The beginning of the end?

Report: Biden is already thinking about resigning

The debate with his challenger Donald Trump could have been the beginning of the end for Joe Biden's election campaign.

(Bild: AFP/ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS)

US President Joe Biden (81) is now apparently considering withdrawing from the presidential election campaign after all. This is likely to be the consequence of his disastrous performance in the TV election duel with challenger Donald Trump. Biden has been considered to be under fire for days.

According to the New York Times, Biden has told an "important ally that he knows he may not be able to save his candidacy". If he does not succeed in convincing the public of his suitability for the presidency in the coming days, a withdrawal is also possible.

Hardly any time left to regain trust
The US president, who, as the ally emphasized, is still deep in the fight for his re-election, knows that his next appearances before the holiday weekend - including an interview with ABC News scheduled for Friday and campaign appearances in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - must go well.

White House denies (yet)
"He knows that if he has two more events like this, we're going to be in a very different position at the end of the weekend," the ally told the New York Times, referring to Biden's halting and unfocused performance in the last debate. A White House spokesman, on the other hand, described this as "absolutely wrong". 

Nevertheless, this is the first indication that Biden may now be considering withdrawing after all. It was only at the weekend that he consulted with his closest family circle and then showed himself to be quite determined to stay in the race.

Alarm bells are ringing even in his own party
Recently, there have been growing concerns - including from the ranks of the Democrats - that Biden is no longer fit enough for the election campaign or even for the presidency. The disastrous performance at the debate with Trump last week finally set alarm bells ringing: The president spoke with a hoarse voice, repeatedly got tangled up in his phrasing and simply left entire sentences unfinished.

Who could step into the ring instead of Biden?
Should Biden actually take the step and withdraw from the race, the Democrats will have to quickly conjure a replacement candidate out of a hat. The logical candidate would probably be Vice President Kamala Harris, who has not been able to score many bonus points with Americans during her time in office - her poll ratings are currently rather modest.

However, some influential party representatives have already thrown other names into the ring, such as California Governor Gavin Newsom or Gretchen Whitmer from Michigan.