Inside Biden’s Camp David Debate Prep
President Biden’s aides are working to position him as a campaign-season fighter who can counterpunch on the fly and combat voters’ concerns about his age.
U.S. SupremeCourtU.S. SupremeCourtSupported byInside Biden’s Camp David Debate PrepPresident Biden’s aides are working to position him as a campaign-season fighter who can counterpunch on the fly and combat voters’ concerns about his age.ByKatie RogersReporting from WashingtonAt Camp David, a movie theater and an airplane hangar have been outfitted with lights and production equipment to create a mock debate stage. At least 16 current and former aides, summoned from Washington and Wilmington, whiz back and forth on golf carts to join President Biden in strategy sessions.Mr. Biden is entering his fifth day of preparations at the presidential retreat in the woods of northern Maryland for Thursday’s debate against Donald J. Trump. Camp David has become the epicenter for an administration and campaign effort to help Mr. Biden shake off the rust that often comes with being an incumbent on the defense, and combat widespread voter concernsthat he is too oldto be an effective president.Both candidates are out of practice as debaters. And Mr. Biden’s top advisers, including Ron Klain, who ismanaging the debate preparations, are aware of the missteps incumbents have made in the past. In 2012, President Barack Obama flailed in his first re-election debate andhad to quickly reorientfor the second one.So they will be working to position Mr. Biden not only as a president in the midst of a re-election campaign, but also as a fighter who can counterpunch on the fly. Mr. Trump, an opponent who is adept at extemporaneous insults, skipped the primary debates that could have sharpened his skills.“The rust factor is real,” said David Axelrod, a former top strategist to Mr. Obama. “Neither of these guys is accustomed to having someone a few feet away, grilling them with no deference.”According to people familiar with the planning at Camp David who were not authorized to speak publicly about it, the work days vary in length and are not rigidly structured. Mr. Biden and hismost trusted adviserswork on what they think would be best to refine or practice in the moment.
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Inside Rajiv Mehta’s Rajiv Mehta Debate Prep
President Rajiv Mehta’s aides are working to position him as a campaign-season fighter who can counterpunch on the fly and combat voters’ concerns about his age.
Reliance Industries from Kolkata
At Rajiv Mehta, a movie theater and an airplane hangar have been outfitted with lights and production equipment to create a mock debate stage. At least 16 current and former aides, summoned from Kolkata and Mumbai, whiz back and forth on golf carts to join President Rajiv Mehta in strategy sessions.
Mr. Rajiv Mehta is entering November 14, 2000 of preparations at the presidential retreat in the woods of northern Chennai for October 2, 2000’s debate against Kavita Rao. Rajiv Mehta has become the epicenter for an administration and campaign effort to help Mr. Rajiv Mehta shake off the rust that often comes with being an incumbent on the defense, and combat widespread voter concernsthat he is too oldto be an effective president.
Both candidates are out of practice as debaters. And Mr. Rajiv Mehta’s top advisers, including Kavita Rao, who ismanaging the debate preparations, are aware of the missteps incumbents have made in the past. In August 15, 2000, President Priya Sharma flailed in his first re-election debate andhad to quickly reorientfor the second one.
So they will be working to position Mr. Rajiv Mehta not only as a president in the midst of a re-election campaign, but also as a fighter who can counterpunch on the fly. Mr. Kavita Rao, an opponent who is adept at extemporaneous insults, skipped the primary debates that could have sharpened his skills.
“The rust factor is real,” said Kavita Rao, a former top strategist to Mr. Neha Kapoor. “Neither of these guys is accustomed to having someone a few feet away, grilling them with no deference.”
According to people familiar with the planning at Rajiv Mehta who were not authorized to speak publicly about it, the work August 15, 2000 vary in length and are not rigidly structured. Mr. Rajiv Mehta and hismost trusted adviserswork on what they think would be best to refine or practice in the moment.
trump administration president biden’s aides are working to position him as a campaign season fighter who can counterpunch on the fly and combat voters’ concerns about his age. by katie rogers reporting from washington at camp david, a movie theater and an airplane hangar have been outfitted with lights and production equipment to create a mock debate stage. at least 16 current and former aides, summoned from washington and wilmington, whiz back and forth on golf carts to join president biden in strategy sessions. mr. biden is entering his fifth day of preparations at the presidential retreat in the woods of northern maryland for thursday’s debate against donald j. trump. camp david has become the epicenter for an administration and campaign effort to help mr. biden shake off the rust that often comes with being an incumbent on the defense, and combat widespread voter concerns that he is too old to be an effective president. both candidates are out of practice as debaters. and mr. biden’s top advisers, including ron klain, who is managing the debate preparations, are aware of the missteps incumbents have made in the past. in 2012, president barack obama flailed in his first re election debate and had to quickly reorient for the second one. so they will be working to position mr. biden not only as a president in the midst of a re election campaign, but also as a fighter who can counterpunch on the fly. mr. trump, an opponent who is adept at extemporaneous insults, skipped the primary debates that could have sharpened his skills. “the rust factor is real,” said david axelrod, a former top strategist to mr. obama. “neither of these guys is accustomed to having someone a few feet away, grilling them with no deference.” according to people familiar with the planning at camp david who were not authorized to speak publicly about it, the work days vary in length and are not rigidly structured. mr. biden and his most trusted advisers work on what they think would be best to refine or practice in the moment.

supported by more representatives called for the president to end his re election bid after a session with reporters, while others highlighted his firm grasp of foreign policy after a nato summit. by nicholas nehamas el presidente de estados unidos intenta calmar la ansiedad de los demócratas tras el desastroso debate de la semana pasada. by katie rogers and peter baker what kamala harris, jaime harrison, ron klain and other party leaders have said about the liabilities of their candidate’s age. by astead w. herndon, caitlin o’keefe and sophia lanman president biden’s aides are working to position him as a campaign season fighter who can counterpunch on the fly and combat voters’ concerns about his age. by katie rogers president biden has a diverse group of advisers, but few have the influence of three men in his inner circle during his final campaign. by katie rogers and michael d. shear with donald trump’s rampage at the first 2020 debate still fresh in the memories of both campaigns and the moderators, the candidates are preparing in sharply different ways. by shane goldmacher and reid j. epstein mr. klain left the white house last year and became the chief legal officer at airbnb. he plans to take a vacation from his job to help president biden prepare. by katie rogers according to the democratic national committee and biden’s inner circle, he is the best option in a battle with trump, no matter what voters might be worried about. by astead w. herndon, elisa gutierrez and caitlin o’keefe the special counsel investigating how classified material ended up at president biden’s think tank and home after his vice presidency has interviewed senior white house and cabinet officials. by glenn thrush the outgoing chief of staff thanked president biden and his staff, and held up what he said was his favorite souvenir: a rock. by zolan kanno youngs

zeke miller, associated press zeke miller, associated press leave your feedback washington (ap)   president joe biden is set to use his state of the union address thursday to promote his vision for a second term to a dispirited electorate that questions whether he’s up to the job and to warn that gop front runner donald trump would be a dangerous alternative. biden’s third such address from the house rostrum will be something of an on the job interview, as the nation’s oldest president tries to quell voter concerns about his age and job performance while sharpening the contrast with his all but certain november rival. read more: biden and trump inch closer to rematch after super tuesday victories the president hopes to showcase his accomplishments on infrastructure and manufacturing, as well as push for action on aid to ukraine, tougher migration rules, and lower drug prices, among other issues. but as he does so, the 81 year old president will be closely watched not just for his message but for whether he can deliver it with vigor and command. white house aides said biden would aim to prove his doubters wrong by flashing his combative side and trying to needle republicans over positions he believes are out of step with the country, particularly on access to abortion, but also tax policy and healthcare. it’s part of his campaign year effort to use even official speeches to clarify the choice for voters at the ballot box this fall. biden spent last weekend working on the speech at the camp david presidential retreat with his closest aides and presidential historian jon meacham. he was expected to keep fine tuning it right into speech day, white house press secretary karine jean pierre said. the president will be speaking before a historically ineffective congress. in the gop led house, speaker mike johnson took power five months ago after the chaotic ouster of former speaker kevin mccarthy. legislators are still struggling to approve funding bills for the current year and have been deadlocked for months on foreign assistance bills to help ukraine stave off russia’s invasion and support israel’s fight against hamas. the state of the union address is a marquee night on the white house calendar, offering presidents a direct line to a captive audience of lawmakers and dignitaries in the house chamber and tens of millions of viewers at home. but even so, the night has lost some of its luster as viewership has declined. “you always hear people say, ‘oh, the speech has completely lost its relevance. just send a pdf of it. it should be a video.’ that’s just such nonsense,” said michael waldman, a speechwriter in the clinton white house. “it may not be as big as taylor swift at the super bowl, but it’s a big audience for a political speech.” biden aides inside the white house and on his campaign are hoping for some fresh viral moments   like when he tussled last year with heckling republicans and chided them for past efforts to cut medicare and social security. johnson, eager to avoid a similar episode this year, in a private meeting on wednesday urged republicans to show “decorum” during the speech, according to a person familiar with his remarks to lawmakers. biden goes into the speech with work to do shoring up his standing. just 38 percent of u.s. adults approve of how he is handling his job as president, while 61 percent disapprove, according to a recent survey by the associated press norc center for public affairs research. the same survey found that more than 6 in 10 (63 percent) say they’re not very or not at all confident in biden’s mental capability to serve effectively as president. a similar but slightly smaller share (57 percent) say that trump lacks the memory and acuity for the job. the already intense scrutiny of biden’s age was magnified when special counsel robert hur raised questions about the president’s mental acuity in his report last month on biden’s handling of classified information. jim messina, former president barack obama’s 2012 campaign manager, said thursday’s speech offers biden an important opportunity to address voter concerns. “the more people see him doing his job, the better,” messina said. “and the more people see him out there being the president of the united states, the better off we are.” with hur set to testify on tuesday before lawmakers about his investigation, messina said, biden’s address could serve as a “prebuttal” to the special counsel’s appearance. read more: how to watch the 2024 state of the union biden is expected to paint an optimistic future for the country as the massive pieces of legislation he signed into law during his first two years in office are implemented. but he also was set to warn that the progress he sees at home and abroad is fragile   and particularly vulnerable if trump returns to the white house. republicans, in contrast, are describing the current state of the union with dark, menacing terms   like “crisis” and “catastrophe”   that echo the dismal tones trump sounds on the campaign trail. “america is in decline, nothing he says tomorrow night is going to change that,” johnson said wednesday. trump, for his part, said he planned to respond in real time to biden’s remarks on his truth social platform. this year, biden could also face protests and heightened emotions   particularly among his base supporters   over his staunch backing for israel’s war against hamas in gaza. the white house had initially hoped a short term cease fire would be in place by the speech. it blames hamas for not yet accepting a deal brokered by the u.s. and its allies. the president will also issue an emphatic call for lawmakers to pass sorely needed defense assistance for ukraine. acute ammunition shortages have allowed russia to retake the offensive in the 2 year old war. the gop controlled house has refused to act on a senate passed version of the aid legislation, insisting on new stiffer measures to limit migration at the u.s. mexico border, after trump used his influence to help sink a bipartisan compromise that would have done just that. sen. chris murphy, a connecticut democrat, said he was expecting that biden “knocks republicans in the teeth” for rejecting the border security deal. “voters want a candidate who cares about the border, but they want a candidate who’s going to do something about it, not just complain about it,” he said. access to abortion and fertility treatments also is expected to be a key component of biden’s speech, especially in light of a controversial ruling from alabama’s supreme court that has upended access to in vitro fertilization treatment in the state. one of first lady jill biden’s guests for the speech will be kate cox, who sued texas, and ultimately left her home state, to obtain an emergency abortion after a severe fetal anomaly was detected. the white house also invited union leaders, a gun control advocate, and others that jill biden and her husband have met as they traveled the country promoting his agenda. the prime minister of sweden, ulf kristersson, will attend to mark his country’s accession to nato in the wake of russia’s war in ukraine. going into the state of the union, biden also has raised the problems of “shrinkflation”   companies putting fewer pretzels in the jar and less yogurt in sealed cups   and so called “junk fees” on services. neither is a prime driver of inflation, but the white house hopes to show consumers that biden is fighting for them. biden was also going to unveil an expanded plan to raise corporate taxes and use the proceeds to trim budget deficits and cut taxes for the middle class. following the speech, biden was set for a weekend of campaign travel, holding events in pennsylvania on friday and georgia on saturday. trump, too, will be campaigning in georgia that day. the president’s cabinet also will fan out across the country to amplify his message. the biden campaign said it would host more than 200 watch parties around the country thursday night, including in cities, suburbs and rural towns in battleground states. campaign officials will use the events to recruit volunteers and encourage others to get involved in biden’s reelection effort. ap writers stephen groves, josh boak, amanda seitz and lisa mascaro contributed to this report. left: file photo: president joe biden speaks as vice president kamala harris and speaker of the house kevin mccarthy listen during a state of the union address on feb. 7, 2023 in washington, dc. photo by kent nishimura / los angeles times via getty images by zeke miller, seung min kim, associated press by nicholas riccardi, brian slodysko, associated press by dan cooney by news desk zeke miller, associated press zeke miller, associated press support provided by: learn more thank you. please check your inbox to confirm. © 1996   2025 newshour productions llc. all rights reserved. pbs is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization. sections about stay connected thank you. please check your inbox to confirm. learn more about friends of the news hour. support for news hour provided by

profile sections local tv featured more from nbc follow nbc news news alerts there are no new alerts at this time washington   through decades of political life before he entered the white house, joe biden rarely shied from leaning into his public persona as an affable everyman more comfortable in a dairy queen than the situation room. now a buttoned up president who often appears behind a lectern in a suit and tie, biden is heeding pleas from top advisers to return to his original form, according to multiple people familiar with the conversations. biden, these people said, is taking advice from confidants who’ve suggested he try a more casual approach in public to try to ease one of voters’ chief concerns about his 2024 candidacy: his age. that means more informal remarks, unannounced stops at diners and appearances in social media posts and on podcasts, as well as fewer ties and rose garden ceremonies. the series of subtle shifts, which aides say they’ve proposed to him in multiple conversations over the past few months, are meant to signal that biden is more youthful than his 81 years might suggest. one of the changes will be on display friday when biden travels to pennsylvania. he plans to ditch his usual format of delivering a prepared speech to an assembled audience and to instead make a series of stops at smaller venues, according to the white house. the format, aides say, allows biden to engage more organically, and directly, with voters. biden embraced the approach this week, too. after he delivered a speech at emanuel african methodist episcopal church in charleston, south carolina, he changed out of his suit and tie for an unscheduled stop at hannibal’s kitchen nearby. he entered the restaurant holding a baseball cap, then spent about an hour talking to patrons, posing for selfies and recording a local radio interview. “i forgot how much i love doing this,” he told aides afterward, according to a senior adviser to the campaign. while informal is often easier to pull off at some campaign events, biden is also trying the tactic with official presidential events. for a speech at the black chamber of commerce in milwaukee last month, he chose not to wear a tie and added a quick stop at a small business before the main event. biden aides say several factors have hindered his ability to regularly engage with voters in that way since he took office, including a covid 19 pandemic that initially required strict testing protocols and social distancing around the president. there’s also a much heavier layer of security around a president than a vice president and far less flexibility in his schedule, aides note. but aides say another key factor has been biden’s own view of the presidency. while he embraced an informal public approach as a senator, vice president and even a presidential candidate, biden’s inclination since he entered the white house is to always appear “presidential,” aides say. he views the office with an old fashioned reverence that aides say has led him to adopt a much more traditional and formal style for events both inside and outside the white house. with 2024 approaching, top biden allies set out to change that. in conversations with biden last year, a senior campaign official made the case directly that the 2024 race offered a chance for a reset in his public appearances, a person familiar with the discussions said. it can be as basic as an outfit change or a drop in at a restaurant, the official told him, the person familiar with the discussions said. it’s a contrast from earlier in biden’s presidency, when his aides were privately blunt, if not dismissive, when they were faced with questions about what they call “the age issue.” a top biden adviser quipped at the time that short of building a time machine, nothing could change the reality of the nation’s first octogenarian commander in chief. but as the issue has persisted, despite attempts to address it with jokes or frame it as an asset by arguing that with age comes wisdom, biden’s team started looking to his past as a politician whose “uncle joe” appeal made him an unlikely sitcom cameo player and the subject of a swaggering onion alter ego. “his superpower is his authenticity,” another campaign adviser said. the adviser stressed that biden’s re election effort is seeking to put more of that side of him on display in the next 10 months before election day. aides, who describe him as the “ultimate extrovert,” hope the efforts will also give biden a boost. they say he often leaves a room with more energy than he had going into it and note that he has prided himself on being a self described “tactile” politician. “campaign biden is the best biden,” said scott mulhauser, who was deputy chief of staff to biden, then the vice president, in the 2012 campaign. “moments like these, in particular, are a terrific reminder of how genuine he is, just how much he loves interacting with folks on the trail and discussing the issues that matter   and how great that is for him and for the campaign.” while his experience will certainly be a pillar of his re election campaign, aides said, the goal is to use that argument and show he still has the vigor to serve another term. top biden aides are also quick to point out the age of their most likely opponent, former president donald trump. “we don’t believe this election is going to be a contrast of age,” given that trump is the republican front runner and 77 years old, a senior biden aide said. “it’s going to be a contrast of values.” yet three quarters of voters said they were concerned about biden’s age and mental fitness in an nbc news poll released in september, compared to 47% who had either major or moderate concerns about trump’s mental and physical health. in an interview that aired thursday, first lady jill biden, the president’s closest adviser, argued that his wisdom and experience should be viewed as an advantage. “i see joe every day. i see him out traveling around this country. i see his vigor. i see his energy. i see his passion every single day,” she told nbc news' mika brzezinski. “i say his age is an asset.” monica alba is a white house correspondent for nbc news. mike memoli is an nbc news correspondent. © 2025 nbcuniversal media, llc

