Biden leans on first lady as campaign struggles to stay afloat
By
Christian Datoc
July 11, 2024 6:00 am
Jill Biden is helping the president shoulder the burden of reviving his floundering presidential campaign following a disastrous debate performance that has sparked calls for him to drop out.
This week alone, the first lady has traveled to three states, launched a new military outreach program, and phoned into a press call to defend the president’s viability against former President Donald Trump.
The first lady had been on the trail before the presidential debate two weeks ago, in which President Joe Biden at times struggled to form sentences, and is far from his only surrogate. But the role his family has played in the campaign, including their insistence that he stay in the race, has stood in contrast to the growing number of party operatives and lawmakers casting doubt that he can win in November.
Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) became the first sitting Democratic senator Wednesday to call on the president to exit the race. Actor George Clooney, a longtime Democratic donor, similarly argued in an op-ed that the Joe Biden he fundraised for just weeks ago was not the same man who ran for president in 2020, let alone the Joe Biden that Clooney knew as vice president.
Jill Biden has been among the most active Democrats attempting to rebut that message. On Monday, she traveled to Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina to launch the Veterans and Military Families for Biden-Harris outreach program.
more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/3077386/biden-first-lady-campaign-struggles-stay-afloat/
