Republican presidential contender Donald Trump has capitalized on the turmoil surrounding U.S. President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign, sarcastically praising the president for his choice of Vice President Kamala Harris as an “insurance policy” against being replaced.
Speaking to supporters in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday, Trump remarked that Biden’s selection of Harris was a “brilliant decision” to prevent any challenge to his struggling candidacy. “If Joe had picked someone even halfway competent, they would have bounced him from office years ago. But they can’t because she’s got to be their second choice,” Trump stated, claiming that Democrats are experiencing a “full-scale breakdown” over who should be the nominee.
Trump further challenged Biden to “redeem” himself following a faltering debate performance last month by participating in another debate or a round of golf. “Let’s do another debate this week so that sleepy Joe Biden can prove to everyone all over the world that he has what it takes to be president. But this time, it will be man to man, no moderators, no holds barred, just name the place anytime, anywhere,” he said.
In response, the Biden campaign indicated that the president was too busy leading the country to respond to Trump’s “weird antics”. Biden campaign spokesman James Singer retorted, “We’d challenge Donald Trump to create jobs, but he lost three million. We’d challenge Donald Trump to stand up to Putin, but he bent the knee to him. We’d challenge Donald Trump to follow the law, but he breaks it.”
Since the June 27 debate, where the 81-year-old Biden frequently stumbled over his words and appeared to lose his train of thought, Biden and his team have been working to dispel doubts about his electability. On Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers held a private meeting to discuss Biden’s campaign amid ongoing concerns about his physical and mental fitness.
While leading Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, have reaffirmed their support for Biden, Mikie Sherrill, a House representative from New Jersey, has become the seventh elected Democrat to publicly urge him to step aside. Biden, who is trailing Trump in national and key swing state polls, has consistently rejected calls to exit the race, and it is improbable that Democrats could force him out against his will.
Harris has been frequently mentioned as the most likely successor if Biden were to step down, although her polling numbers are not significantly better than Biden’s.