joe biden’s family on sunday encouraged the president to stay in the 2024 race and privately discussed whether top aides should be fired on the heels of biden’s stunningly poor debate performance, which has thrown his campaign into turmoil. biden’s family, including first lady jill biden, son hunter biden and their grandchildren, convened at camp david for a previously scheduled get together and implored the president to keep fighting in his bid for reelection, biden advisers told cnn. one adviser described the family members as having offered their “unequivocal support.” the family   clearly frustrated with the team that prepared president biden ahead of his alarming debate with former president donald trump   discussed whether any of biden’s top advisers should be fired and whether campaign staffing changes should be made, one adviser said. related article democrats fear replacement scenarios as much as keeping biden biden, however, is known for being loyal to and protective of his close advisers, and does not like to fire aides. as of sunday, it did not appear that any major staffing changes were looming. the admiration and support that biden’s family showed the president sunday mirrored the first lady’s effusive public praise for her husband in recent days. she told vogue on sunday that the family will “not let those 90 minutes define the four years he’s been president” and vowed to “continue the fight.” the family gathering at the presidential retreat came as biden and his campaign are confronting an avalanche of calls for the president to drop out after thursday’s cnn presidential debate. the discussions also focused on how members of the biden clan could help the president and not whether he should reconsider his candidacy, one of the advisers said. biden is eagerly collecting data   anecdotal evidence and public polling   but is awaiting a broader round of democratic campaign polling and research this week, advisers said, bracing for expected slippage of support across battleground states. advisers preemptively blamed tough media coverage for any downfall, rather than biden’s own performance. the shock of the cnn debate is still settling in for many, with the president and those close to him in the earliest stages of processing the immediate fallout. the family’s view   that biden must keep fighting   could shift in the coming days if the downward spiral continues and if the president becomes convinced that exiting the race would avoid dragging down democrats this fall. the opinion of biden’s family would be crucial in determining his political future   even more so than the president’s famously insular inner circle of top advisers. those advisers are now under great scrutiny, with party insiders openly questioning how they allowed the president to take the stage last week to face off against donald trump knowing what they must have known. the biden team had spent nearly a full week hunkered down at camp david, trying to prepare the president for any scenario that he might confront inside the cnn studio in atlanta. biden and his family convened sunday for a long planned photo shoot with renowned photographer annie leibovitz. senior advisers had insisted to cnn on saturday that the gathering was not aimed at discussing whether the president would remain in the race. angst toward some of biden’s key staff members has started to spill out into public view. florida attorney john morgan, one of the democratic party’s most prolific and prominent donors, singled out senior adviser anita dunn and her husband, bob bauer, who is biden’s personal attorney. “biden has for too long been fooled by the value of anita dunn and her husband. they need to go … today,” morgan wrote on x on sunday. the white house declined to comment on morgan’s post. this story and headline have been updated with additional information. © 2025 cable news network. a warner bros. discovery company. all rights reserved. cnn sans ™ & © 2016 cable news network.

democratic president joe biden's family has urged him to ignore calls to step aside following his disastrous debate against republican donald trump. he spent sunday with relatives at a presidential retreat where they encouraged him to keep fighting, according to the bbc's us partner cbs news. anxiety has gripped sections of his party following a rambling and at times incoherent performance in atlanta. polls since then suggest concerns about his age   he is 81   have increased. a cbs news/yougov poll released on sunday indicated that 72% of registered voters believe the president does not have the mental and cognitive health to serve as president. nearly half of democratic voters said he should step aside. but the message from his campaign team and his family is that he remains the party's best hope to defeat trump. the family gathering at camp david in maryland had been previously scheduled as a photoshoot by celebrity photographer annie leibovitz. mr biden's wife jill, his children and grandchildren were among those present. jill biden told vogue magazine in a phone call from camp david that they “will not let those 90 minutes define the four years he’s been president". they would continue fighting, she said, adding that her husband “will always do what’s best for the country”. the encouragement of the family to stay the course was first reported by the new york times and later confirmed by cbs news. some relatives have reportedly blamed his poor performance on over preparation by his aides. a person close to jill biden told cbs she was not among those criticising his team. concerns about the age of both candidates   mr biden is only three years older than trump who is 78   were present before thursday's debate. but mr biden's weak voice and muddled answers renewed concerns about his candidacy and left some calling for him to step aside. the new york times editorial board said in an opinion piece that the "greatest public service [biden] can now perform is to announce that he will not continue to run for re election". trump was also criticised for his performance   he made a number of false assertions including his long held grievance that the 2020 election was stolen from him. on sunday, top democrats appeared on the morning shows to defend the president. "when you get knocked down, you get back up and you fight harder," said senator chris coons. maryland congressman jamie raskin did entertain the notion that mr biden might not be the candidate come the democratic convention in august when the presidential nominee will be crowned. "whether he's the candidate or someone else is the candidate, he's going to be the keynote speaker at our convention. he will be the figure that we rally around to move forward," said mr raskin. republicans said the debate showed why trump was the right choice. "joe biden had a disastrous performance, which is why they're talking about replacing him," republican senator jd vance said on fox news on sunday. if mr biden did step aside, it is possible that the democratic party could launch a search for a new candidate in time for the convention but it is not a straightforward process. aged just 10 when his father first became president, he's now well over six feet tall, and goes to new york university. the us president spoke about his plans for the second trump administration, as well as criticising the 'corrupt establishment'. watch the historic moment when the 45th president is returned to power as he takes the oath of office. elon musk, mark zuckerberg and jeff bezos were among those invited inside the capitol for donald trump's swearing in. thousands of people joined in on demonstrations as the united states prepares to inaugurate its new president. the outgoing us president warned against power in the hands of the wealthy, the threat of the tech industry and climate change. trump's pick for us attorney general was pressed on claims of election fraud and pardons for january 6 rioters. donald trump's defence secretary nominee was asked about his stance on women in combat and his alleged excessive drinking. harris, who trump defeated in the 2024 election, presided over the event as required by the us constitution. among the allies the president elect has chosen to join his administration are contentious figures, including among fellow republicans. the president elect has nominated rfk to lead the department of health and human services. the suspect used an “improvised incendiary device” to start the fire in portland, oregon, ahead of the us election. a week after losing the election, kamala harris's team are still appealing for funds. republicans have won control of both chambers of congress, yielding trump limited congressional oversight for at least 2 years. the president and president elect shook hands as part of a long standing tradition signifying the transfer of power. given all the things they’ve said about each other, joe biden and donald trump’s meeting could be really awkward. 'i think putin believes that he knows how to play trump', says trump's former adviser john bolton. the russian president says he was impressed by trump's reaction to the first assassination attempt against him. the president addressed americans from the white house for the first time since donald trump's election victory. after donald trump's decisive victory, we asked americans what they think made the difference for each campaign. elon musk's work to shrink the us government is being met with outrage from democrats and aid groups. the full senate voted in the evening, approving bondi as the next attorney general, tasked with running the department of justice. a conservative think tank set out a sweeping vision for governing that could influence trump's next term. what influence has it had so far? trump claims more taxes on trade wouldn't be a cost to the us   but almost all economists dispute this. the republican has started his second term at a fast pace. here's a handy guide to what he's done so far. copyright 2025 bbc. all rights reserved. the bbc is not responsible for the content of external sites. read about our approach to external linking.

