After the recent TV debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, speculation about Joe Biden’s future as a presidential candidate has intensified. Biden’s performance during the debate has received extensive criticism, leading many to question his suitability as a candidate. Anders Agner, editor-in-chief of Congress.com (Kongressen.com) and USA expert, notes a significant change in media coverage.
“It is very telling that in all the years I have covered American politics and Trump has been a part of it, media coverage has often been about Trump. Every time he has been in a debate, the coverage has primarily been about him afterwards. That is not the case today,” says Agner.
Instead of focusing on Friday’s media coverage, the question has been whether Biden could consider withdrawing as a candidate and whether he should do so. According to Agner, speculation about Biden’s future is not new, but he predicts an intensified internal discussion within the Democrats.
“The debate went so poorly for Biden that the pressure will probably be greater than before. Biden will come under a lot of pressure in the coming period, and there will be many speculations. But so far, he has held on to the fact that he does not see his age as a problem and believes that he can seek re-election,” says Agner.
When Biden and his team review the debate, it is uncertain whether he will change his position, but there are no indications from the Biden camp at this time pointing in that direction.
Several international media outlets have speculated about who could replace Biden as a presidential candidate. Names like Vice President Kamala Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer have been mentioned. According to Agner, these names are not new in the discussion.
“The names in play are names that have been mentioned before. Politicians like Newsom and Whitmer were also mentioned during the primaries, where they did nothing but endorse Biden. So far, they stick to that line,” Agner says.
Agner doubts that Biden will change his stance despite the pressure from the poor debate. “I would be very surprised if he suddenly changes his stance. Even if he comes under pressure as a result of the bad debate. But there is no doubt that he had hoped the debate would have gone significantly differently,” says Agner, adding that speculations about replacing Biden and potential successors will be prominent in the coming period.