Why Joe Biden won’t go
There is something Trumpian about the Democratic Party’s denial of reality
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN’S performance in his presidential debate against Donald Trump on June 27th called his continued candidacy into question. In the days since, however, the campaign has tried to save Mr Biden, and has succeeded for now. Privately, Mr Biden’s surrogates worked to quell the anxieties of donors worried about throwing good money after bad, and down-ballot candidates worried about their own political survival. Publicly, they came up with a remarkable number of explanations for the president’s display: it was just a cold, a sore throat, a single bad night, a senior moment—well, 90 senior minutes, sure, but don’t you realise that Mr Trump is an existential threat to democracy?
Explore more
More from United States
How the election will shape the Supreme Court
A second Trump administration could lock in a conservative supermajority for decades
Could the Kamala Harris boost put Florida in play for Democrats?
Some party enthusiasts think so, but realists see re-energised campaigning there as a savvy Florida feint
America is not ready for a major war, says a bipartisan commission
The country is unaware of the dangers ahead, and of the costs to prepare for them
The southern border is Kamala Harris’s biggest political liability
What does her record reveal about her immigration policy?
Can Donald Trump win back suburban voters?
In Michigan, Republicans are selling a kinder, gentler Trumpism to college-educated voters. It isn’t sticking yet