Biden's aging has been "a topic that is radioactive," says Wall Street Journal Reporter Annie Linskey. So even though stories of his slipping were circulating, "The Democratic party is very much bound together by this fear of Donald Trump returning to power, and there has been a reluctance to be candid about some of Biden's drawbacks because of that."
Calls for Biden to step aside for a replacement continue to grow. But given that he currently controls most of the party's delegates, what is the procedure were he to drop out? An expert explains.
With voters now worrying if Biden can last another four months, much less four years, pollster Frank Luntz says, "What this debate is going to do is to give Trump a lead in every one of the swing states. If things stay as they are, Donald Trump is the next President of the United States and the Democrats have to come to grips with that."
The coming SCOTUS decision on Presidential immunity is "truly unprecedented," says Elie Honig. But "I do not think we're going to see a categorical win or loss either way. And "the million-dollar question" is if the court will rule on whether Trump was acting on January 6 within the scope of his official duties.
Washington Post: “Much of the focus of Thursday’s debate focused on Biden’s confusing and meandering answers, and the ensuing panic his weak performance caused among Democratic officeholders, donors and operatives. The consensus view among most Republicans and Democrats was that Trump was clearly the winner of the first 2024 debate.”
“As for Trump, however, he repeatedly evaded topics he was not interested in speaking about, following the advice of advisers who encouraged him to move the conversation to friendlier ground such as immigration and the economy.
“Before President Emmanuel Macron of France went on national television to announce his call for snap parliamentary elections, he privately alerted President Joe Biden, who was wrapping up a five-day trip to France for the D-Day anniversary,” Politico reports.
“At first, people in Biden’s inner circle were merely startled by Macron’s gamble, viewing it as the kind of daring maneuver that has defined Macron’s disruptive political career.