Biden’s road to re-election is ＂dangerous＂： COVID-19 was forced to isolate and the top of the Democratic Party was exposed to ＂forced palace＂

When Trump was unanimously supported at the Republican National Convention, Biden’s road to re-election was "dangerous".

According to CCTV news reports, on July 17th, local time, the White House said that US President Biden Covid-19 tested positive and would isolate himself.

At the same time, the top leaders of the Democratic Party have been exposed to join the "forced palace" team, including the leaders of the Democratic Party in the Senate and House of Representatives and the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, who have privately or publicly suggested that Biden withdraw from the election.

Some public opinion believes that Biden, who is under pressure physically and mentally, may be facing a major moment in his political career: to continue running or to give up. What choice should he make?

Higher health risks?

On 17th, White House Press Secretary AnnaKarina Jean-Pierre said in a statement that President Biden tested positive for Covid-19 after his first election campaign in Las Vegas.

According to the White House, before the test, Biden felt unwell and developed upper respiratory symptoms, including a runny nose and cough. Biden has taken the first dose of anti-Covid-19 drug Paxlovid.

According to the statement, Biden has been vaccinated and given a booster shot. At present, his symptoms are mild, and his respiratory rate, body temperature and oxygen saturation are normal.

The White House said that Biden would interrupt the follow-up campaign and return to his residence in Delaware to isolate himself, and in the meantime, he would continue to fully perform all the duties of the president.

"I feel good." Biden said when boarding Air Force One to prepare Leaving Las Vegas for Delaware. However, according to the reporter on the scene, he walked slowly when he stepped onto the gangway, grasping the guardrail tightly and stopping every few steps.

Biden was infected with Covid-19 in July, 2022, and recovered after a short period of recovery. It took more than half a month to recover.

According to public opinion, for 81-year-old Biden, reinfection with COVID-19 will put his health at higher risk. It is not clear how long his campaign will be interrupted.

A new wave of "persuading the tide to ebb"

Re-infection with COVID-19 has added to Biden’s eventful summer, and the greater pressure may come from a new wave of "persuasion and ebb tide" within the Democratic Party, and this time from the top.

According to sources, Schumer, the majority leader of the Senate, has privately persuaded Biden to withdraw.

Last Saturday, on the same day that former US President Trump was assassinated, Schumer went to Delaware to meet Biden.

According to people familiar with the matter, Schumer had an outspoken conversation with Biden. He thought Biden had better withdraw from the 2024 presidential election, which would be better for the country and the Democratic Party.

Another person familiar with the matter said that jeffries, the minority leader of the House of Representatives, also directly expressed similar views to Biden and suggested that he withdraw from the election.

According to another source, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Pelosi recently told Biden in a private conversation that polls showed that he could not defeat Trump, and if he continued to seek re-election, it might ruin the Democratic Party’s chance to win the House of Representatives in the November election. Biden refuted it on the spot.

Compared with Schumer, jeffries and others, the voice of California Congressman Adam Schiff is more noticeable.

On the 17th, in a statement to the Los Angeles Times, Schiff publicly called on Biden to deliver the baseball.

In the statement, he praised Biden, but admitted that he was "seriously worried" about whether Biden could defeat Trump. Biden should step aside to "ensure his political legacy," he said.

Schiff is by far the most heavyweight Democrat who has publicly urged Biden to abandon the election. He served as the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and served as the chief prosecutor during the impeachment of Trump. He was a strong ally of the Biden administration in Congress. This year, Schiff is expected to win the Senate seat in the general election.

Some commentators said that at present, there are relatively few Democratic Party members (about 20) who publicly dissuade Biden, and more people just talk privately or put pressure behind the scenes, unwilling to publicly express their concerns about whether Biden’s age and physical and mental condition are enough for successful re-election. Schiff’s public voice may indicate a change in the situation. As a senior Democrat who has served in Congress for nearly 30 years and has close ties with top Democrats such as Pelosi, Schiff’s remarks may encourage others to stop hiding, but openly reveal their doubts and worries about Biden’s re-election campaign.

After the "voices" of several Democratic leaders were exposed, the outside world believed that the negative impact of the disastrous debate was still fermenting, Biden’s re-election prospects were once again in turmoil, and he himself would be under greater pressure.

Some polls have also brought Biden a heavy feeling. According to the latest poll released by the Associated Press -NORC Public Affairs Research Center on the 17th, nearly two-thirds of Democratic voters said Biden should withdraw from the election and nominate another candidate.

Facing a big moment?

According to American public opinion, Biden is facing an important moment in his political career: should he listen to the voice of his Democratic colleagues and give up the election?

However, the message from Biden is still complicated.

So far, although Biden has repeatedly insisted that he will never withdraw from the election, there are some signs that he seems to be leaving room for manoeuvre and considering the relevant possibilities.

In a media interview broadcast on the 17th, Biden said that if he was diagnosed with health problems, he would reconsider his candidacy.

According to a senior Democratic Party adviser who asked not to be named, Biden’s private dialogue with congressional Democrats is still going on, and he is willing to listen to opinions and show a more open attitude, instead of "stubborn resistance" as he did in public.

According to the consultant, Biden’s real position is still unclear, but he seems to be listening and his attitude is changing subtly. For example, he initially said that "Kamara (referring to Vice President Harris) can’t win", but later it became "Do you think Kamara can win?" It shows that he began to pay attention to how Harris can win.

However, Biden’s campaign team denied that the president was rethinking his candidacy.

White House spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement on the 17th that President Biden told Democratic leaders in both houses of Congress that he would be the Democratic nominee and planned to win the general election.

At present, Biden is still supported by some influential figures in the Democratic Party, including the black caucus in Congress and progressive leaders, such as Vermont Senator Sanders and New York Congressman Cortes.

It is worth noting that after Trump was "attempted assassination", the Biden poll did not significantly lag behind Trump. The latest poll results of Reuters/Ipsos, polling agency "Five Thirty Eight" and Morning Consulting Company show that the assassination incident did not "empower" Trump, but he was only slightly ahead of Biden, and the gap between the two sides was only one or two percentage points.

At the same time, Biden’s allies are planning a pre-emptive nomination vote-an online roll-call vote is planned before the Democratic National Convention in August to nominate Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate. If successful, it is expected to frustrate any efforts to boycott Biden’s campaign.

The Rules Committee of the Democratic National Congress said that it will meet on July 19th to discuss the plan, and it will be finalized next week.

However, the plan was opposed by some party members, such as Schumer and jeffries, who pushed for delaying the implementation of the plan, believing that it would stifle the debate and prematurely block the possibility of any change in the Democratic candidates.

There are also views that for the Democratic Party, what is more crucial at present is how to try to bridge internal differences, rather than let the Republican Party use the "infighting" of the Democratic Party to show its image of unity and shape its victory.

(Edit email: ylq@jfdaily.com)