There are three different routes Democrat mega-donors are considering for how they handle Joe Biden after his feeble debate performance in Georgia Thursday.
Focus much of this weekend post-debate has been on the Biden family, who gathered at Camp David to discuss their patriarch’s political future.
The family has offered its unequivocal support to the president and even wondered how they can get further involved, with troubled son Hunter insisting his father fight back into the race.
However, many have started to play the blame game, citing Biden’s advisors’ poor debate prep to face Donald Trump and time is of the essence as Democrats panic at his dive in the polls post-Atlanta.
Democrat donors, former and current Washington power players and supporters of Biden have seemingly coalesced around three different paths they could take around the remainder of this election season, with the knowledge that there’s only one person who will decide the fate of the campaign.
Many of the president’s richest backers believe that, while Thursday was a disaster, there’s not much they can do if Biden won’t make the call himself.
‘The smartest thing is to think through how you (as influential outsiders) operate, assuming no change,’ Dmitri Mehlhorn, who organizes wealthy Biden boosters like LinkedIn CEO Reid Hoffman, told CNN.
‘And if there’s no change, if Biden wants to remain president, then any kind of a pressure campaign is just a waste of time and energy and effort and money,’ added Melhorn, who admitted a good chunk of the debate was ‘very upsetting to see.’
Signum Global Advisors Chairman and major Democrat donor Charles Myers immediately dismissed the idea of replacing Biden.
‘Yes, donors were nervous after the very bad debate performance but still very much on board and some want to do more,’ he said.
There’s a opposing faction – though largely not anyone with direct access or influence over Biden – that say now is the time to encourage him to quit.
Tom Harkin, a former Democrat Senator from Iowa who worked with Biden for decades, has perhaps been most public with this sentiment in a post-debate missive to allies.
‘All incumbent Democratic Senators should write to Biden asking him to release his delegates and step aside so the convention can choose a new candidate,’ Harkin wrote.
‘This is a perilous time and is more important than Joe Biden’s ego or desire to stay president,’ he added, saying a new ticket would ‘energize the party at all levels’ and be capable of beating Donald Trump.
A third way is developing among some donors, who are alarmed by Biden’s performance but want to study the backlash to Thursday’s debate further before making any major moves, while still planning ahead.
‘It’s time to do polling and find out if there are any potential replacements that poll higher than Trump,’ said businessman Mark Cuban, who endorsed Biden this week.
Ultimately, the only person who can determine the fate of this campaign is Joe Biden himself.
‘The party is in President Biden’s hands — for better or worse. He deserves our respect and space to reach any decision,’ said one Democratic Senator who spoke anonymously to CNN.
Another party insider told the network that there just isn’t a feasible replacement plan.
‘A true succession plan does not exist. That’s what makes all of this not just heartbreaking, but very problematic.’
The CNN performance where Joe Biden meandered through answers and lost his train of thought sparked an unprecedented panic in the party.
President Biden has the nomination locked up. The only way for the party to have a different nominee is for him to voluntarily exit the race.
However, it appears the president is fighting an uphill battle after Thursday’s debacle.
A poll released Sunday reveals 72 percent of voters don’t think Biden has the cognitive faculties for another term in office. This is a seven percent increase from the same poll taken earlier in June before the debate.
Former White House physician Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) has repeatedly brought Biden’s cognitive and physical health into question.
He suggested that debate prep for seven days at Camp David was a way to get the drug cocktail just right before the showdown with Trump.
Doubts increased from before the debate to after the debate over Biden’s mental acuity and cognitive health.
Biden stumbled his way through the debate with Trump on Thursday, often speaking lowly, mumbling or losing his train of thought. When Trump was speaking, the split screen showed the President with his mouth ajar and a blank stare.
The outcome resulted in a chorus of calls for Biden to end his candidacy – even from some of his biggest supporters.
On the other hand, Trump’s debate performance has only increased his party’s support.
Fifty percent of registered voters think the 78-year-old has the cognitive faculties to run for a second term in 2024 – only 27 percent feel the same about Biden.
It’s unclear what will happen next, but Biden is spending his Sunday at Camp David where he is discussing the future of this race with his family.
Some are blaming First Lady Jill Biden for forcing her husband to continue campaigning for reelection, and Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wy.) accused the first lady of ‘elder abuse.’