Democrats’ Independence Day Postponed as Team Biden Says He’s Staying

President Joe Biden is “absolutely not” suspending his campaign, “he’s staying in the race,” the White House said today.  In other words, this will not be a fun weekend for die-hard Democrats who had hoped for other news: liberation from Joe Biden and his dying campaign.

On the day before the Nation celebrates her independence, the White House press secretary Karine Jean Pierre did her best (whatever that means) to deflect a barrage of questions from reporters about President Biden’s debate crash and ongoing political viability.  He is “continuing to do work hard to advance his agenda,” she insisted when asked if the president is considering stepping aside.  Despite Biden’s only appearing for four minutes this week to address the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling, she claimed he continues to engage with the American people and is looking forward.  To explain the debate meltdown, she cited Biden’s jet lag,  rigorous travel schedule but also said “that isn’t an excuse.”

Karoline Leavitt: Democrats in Disarray as Trump Dominates

None of this means anything.  What does matter is that Trump is up 6 points on Biden among likely voters (Trump 49, Biden 43); and he’s up 8 points among registered voters (Trump 49, Biden 41).

This one poll is driving a lot of the panic in the Democratic party.  Also in the poll:

A majority of voters, 50 percent to 39 percent, said Mr. Trump would best handle whatever issue they felt was the most important one facing the country.

And then they horrid news for Biden:

A majority of every demographic, geographic and ideological group in the poll — including Black voters and those who said they will still be voting for him — believe Mr. Biden, 81, is too old to be effective.

The White House sent out a memo this morning warning supporters that the Times’ poll would probably have bad news for Biden.  You can see that here:

Thus, I think that probably since Tuesday night, a lot of insiders (including media types, White House staff, and members of Congress) have known that the Times was sitting on a very bad poll for Biden that was set to drop the afternoon before Independence Day.  And now that poll has dropped, and it is indeed really bad.  In 2008, Obama beat McCain 52.9 to 45.7 – that’s a gap of 7.2 percentage points.  In 1988, Bush beat Dukakis 53.4 to 45.6 – that’s a gap of 7.8 percentage points.

Democrats Turn on Biden: Calls for Withdrawal from Presidential Race Grow Louder

Among registered voters, if the Times’ poll is correct, Trump now has a bigger lead than Obama had over McCain in 2008, and a bigger lead than Bush had over Dukakis in 1988.  Let’s be clear:  if Trump wins by six to eight points on election day, the result will be a bloodbath beyond anything we have seen in many years.  And that’s the reason for the panic—which wasn’t at all quelled by the press secretary’s trail of unconvincing denials and non sequitur-laden detours.