, and voters that he is not mentally and physically capable of serving a second term—concerns sparked by a dismal debate performance against Republican rival Donald Trump last month—Biden has remained steadfast.

However, the president has categorically stated that he is qualified to hold office, and he is the only one who can defeat Trump.

On Sunday, he embarked on a two-stop swing in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, before he hosts the NATO leaders’ summit in Washington later this week.

So far, five Democratic lawmakers have called on Biden to drop out, with the drumbeat of dissent slowly rising.

Two high-profile congressional Democrats on Sunday stopped short of calling for Biden to step aside, but warned he still needed to win over worried voters.

“There’s only one reason” the race between Trump and Biden “is close, and that’s the president’s age,” Representative Adam Schiff told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

As some speculate about Biden handing off the campaign to Vice President Kamala Harris, Schiff said he thought she “could win overwhelmingly.”

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy meanwhile said “the president needs to do more,” including unscripted events, to reassure voters.

“This week is going to be absolutely critical,” Murphy told CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Biden himself largely avoided discussing the crisis at hand when he gave a seven-minute address at Mt. Airy Church of God in Christ, speaking to a constituency he has embraced throughout his half-century political career.

“It’s good to be home,” he said to cheers, before joking briefly about his age.

“I know I look like I’m only 40 years old but I’ve been around a little bit,” he said.

– Democrats debate –

Biden’s campaign stops come as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries scheduled a virtual meeting of senior Democratic representatives Sunday to discuss the best way forward, and Democratic Senator Mark Warner is reportedly working to convene a similar forum in the Senate.

With Washington ruminating, First Lady Jill Biden is scheduled to campaign for her husband Monday in Georgia, Florida and North Carolina, while the president preps for the NATO summit beginning Tuesday.

Here, too, he will find himself having to reassure allies at a time when many European countries fear a Trump victory in November.

The 78-year-old Republican has long criticized the defense alliance, voiced admiration for Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, and insisted he could bring about a quick end to the fighting in Ukraine.

For now, Democratic heavyweights are largely keeping a lid on any simmering discontent with their leader — at least in public.

But with election day just four months away, any move to replace Biden as the nominee would need to be made sooner rather than later, and the party will be scrutinized for any signs of more open rebellion.

Meanwhile, for Biden and his team, the strategy seems to be to ride it out.

The campaign has unveiled an intense battle plan for July, including an avalanche of TV spots and trips to all the key states.

That includes a visit to the US Southwest during the Republican convention July 15-18, at which Trump will be anointed the party’s official presidential nominee.

AFP