President Joe Biden faces a busy week of campaigning amid increasing calls from Democrats for the president to end his run for reelection.
In a letter to Democrats on Monday, Biden wrote that he believes he is the best candidate to defeat Donald Trump.
As Biden faces a tough stretch of campaign events, media analyst Brian Stelter joined “Politically Georgia” to discuss the president’s troubling performance at the Atlanta debate and what responses from news organizations, including calls for him to end his candidacy, mean for the president’s bid for reelection.
The former CNN chief media correspondent said Biden’s recent media appearances on ABC on Friday and MSNBC on Monday showed the president as “defiant.”
In Biden’s first media interview following the June 27 debate, Stelter said George Stephanopoulos created an environment for the president to display his “true self.”
“We saw that from Biden,” he said. “We saw Biden at points angry about the situation.”
But was that enough?
“He didn’t make it worse for himself in the interview, but I don’t think he made it any better for himself in the interview,” Stelter said.
Stelter compared Biden’s media appearances to a kind of Rorschach test for voters. “You see and you hear what you want to see and hear,” he said.
As congressional Democrats make their way back to Washington, some members have called for the president to step aside, while others have raised concerns about whether Biden is capable of serving a second term or if he can garner the support needed for reelection.
“They’re all making a series of political calculations about what the best path is to defeat Donald Trump,” Stelter said.
Despite what Biden wrote in a letter to Democrats on Monday, stating he is on the path to defeating Trump, Stelter said the president does not have the support of Democratic leaders.
“Many Democratic lawmakers, columnists, donors, the elite class of Democrats — most don’t think he has it,” Stelter said. “Most just don’t think he can beat Trump.”
Amid Biden’s post-debate fallout, Trump has remained quiet. However, the media’s lack of coverage of the former president will likely end soon, Stelter said.
“Trump’s not getting as much scrutiny, but there are many weeks to go,” he said. “Trump’s going to get lots and lots of coverage, as he has for years and years.”
Tuesday on “Politically Georgia”: former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, now a Biden campaign official, and Republican state Sen. Jason Anavitarte, R-Dallas, join the show.
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