Reports: Dems' Calls to Replace Biden Slow After Trump Rally Shooting

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Facts

  • Several unnamed Democrats who, in the weeks following his debate performance, were calling to replace Pres. Joe Biden as the party's presidential nominee have told the media the effort has slowed since the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.1
  • Among the anonymous Democrats was one who told NBC News, 'it's over' and 'it's frozen' — referring to the effort to replace Biden — after the 'supernova event' that took place when Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, was shot at during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.1
  • Prior to the shooting, Biden had been reaching out to those on Capitol Hill who called for him to step aside, including meeting with the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the center-left New Democrat Coalition.2
  • An unnamed Democrat told Axios it would be 'bad form to make any statements' against the president at this time while another said removing the president from the ticket isn't the 'focus right now.'2
  • Biden addressed the nation to condemn the violence Saturday and then spoke with Trump on the phone. The president's campaign temporarily removed ads critical of the former president from the air.3
  • Three national polls released Sunday showed Trump one to two points ahead of Biden, but those polls were taken prior to the assassination attempt.4

Sources: 1NBC, 2Axios.com, 3FOX News and 4The Hill.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by BBC News. Democrats must stay steadfast behind Biden in order to defeat Trump. One bad debate doesn't cancel out everything Biden has accomplished while in office, his principles, and — possibly most importantly — his previous experience beating Trump in 2020. His post-NATO conference press conference answers showed he still has the mental acuity for the job. Democrats don't need chaos; they need to back their nominee.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Common Dreams. If anything, the assassination attempt on Trump makes it more urgent for Biden to get out of the race. Trump's popularity is sure to soar, while Biden's dismal approval ratings and terrible polling in the swing states are only going to get worse. If defeating Trump is the existential crisis that progressives know it is, Biden should do what's best for the party and the country.

Predictions