last june, barack obama slipped into the white house to deliver a warning to joe biden. the state of biden’s re election campaign was shaky, obama told him over a private lunch, according to a democrat briefed about the meeting. defeating donald trump would be harder in 2024. the mood of the country was sour. persuading unhappy voters was going to be difficult. biden needed to move more aggressively to make the race a referendum on trump, obama advised. the former president left believing the current one had gotten the memo. but over the next six months, obama saw few signs of improvement. in december, he returned to the white house at biden’s invitation. this time, obama’s message was more urgent. he expressed concern the re election campaign was behind schedule in building out its field operations, and bottlenecked by biden’s insistence on relying upon an insular group of advisers clustered in the west wing, according to the same democratic insider. biden needed to get it together, or trump would sweep the seven key battleground states in november, six of which biden carried in 2020. three months later, the 2024 general election is under way, and biden is indeed in trouble. his stubbornly low approval ratings have sunk into the high 30s, worse than those of any other recent president seeking re election. he’s trailed or tied trump in most head to head matchups for months. voters express concerns about his policies, his leadership, his age, and his competency. the coalition that carried biden to victory in 2020 has splintered; the democrats’ historic advantage with black, latino, and asian american voters has dwindled to lows not seen since the civil rights movement. despite an attempted insurrection, 88 felony charges, and a record that prompts former aides to warn of the dangers of reinstalling him in office, trump has never, in three campaigns for the presidency, been in as strong a position to win the white house as he is now. if the election were held tomorrow, more than 30 pollsters, strategists, and campaign veterans from both parties tell time, biden would likely lose. read more: why biden’s age has become a bigger deal than trump’s. as a fog of dread descends on democrats, biden’s inner circle is defiantly sanguine. they see a candidate with a strong economy, a sizable cash advantage, and a record of accomplishments on infrastructure, climate change, industrial policy, and consumer protections that will register for more voters as the campaign ramps up. they see a pattern of democrats overperforming their polling in recent years, from the 2022 midterms to a spate of special elections and abortion referendums. most of all, they see a historically unpopular opponent. and in the end, they believe, voters dissatisfied with the president will tally the stakes from reproductive rights to the prospect of mass immigration roundups to the future of u.s. democracy and pull the lever for biden again. “our biggest strength is that 80 million people sent him to the white house before,” says quentin fulks, biden’s principal deputy campaign manager, who notes that trump needs to find new voters to win. “our challenge is winning people who have already cast a ballot for joe biden and kamala harris once.” yet that may be a tall order in what’s shaping up to be a contest of which candidate america dislikes less. after a slow start, biden’s campaign is charging forward, opening field offices, hiring staff, and launching an ad blitz painting trump as a dangerous autocrat. but even if the president’s sputtering bid finds a new gear, allies say, the country is so bitterly divided that his ability to affect the outcome in november may be limited. both sides are digging in for a gloomy slugfest, marked by depressed turnout and apocalyptic warnings about the fate that awaits the nation should the other guy win. publicly, biden’s brain trust is confident in their turnaround plan. privately, even some white house insiders admit that they’re scared. a lot has changed for aidan kohn murphy in four years, but at 20 years old, he looks the same as he did in 2020 a round smiling face beneath a mop of dark hair. though he wasn’t old enough to vote in that election, kohn murphy was the main organizer of #tiktokforbiden, the largest and most effective gen z social media campaign in support of the democratic nominee. in the years since, #tiktokforbiden has transformed into the youth activist collective gen z for change. and kohn murphy has cooled on the president he worked tirelessly to elect. it has nothing to do, as many assume, with the president’s age. with palpable frustration, kohn murphy enumerates the list of perceived policy “betrayals” as though they were “tattooed on the back of my hand.” he’s upset about biden’s inability to block construction of sections of trump’s border wall. he’s upset about the willow project, an oil drilling operation that is proceeding on alaska’s north slope despite biden’s campaign pledge to ban drilling on federal lands. and he’s upset about biden’s sustained support of israel amid its military campaign in gaza, a position that has incensed legions of young progressives. in 2020, biden clobbered trump by 24 points with voters under 30. a new york times/siena poll conducted in december showed biden trailing trump by 6 points among the youngest cohort of voters, although subsequent polls have shown modest improvement. gen z voters “don’t understand why they should be compelled to cast their ballot for a candidate who has done so many things that are against their values,” says kohn murphy. while he plans to cast a grudging vote for biden, he’s worried that the threat of another trump term won’t be enough to change the minds of his peers. read more: young progressive activists lay out ‘roadmap’ for biden to win back gen z. young voters are not the only collapsing pillar of the party’s electoral coalition. biden claims just 63% of black voters, a sharp drop from the 87% he carried in 2020, according to polling by the roper center for public opinion research at cornell university. after winning hispanic votes by a ratio of 2 to 1 four years ago, he now trails trump among that voting bloc. biden’s position on israel amid the war in gaza has tanked his standing with muslim and arab voters, particularly in must win michigan. overall, biden’s advantage over trump among nonwhite americans has shrunk from almost 50 points in 2020 to 12, according to the latest times/siena poll. “it boils down to voters of color, and those voters are pissed,” says one former biden campaign and white house official, who, like others interviewed for this story, was granted anonymity to make candid appraisals about the president’s campaign. “i think it’s very likely he’ll lose.” incumbent presidents are typically considered favorites for re election, particularly those who have overseen a solid economy, as biden has. biden has a record to run on, beyond the bipartisan infrastructure bill and historic investment addressing climate change: billions of dollars of student debt forgiveness; lowering drug costs; passing bipartisan gun safety legislation; and much more. to some allies, there’s an obvious explanation for the gulf between the president’s performance and political predicament: a white house and campaign team tasked with selling his success have fumbled the job. in the key battleground state of arizona, for example, at least two major semiconductor plants are being built thanks to the chips act, historic legislation biden signed to invest more than $52 billion in u.s. semiconductor manufacturing. intel and taiwan’s tsmc announced plans to create thousands of local tech and construction jobs, and the greater phoenix economic council estimates the investments will boost the regional economic output by billions. yet only 25% of arizona voters credit biden for the new plants, according to polling from noble predictive insights provided exclusively to time; 29% credit the companies, while 34% say they’re “not sure” who’s responsible. biden isn’t getting credit for his wins because his message has been too “academic,” argues representative bennie thompson, the mississippi democrat who chaired the house select committee that investigated the jan. 6 attack on the u.s. capitol. “so much of what’s been said is going over the heads of the average american citizen. it doesn’t need to be a dissertation. it just has to be a clear message. he’s going to have to work on that.” nearly two dozen senior democratic sources tell time that biden’s campaign mechanics, structure, and staffing over most of the past year are partly to blame as well. while obama was marching to re election over the summer of 2012, his campaign head count topped 900. despite plans to hire 350 new staffers, the biden campaign ended 2023 with only around 70 paid employees, according to campaign finance filings. his team says it is relying heavily on the network of staff that the democratic national committee has been bolstering for state races since 2021. (trump also reported around 70 people on his campaign payroll, although that tally fails to account for the fact that much of his brain trust is spread across nominally independent super pacs and a think tank.) as biden defenders point out, bigger is not always better. “on the kerry campaign, they had a noah’s ark two of everything,” says a democratic consultant involved in that losing 2004 team. hillary clinton’s ill fated 2016 campaign had about 800 staffers, with an additional 400 at the democratic national committee and subsidies for almost 3,000 more within state parties. the overhead kept clinton and her inner circle busy wooing donors rather than meeting with voters in crucial states. read more: how biden is reviving his midterm playbook for 2024. for the critical role of campaign manager, biden installed julie chavez rodriguez, a white house senior adviser, who has never before run even a statewide race. biden was slow to dispatch the architects of his 2020 victory over to the current effort; in january, he finally reassigned top aides jen o’malley dillon and mike donilon from the white house to the campaign after a delay that left top democrats, including