Democrats assess the benefits and dangers of losing Biden

By Holly Honderich, 

BBC News, Washington

 While party members discussed whether or not to support him in the future, President Joe Biden attempted to revitalize his flagging reelection campaign on Sunday.

There are significant doubts over the president's physical and mental fitness to serve as president after his dismal debate performance last week. Friday's prime-time interview with ABC stoked more rumors over the future of his candidacy.

 
Mr. Biden made two appearances at campaign rallies on Sunday in Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state, despite the unpredictability.

 
Despite the president's efforts, some Democrats are still considering the advantages and disadvantages of retaining the 81-year-old Biden at the top of the ticket. Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader in the House, called a conference with top Democratic members on Sunday afternoon, and it was rumored that they talked about Joe Biden's candidacy.

According to CBS, the US news partner of the BBC, four people on the conversation expressed the opinion that Biden ought to resign. At least three others reportedly voiced doubts about his prospects in November, according to sources.

 
Over the weekend, a number of prominent Democrats also discussed their positions in televised interviews with the goal of answering the question: is it riskier to support or reject Mr. Biden?

 
If Mr. Biden stays in office, some believe the party may lose to Donald Trump in November, but others assert that there are a lot of unknowns when it comes to his replacement.

Some see promise in starting over:

 
Requesting the president's resignation might provide some much-needed respite in the midst of the repercussions from Mr. Biden's appalling debate performance.

 
That's what some Democrats, even those who openly support the president, have stated, implying that worries about his age and mental capacity had become harder to overlook.

 
Representative Adam Schiff of California stated on Sunday that the discussion "rightfully raised questions among the American people about whether the president has the vigor to defeat Donald Trump."

 
In his interview with NBC News, Mr. Schiff refrained from advocating that Biden should resign, a stance that has been publicly adopted by five House Democrats thus far.

Rather, Mr. Schiff advised him to decide whether he thought he was the ideal candidate to run by consulting with someone who had "distance and objectivity."

 
"Given Joe Biden's incredible record, given Donald Trump's terrible record, he [Biden] should be mopping the floor with Donald Trump," said Schiff. "It should not be even close and there's only one reason it is close, and that's the president's age."

 
While Trump recently turned 78, Mr. Biden is 81 years old. Voters are becoming more and more adamant about the ages of both candidates.

According to polls, some left-leaning voters appear to be losing faith in Mr. Biden. 86% of Democrats said they would back Mr. Biden in a Wall Street Journal poll that was published on Friday. This is a decrease from 93% in February.