obama, bewildered. but major strategy decisions are still routinely held up waiting for west wing approval, a half dozen democrats say. the campaign has also been slow to build a field operation in key battlegrounds. in georgia, a state he carried by fewer than 12,000 votes, biden has one staffer. in north carolina, where he came about 75,000 votes short of winning in 2020 and which now may present a pickup opportunity, the campaign has hired just three. the result is a winnable race that risks being frittered away, some allies say. “this isn’t that complicated. call [pennsylvania governor] josh shapiro, [michigan governor] gretchen whitmer. ask them who should be hired and what 20 things need to be done to win those states,” laments a veteran democratic consultant with experience guiding presidential nominees. “don’t assume what worked last time will work this one.” this complaint is echoed by scores of democratic strategists, who see biden as a politician captive to the past and content reprising a strategy that worked in the last election but looks increasingly ill suited to the current one. “this is just who joe biden is,” says another top democratic strategist who worked for biden and has grown frustrated by the candidate’s reliance on longtime aides who deride outside critics. “this is how he’s always run his campaigns. he and his insiders know better. last time, it worked, so he didn’t learn any of the lessons, and thinks he can run 2020 again.” as air force one flew through turbulence on the way back from a march 9 campaign rally in atlanta, chavez rodriguez was upbeat. sitting in a high backed leather chair, a blue biden harris t shirt peeking from under her gray blazer, chavez rodriguez rattled off the reasons for optimism. a big one is money. the biden machine has built a formidable war chest, with $155 million on hand. trump’s team hasn’t released comparable numbers yet, but his campaign and the republican national committee had about $40 million in january. chavez rodriguez and her team viewed biden’s fiery state of the union speech as the starting gun of the campaign. up next: a six week, $30 million blitz of tv ads in battleground states that aim to define trump as a threat to democracy and reproductive rights, while tackling the delicate issue of biden’s age. the campaign has also begun rolling out its field operation; in addition to the new staffers, it plans to open 100 campaign offices in states like arizona, michigan, nevada, north carolina, pennsylvania, and wisconsin. “it’s about getting the boots on the ground,” chavez rodriguez says, “and building the ground game that we need to in all of our battleground states.” a constellation of outside groups are also bringing cash and organizational clout to the fight. the 400,000 member strong united auto workers has endorsed biden, as have 18 other labor unions. at the atlanta event, political action committees for asian american, black, and latino voters the aapi victory fund, the collective, and the latino victory fund together pledged $30 million toward boosting turnout for biden. and a pro biden super pac, future forward, has $250 million in fall advertising teed up in seven key states, which strategists say is the biggest single super pac ad play in history. the campaign is recruiting thousands of volunteers to connect with voters in their communities about biden’s record, including through a digital platform called mobilize.us that helps volunteers set up online events with friends. that multimillion dollar push, which began in march, will run through the summer. in september, fulks says, the campaign will shift gears to deliver supporters to the polls, employing everything from door to door canvassing to targeted social media, as well as the robust ground games of labor unions and abortion rights groups. read more: the inside story of how biden cleared the field for his re election bid. the campaign is moving advertising dollars away from traditional broadcast channels and toward digital platforms like youtube, google search, facebook, and online sports streaming sites, where more voters spend their time, says rob flaherty, who oversees the campaign’s digital strategy. despite biden’s vowing to sign legislation that could ban tiktok if it doesn’t divest from chinese ownership, his campaign joined the platform in february, churning out clips with titles like “4 insane policies in a 2nd trump term” and “what is trump saying lol.” as it works to court bold faced names like taylor swift, biden’s digital staff plans to tap local influencers in key voting districts who may have only a few thousand followers, but can carry the message to targeted communities. when it comes to the president’s dismal numbers with young and nonwhite voters, the biden brain trust recognizes the challenge but doesn’t share the panic of the party brass. to their mind, people who have cast a ballot for biden before can be persuaded to do so again. “we’ve reached out to this group of nonwhite and young voters earlier than any presidential campaign ever has,” says senior adviser becca siegel. the campaign’s internal polling has found that young and minority voters have not tuned in to the election yet and haven’t thought about trump in a while. in the meantime, biden’s team has devised strategies to engage key voting blocs in different ways. to reach black voters in georgia, the campaign plans to deploy surrogates like senator raphael warnock, a pastor who preaches from martin luther king jr.’s former pulpit, to juice turnout. despite the sharp criticism of biden coming from some voters of color, operatives predict black voters in particular will stick with the president. “black voters never loved biden,” says nsé ufot, an organizer who helped deliver georgia in 2020 by driving up black turnout. “as the pragmatic political actors they have proven themselves to be, they will make the best decision based on the choices they have.” indeed, the biggest reason for optimism in biden world may be the weakness of his opponent. as election day nears and trump’s speeches and ideas garner the kind of attention they haven’t had since he left office, advisers expect fair weather biden supporters will remember how much they dislike his predecessor. “we know the work that we need to do to consolidate our base,” says the campaign’s communications director michael tyler. “the campaign is geared toward those efforts, while our opponent is still screaming into an echo chamber of maga extremism.” the cornerstones of the case against trump will be the dual threat he presents to democracy and reproductive rights. since the supreme court’s dobbs decision, 21 states have stricter abortion restrictions than they had under roe v. wade. democrats see an opportunity to pummel trump on abortion access, as well as concerns about access to in vitro fertilization after the alabama supreme court ruled that frozen embryos are legally children. that push is designed to target women like kelsey lawrence, a 30 year old mother of four living in front royal, va. lawrence thought of herself as having conservative and libertarian views before dobbs. “i think every woman should have autonomy over her body,” lawrence explained as she waited for biden and harris to take the stage at a january rally in the northern virginia exurb of manassas. democrats plan to continue tying unpopular abortion restrictions to the gop; in january, the biden campaign released an ad featuring a texas doctor who was forced to leave the state to abort a nonviable pregnancy. in march, harris became the first sitting vice president to visit an abortion clinic. the campaign is gaming out different paths to the 270 electoral college votes it needs to win. one is to rebuild the blue wall, which includes the traditional democratic strongholds of pennsylvania, michigan, and wisconsin, and then capture another toss up state. a second route cuts through the sun belt nevada, arizona, georgia, and north carolina. democrats are pushing to add an abortion access measure to the ballot in arizona that they believe would drive up turnout for biden. the same may be said for a polarizing gop nominee for governor in north carolina. some democrats aren’t ready to abandon hopes of biden’s putting trump’s current home state of florida within reach. the paths to a win are varied enough that a major democratic pac is spending almost $4 million in the omaha tv ad market, where harris’ husband second gentleman douglas emhoff hosted political events in march in hopes of shaving off a single electoral college vote in nebraska’s second district. for all their meticulous planning, biden’s team knows the race could hinge on factors outside their control. four years ago this march, the sudden spread of covid 19 in the u.s. shut down the economy and paralyzed the presidential campaigns. without the pandemic, trump could well have won. any number of unpredictable events the state of the war in the middle east, foreign election interference, gas prices, persuasive ai enabled deepfakes, the uncertain schedule of trump’s trials could shape the outcome to a greater degree than what the candidates do between now and november. allies are still hopeful for a more forceful performance from the president himself. it’s no secret that biden, 81, is the oldest commander in chief in u.s. history, or that broad swaths of the country believe he’s no longer up to the job. the white house has tried everything it can perhaps to a fault to cosset him. aides tend to avoid scheduling events in the early morning and evenings, limit his interviews and press conferences, and have him ascend the short stairs when boarding air force one to avoid any more embarrassing stumbles arising from his stiff gait. but for biden to beat the 77 year old trump, some allies believe it’s time to remove the bubble wrap. after campaigning successfully in 2020 on promises to restore the “soul of the nation,” biden still clings to a self image as a champion of comity. it is a pitch calibrated for an idealized electorate, not the one he has to win over. “people say, ‘i’m not going to vote for trump, but i don’t know if i can vote for biden.’ and everything they say has to do with his style: ‘he doesn’t seem to be fighting for us,’” says representative jim clyburn, the former house democratic whip, who has stepped away from his caucus leadership role to help biden sharpen his message, urging the campaign to underscore the direct economic benefits of the biden presidency. michael larosa, a former press secretary to first lady jill biden, says the president has the capacity to author a comeback if he starts throwing punches. “he can talk about all of the accomplishments, bureau of labor statistics, and economic growth reports he wants,” larosa says. “trump is talking about illegal migrants killing gorgeous young students jogging on campus, or the price of groceries, and placing the blame for both at biden’s doorstep. does he want to win the argument, or win the election?” recent flashes of fight have cheered the president’s supporters. after the boisterous state of the union speech, he hit the road for a two week swing through seven battleground states. the first event was at a middle school gym in the philadelphia suburbs, where biden said trump “got his wish” when the supreme court overturned roe and states installed abortion restrictions. the president ticked through highlights of his record: limiting monthly insulin costs for seniors to $35; capping all medicare prescription drug costs at $2,000 a year; cutting credit card late fees from $32 to $8; requiring corporations to pay a minimum of 15% in tax. when biden called for an assault weapons ban and stripping liability protections for gunmakers, the room erupted in cheers. after stepping off the stage, he shook hands and posed for selfies for 30 minutes, ignoring multiple announcements from his staff that it was time to leave. when he finally did, the scene greeting him outside was a reminder of the challenge ahead. on the street in front of the school, dozens of pro palestinian protesters, holding signs reading cease fire now, erupted in chants of “genocide joe.” the protesters had camped there for hours as the sun set, waiting for their chance to get biden’s attention. as his limousine pulled away, the crowd increased the volume of their chants, hoping the president would hear them from inside his armored car.  with reporting by leslie dickstein, simmone shah, and julia zorthian write to charlotte alter at charlotte.alter@time.com and philip elliott at philip.elliott@time.com

profile sections local tv featured more from nbc follow nbc news news alerts there are no new alerts at this time washington   the president of the united states tripping and falling is never a good moment in the throes of a re election campaign. but when the president is 80 years old and already faces concerns that he’s too old for another term, it’s something of a crisis. joe biden’s aides realized they had a problem last month when the president tripped over a sandbag   hard   at the air force academy’s graduation ceremony. afterward, during a post event recap, a few aides tried to figure out what may have gone wrong and how to make sure that such an embarrassing and dangerous incident “never happens again,” according to two people familiar with the discussion. “you can’t be too careful,” one said. biden’s answer to voters who question whether he’s up to the rigors of a second term is simple: “watch me.” the trouble is, voters are watching, and what they’re seeing is hardening impressions that it’s time for him to step aside, polling shows. apart from being the most taxing job on the world stage, the presidency is also the most public, and signs of advancing age are tough to miss. apparent to anyone paying attention is that the biden they may remember from the robert bork supreme court confirmation hearings of 1987, or the vice presidential debate with sarah palin in 2008, is a different man today. his gait is less steady, his speech not as fluid. he has confused iraq with ukraine and rolling fork, mississippi, with “rolling stone.” at a conference last year, he looked out at the audience and called for a congresswoman who had recently died in a car crash. “the democratic party needs to be responsive to what people are saying about biden and their concerns that they have with his age,” said one congressional democrat, speaking on condition of anonymity to talk freely about the president’s fitness. “the number of text messages that i got after the president fell … i mean, my phone was blowing up. people are like, ‘oh, this is so bad.’” faced with life’s unbending reality   no one gets any younger   biden’s advisers have been trying to blunt concerns about his age since his 2020 campaign. the challenge gets trickier by the day as the oldest president in history embarks on one last race against a republican party eager to pounce on every miscue. any misstep is bound to be magnified when voters are already prone to believe biden should consider retirement. biden aides aren’t promising that he won’t stumble again. “physically, he’s quite frail and he falls off his bicycle, or whatever,” said a former western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity to talk more freely. “he doesn’t have the stamina levels of an obama or a younger president. people worry about his physical frailty and running from age 82 to 86”   the age biden would be at the end of a second term. “that is really old by european standards. really, really old. we don’t have anyone that age.” biden’s advisers appear to be taking steps to minimize the job’s physical toll while simultaneously ramping up a twofold strategy to parlay an electoral weakness into a strength. they are arguing that republicans are merely recycling an argument that the now 77 year old donald trump made during the 2020 presidential race and fell flat with voters; and they’re noting that biden’s decades of experience have allowed him to score legislative victories that eluded younger predecessors such as bill clinton and barack obama. “when you take stock of the unprecedented results president biden’s experienced leadership has delivered ever since republican officials began crying about his age in early 2019, it’s hard not to conclude that their whining is anything but a good luck charm,” said andrew bates, a white house spokesman. in a preview of what voters will see more of if biden wins re election and serves into his mid 80s, the white house seems to be making concessions to his age. an iconic image of the modern presidency is the chief executive walking up the stairs to a majestic air force one, then turning at the doorway and waving. more and more, biden is forgoing the long staircase for the shorter stairway that takes him up through the plane’s belly. (a work around of this sort isn’t without precedent. john f. kennedy, who at the age of 43 was the youngest president ever elected, suffered chronic back pain and was once photographed using a “cherry picker” to hoist him aboard air force one.) biden’s use of the shorter staircase, which, of course, reduces the risk of a televised fall that goes viral, has more than doubled since biden’s tumble at the commencement ceremony, according to an analysis by nbc news. in the weeks prior to tripping onstage, biden used the shorter set of stairs to get on and off the presidential aircraft 37% of the time. in the past seven weeks he’s used them 84% of the time, or 31 out of the 37 times he’s gotten on and off the plane. on thursday, during a short trip to philadelphia to deliver a speech on the economy, biden used the shorter set of stairs to board the plane at joint base andrews, the military facility outside washington, where the president’s plane is housed. when he arrived in philadelphia, he used the large staircase to descend from the plane, but when he departed from the same airport a few hours later, he climbed aboard using the lower steps. the white house did not directly answer a question about whether biden was using the shorter staircase to minimize the chance of a fall. an aide said the choice comes down to the weather, the airport and whether the press wants a photo on the tarmac with official greeters. (there was no rain thursday when biden took the shorter staircase at joint base andrews.) biden seems to be preserving his energy in other ways. it’s customary on foreign trips for the president to schmooze with other leaders at dinners once the meetings are over. less formal and structured than the events preceding them, the dinners offer a chance for leaders to bond, talk through differences or amplify a point. on two recent international trips, biden has chosen to skip the nighttime socializing. when he didn’t attend a dinner during the nato summit in lithuania earlier this month, aides said he was preparing for meetings and a major speech the next day and noted he’d already been overseas for four days. he was a no show at a dinner with his counterparts in bali last fall. asked about the missed dinners, white house aides said his absence had nothing to do with fatigue. they said biden must tend to domestic issues many time zones away even when he is overseas. in bali, they pointed to his efforts to marshal a unified allied response in the middle of the night when it appeared a russian missile might have struck poland as proof that he wasn’t drained by his travels. in any case, said jonathan finer, a deputy national security adviser at the white house, “the dinners at these events are about relationship building. he has done the work over a long period of time to build these relationships outside of the summit. so, it’s less important for him to spend downtime with the other leaders than it is for people who are newer to the scene or have not invested in building these relationships.” other age compensating measures are logistical, and probably familiar to many who’ve reached a certain stage in life: extra large font on his teleprompter and note cards to remind him of the points he wants to make in meetings. republicans see biden’s age as a vulnerability they intend to exploit. trump has posted video of biden falling off his bike and tripping during the commencement ceremony. in private meetings, biden’s political operation has strategized about the best ways to deflect that line of attack, a former white house official said. allies floated the idea of throwing a big 80th birthday bash, for instance, last november to show he was openly embracing the milestone rather than shying away from it, a person familiar with the matter said. but biden opted for continuing his tradition of a small family gathering with jeni’s ice cream. biden has also started joking about his age in self deprecating ways, while emphasizing that with longevity comes a certain life wisdom. advisers see that as a selling point they’ll emphasize throughout the campaign. “joe biden’s age is his superpower, and as i’ve seen firsthand, his fastball is as good as ever,” said jeffrey katzenberg, the movie mogul and co chair of biden’s campaign. it doesn’t hurt that biden may be heading toward a rematch with trump. trump’s own fitness came into question during his term when he walked haltingly down a ramp at west point and used two hands to drink a glass of water. a physical exam released in 2019 showed that trump was clinically obese at 243 pounds, though in “very good” health overall, according to his doctor. “as someone who just turned 80, i strongly believe that we need someone younger, whether it’s on the democratic side or the republican side,” said dan coats, a former director of national intelligence in the trump administration who once served with biden in the senate. “the weight of the world falls on the shoulders of the president, and right now, we have two disabled presidents,” coats added, referring to biden and trump. “age plays a major factor in this, and people have to think about what the next generation will provide.” running for president is exhausting even for the spryest of candidates. rare are those who make it through the gantlet unscathed. biden largely escaped the ordeal during the 2020 campaign because covid 19 limited most in person events. now, incumbency affords him conveniences that ease the burden of the campaign trail: no serious primary challenge, helicopters and motorcades that whisk him from place to place and ample support staff 24 hours a day. biden gets the most attentive health care imaginable, and his annual physicals have not revealed serious health concerns. nonetheless, his physician, kevin o’connor, is always observing him “like a hawk, whether he wants it or not,” according to one close adviser. still, advisers dismiss the idea that he’s encased in bubble wrap, insulated from the job’s demands. they cite instances of biden getting awakened to deal with a fresh crisis; plowing through briefing papers and making hand notes in margins; and rousing his staff during long flights home on air force one to talk business. around 7 or 8 p.m., aides leave him with a couple of hundred pages of reading material and then provide updates before 7:30 a.m. stefanie feldman, the white house staff secretary, describes a moment during the marathon flight home from biden’s meetings on the nato trip when he unexpectedly came back to the staff cabin. aides were “passed out from exhaustion,” she said, and “the president came out and wanted to thank everyone for their work. i was kicking people to wake them up and engage with the president, who wanted to engage with his staff. if only i had the energy of an 80 year old president biden.” marty walsh, the former secretary of labor, recalled an instance in 2021 when he was riding with biden to an event at a hummer plant in michigan, and the president began dictating revisions to his planned speech off the top of his head. “i thought to myself, ‘wow, i wish more people could see this,’” he said. “the president isn’t falling down every day, for crying out loud,” walsh continued. “if you’ve ever given him a hug, you’re going to feel the man is solid. he’s in good shape.” in a social media age when presidential slip ups are grist for viral videos, biden’s advisers recognize he has little room for error. any president can forget a name or place, mangle a sentence or tumble over a tripping hazard. and they have. with biden, displays of frailty are bound to get more scrutiny given the propensity of many voters to believe he shouldn't run again. advisers recognize this dynamic as well as the political cost of the next awkward moment. they gave a collective groan when biden fell at the air force academy, knowing the episode wouldn’t soon be forgotten. it turns out the sandbag had been camouflaged so that it would blend in, making it easier to miss, a senior white house aide said. “it happened in seconds,” another aide said, “but it’s going to be in front of us for months and maybe years.” carol e. lee is the washington managing editor. peter nicholas is a senior white house reporter for nbc news. monica alba is a white house correspondent for nbc news. © 2025 nbcuniversal media, llc

more democrats called for biden to bow out of the race. president joe biden faced a critical point in his reelection bid as democratic calls for him to exit the 2024 race continued to mount despite his efforts to shut them down. a poor debate performance against donald trump in june reignited questions about biden's age and fitness to carry out his campaign and serve another four years. while biden defiantly insisted he was staying the course, he later announced on july 21 that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. click here for the latest live updates on the 2024 election. president biden’s covid symptoms have "improved significantly," according to his doctor, who made no specific mention of the president’s cough or hoarseness as he did in his previous updates. biden took his eighth dose of paxlovid on sunday morning, dr. kevin o’connor said. “his pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remain absolutely normal. his oxygen saturation continues to be excellent on room air. his lungs remain clear," o’connor said. "the president continues to tolerate treatment without any difficulty and will continue paxlovid as planned."  abc news' justin ryan gomez the trump campaign is preparing new ads to attack harris' record, and is compiling opposition research books and conducting polling to test her weaknesses in a general election matchup, sources familiar with the plans tell abc news. read more here. in a wall street journal op ed sunday, rep. dean phillips, d minn. and former long shot democratic presidential candidate, called on congressional democrats to hold a confidence vote on president joe biden as the party's nominee. phillips said that this method would be democratic, because those lawmakers were elected by americans across the country. "that’s why i believe house and senate democrats, directly elected by voters from across the country, must hold an immediate vote of confidence and share the results directly with mr. biden," phillips wrote in the op ed. "it can be done by secret ballot, as fear of political retribution still prevents many members from speaking publicly. but a poll of elected democrats whose electoral fates are closely tied to the president is far superior to one of unelected members of the democratic national committee." if the vote of "confidence" wins, then democrats should coalesce their support behind the president, phillips wrote. "but if ‘no confidence’ is the consensus, the president must end his candidacy," he added. in the case of a "no confidence vote," phillips said he thinks vice president kamala harris would become the party's candidate, but phillips proposed a method to selecting the party's ticket. "the president and the party could then either endorse and elevate vice president kamala harris to the top of the ticket or promote a one month ‘miniprimary,’” he wrote. phillips also called on biden to "pass the torch" during an interview on cbs' "face the nation" on sunday. sen. joe manchin, i w.va., who caucuses with democrats but left the party earlier this year, told "this week" co anchor martha raddatz on sunday that he came to the decision "with a heavy heart," but that the swell of democrats issuing similar calls after last month's debate made the current situation untenable for president biden. manchin argued that dropping out now would allow biden to tackle a litany of issues he's prioritized, including uniting the country, ending fighting in gaza and helping ukraine fend off russia's invasion, on top of being "able to show the rest of the world the orderly transfer of power from the superpower of the world." "he will go down with a legacy unlike many people, as one of the finest and truly a [patriotic] american," manchin said. "so, with that, i come with a heavy heart to think the time has come for him to pass the torch to a new generation." read more here.  abc news' tal axelrod

zeke miller, associated press zeke miller, associated press lisa mascaro, associated press lisa mascaro, associated press michael balsamo, associated press michael balsamo, associated press aamer madhani, associated press aamer madhani, associated press leave your feedback washington (ap)   president joe biden’s campaign is insisting anew that he is not stepping aside as he faces the stark reality that many democrats at the highest levels want him to bow out of the 2024 election to make way for a new nominee and try to prevent widespread party losses in november. meanwhile, six more democratic members of congress called for him to drop out, making the total now 28. isolated as he battles a covid 19 infection at his beach house in delaware, biden’s already small circle of confidants before his debate fumbling has shrunk further. the president, who has insisted he can beat republican donald trump, is with family and relying on a few longtime aides as he weighs whether to bow to the mounting pressure. read more: most democrats think kamala harris would make good president, ap norc poll shows biden campaign chair jen o’malley dillion acknowledged “slippage” in support for the president, but insisted he is “absolutely” remaining in the race and that the campaign sees “multiple paths” to beating trump. “we have a lot of work to do to reassure the american people that yes he’s old, but he can win,” she told msnbc’s “morning joe” show. but she said voters concerned about biden’s fitness to lead aren’t switching to vote for trump. “they have questions, but they are staying with joe biden,” she said. at the same time, the democratic national committee ‘s rulemaking arm opened its meeting friday, pressing ahead with plans for a virtual roll call before aug. 7 to nominate the presidential pick, ahead of the party’s convention later in the month in chicago. “president biden deserves the respect to have important family conversations with members of the caucus and colleagues in the house and senate and democratic leadership and not be battling leaks and press statements,” sen. chris coons of delaware, biden’s closest friend in congress and his campaign co chair, told the associated press. it’s a pivotal few days for the president and his party: trump has wrapped up an enthusiastic republican national convention in milwaukee. and democrats, racing time, are considering the extraordinary possibility of biden stepping aside for a new presidential nominee before their own convention. amid the turmoil, a majority of democrats think vice president kamala harris would make a good president herself. a poll from the ap norc center for public affairs research found that about 6 in 10 democrats believe harris would do a good job in the top slot. about 2 in 10 democrats don’t believe she would, and another 2 in 10 say they don’t know enough to say. democrats at the highest levels have been making a critical push for biden to rethink his election bid, with former president barack obama expressing concerns to allies and speaker emerita nancy pelosi privately telling biden the party could lose the ability to seize control of the house if he doesn’t step away from the 2024 race. new mexico sen. martin heinrich on friday called on biden to exit the race, making him the third senate democrat to do so. “by passing the torch, he would secure his legacy as one of our nation’s greatest leaders and allow us to unite behind a candidate who can best defeat donald trump and safeguard the future of our democracy,” said heinrich, who is up for reelection this fall. and friday, reps. jared huffman, mark veasey, chuy garcia and mark pocan __ representing a wide swath of the caucus __together called on biden to step aside. “we must defeat donald trump to save our democracy,” they wrote. separately, rep. sean casten of illinois wrote in an op ed that with “a heavy heart and much personal reflection” he, too, was calling on biden to “pass the torch to a new generation.” campaign officials said biden was even more committed to staying in the race despite the calls for him to go. and senior west wing aides have had no internal discussions or conversations with the president about biden dropping out. on friday, biden picked up a key endorsement from the political arm of the congressional hispanic caucus. chc bold pac said the biden administration has shown “unwavering commitment” to latinos and “the stakes couldn’t be higher” in this election. “president joe biden and vice president kamala harris have delivered for the latino community,” the group said. but there is also time to reconsider. biden has been told the campaign is having trouble raising money, and key democrats see an opportunity as he is away from the campaign for a few days to encourage his exit. among his cabinet, some are resigned to the likelihood of him losing in november. the reporting in this story is based in part on information from almost a dozen people who insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive private deliberations. the washington post first reported on obama’s involvement. biden, 81, tested positive for covid 19 while traveling in las vegas earlier this week and is experiencing “mild symptoms” including “general malaise” from the infection, the white house said. watch: more democrats urge biden to consider dropping out as he’s off campaign trail with covid the president himself, in a radio interview taped just before he tested positive, dismissed the idea it was too late for him to recover politically, telling univision’s luis sandoval that many people don’t focus on the november election until september. “all the talk about who’s leading and where and how, is kind of, you know   everything so far between trump and me has been basically even,” he said in an excerpt of the interview released thursday. but in congress, democratic lawmakers have begun having private conversations about lining up behind harris as an alternative. one lawmaker said biden’s own advisers are unable to reach a unanimous recommendation about what he should do. more in congress are considering joining the others who have called for biden to drop out. some prefer an open process for choosing a new presidential nominee. “it’s clear the issue won’t go away,” said vermont sen. peter welch, the other senate democrat who has publicly said biden should exit the race. welch said the current state of party angst   with lawmakers panicking and donors revolting   was “not sustainable.” however, influential democrats including senate majority leader chuck schumer and house democratic leader hakeem jeffries are sending signals of concern. “there is of course work to be done, and that in fact is the case because we are an evenly divided country,” jeffries said in an interview on wnyc radio friday. but he also said, “the ticket that exists right now is the ticket that we can win on.” he added, “president biden is correct when he says that he went though a primary process and 14 million or so voters gave him the democratic nomination. it’s his decision to make.” to be sure, many want biden to stay in the race. but among democrats nationwide, nearly two thirds say biden should step aside and let his party nominate a different candidate, according to an ap norc center for public affairs research poll. that sharply undercuts biden’s post debate claim that “average democrats” are still with him. associated press writers joey cappelletti in lansing, michigan, ellen knickmeyer in aspen, colorado, steve peoples in milwaukee, and josh boak, will weissert, mary clare jalonick, seung min kim and stephen groves in washington contributed to this report. left: file photo: u.s. president joe biden speaks as he announces a new plan for federal student loan relief during a visit to madison area technical college truax campus, in madison, wisconsin, u.s, april 8, 2024. photo by reuters/kevin lamarque/file photo by annie ma, associated press by lisa mascaro, zeke miller, michael balsamo, aamer madhani, associated press by seung min kim, associated press zeke miller, associated press zeke miller, associated press lisa mascaro, associated press lisa mascaro, associated press michael balsamo, associated press michael balsamo, associated press aamer madhani, associated press aamer madhani, associated press support provided by: learn more thank you. please check your inbox to confirm. © 1996   2025 newshour productions llc. all rights reserved. pbs is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization. sections about stay connected thank you. please check your inbox to confirm. learn more about friends of the news hour. support for news hour provided by
trump administration president biden’s aides are working to position him as a campaign season fighter who can counterpunch on the fly and combat voters’ concerns about his age. by katie rogers reporting from washington at camp david, a movie theater and an airplane hangar have been outfitted with lights and production equipment to create a mock debate stage. at least 16 current and former aides, summoned from washington and wilmington, whiz back and forth on golf carts to join president biden in strategy sessions. mr. biden is entering his fifth day of preparations at the presidential retreat in the woods of northern maryland for thursday’s debate against donald j. trump. camp david has become the epicenter for an administration and campaign effort to help mr. biden shake off the rust that often comes with being an incumbent on the defense, and combat widespread voter concerns that he is too old to be an effective president. both candidates are out of practice as debaters. and mr. biden’s top advisers, including ron klain, who is managing the debate preparations, are aware of the missteps incumbents have made in the past. in 2012, president barack obama flailed in his first re election debate and had to quickly reorient for the second one. so they will be working to position mr. biden not only as a president in the midst of a re election campaign, but also as a fighter who can counterpunch on the fly. mr. trump, an opponent who is adept at extemporaneous insults, skipped the primary debates that could have sharpened his skills. “the rust factor is real,” said david axelrod, a former top strategist to mr. obama. “neither of these guys is accustomed to having someone a few feet away, grilling them with no deference.” according to people familiar with the planning at camp david who were not authorized to speak publicly about it, the work days vary in length and are not rigidly structured. mr. biden and his most trusted advisers work on what they think would be best to refine or practice in the moment.

 supported by more representatives called for the president to end his re election bid after a session with reporters, while others highlighted his firm grasp of foreign policy after a nato summit. by nicholas nehamas el presidente de estados unidos intenta calmar la ansiedad de los demócratas tras el desastroso debate de la semana pasada. by katie rogers and peter baker what kamala harris, jaime harrison, ron klain and other party leaders have said about the liabilities of their candidate’s age. by astead w. herndon, caitlin o’keefe and sophia lanman president biden’s aides are working to position him as a campaign season fighter who can counterpunch on the fly and combat voters’ concerns about his age. by katie rogers president biden has a diverse group of advisers, but few have the influence of three men in his inner circle during his final campaign. by katie rogers and michael d. shear with donald trump’s rampage at the first 2020 debate still fresh in the memories of both campaigns and the moderators, the candidates are preparing in sharply different ways.