A growing number of Democrats are calling for Joe Biden to abandon his re-election campaign to make way for a younger candidate after a series of embarrassing gaffes and stumbles, particularly in his recent debate performance.
Concerns have grown in recent weeks, with the president facing criticism from politicians, donors, insiders and Telegraph readers.
According to a private poll by The Telegraph newspaper, 88 percent of more than 73,000 voters think Biden should step aside.
Reader Andrew Ravenscroft sides with the majority. “Biden has lost the mental capacity he had. I wouldn’t trust him to feed the cat and he could still be POTUS for another four years. Never mind run again, he should resign now and put his country first like Harold Wilson did in the 70s,” he says.
Elizabeth Watts shared a similar sentiment: “I am truly sorry and sad for Joe Biden, but he is allowing his ego to override the interests of his country.
“He believes he can win on his own in November. Democrats will vote overwhelmingly for him no matter who he nominates. Kamala Harris is certainly not ideal, and one poll showed her with better numbers than Joe Biden. It would be an act of elder abuse to allow this man to serve another four years.”
As speculation grows over who could replace Biden, The Telegraph has asked its readers in a poll who they think Donald Trump could be in the presidential election.
Michelle Obama came in first with 59 percent of the vote; 23 percent of the nearly 38,000 voters voted “none of the above”; and Gavin Newsom came in second with 6 percent of the vote.
A poll by Reuters and Ipsos found the 60-year-old former first lady would beat Trump by 10 points, with no other candidate able to surpass the former president.
While many readers see Mrs. Obama as a strong potential replacement for Mr. Biden because of her intelligence, values and age, she remains a polarizing figure, while others worry about her lack of experience.
‘Energy, common sense and honesty’
Reader Irene Tuckett explains why she wants Mrs. Obama to be president: “I admire her for her intelligence and her values. I’m sure she wouldn’t stand for it if she didn’t believe it was the right thing to do. She has so many other worthwhile projects in her life.
“Despite the naysayers, the fact remains that America is in dire need of a viable presidential candidate who is neither a failed old man nor a pompous egotist,” he adds.
Another anonymous reader described the positive impact of Mrs. Obama becoming president, saying: “She would bring energy, common sense and honesty to the office.”
Similarly, John Anderson believes the former first lady would be “good for the White House” because she would eliminate the “Trump threat” and unite a divided United States. “She has someone relatively young on her side, and she can begin to heal the wounds of a large segment of the American population, black and white.”
But Huw Jenkins criticises Mrs Obama’s theoretical candidacy, saying it is “not based on her own merits” and that “her importance derives solely from her husband”.
She continues: “We would find that extraordinary, as if we had a potential prime minister based on the fact that we were married to a former prime minister.”
Our reader Duncan Maggs explains why this makes her unfit for the job: “Michelle Obama, while undoubtedly intelligent, has no experience of governing at even a local or state level in the US, so she doesn’t seem like a logical choice.”
Others say Mrs. Obama has consistently rejected calls to enter the political fray, and her reluctance to do so is well documented.
Ann Fox, for example, says: “But she always insisted she didn’t want to get into politics. I guess this is her husband’s way of continuing to be president by proxy!”
‘No visible talent’
While polls show support for the former first lady far outpacing other potential candidates like Ms. Harris, traditionally all party funds raised are contingent on Mr. Biden or the vice president’s presidential campaign. If the Democratic Party endorses a different candidate, the $100 million in funds must be returned — unless donors agree to transfer them to the new candidate.
The nation insists that the nomination be handed to Ms. Harris to avoid headaches for Democrats: “As long as they don’t disenfranchise millions of Democratic voters who nominated Biden, they should support Kamala Harris. All the money raised would have to be returned to the donors and they would have to start over. Democrats must follow their own rules or risk alienating many of their base.”
Many readers remain unconvinced of the vice president’s abilities, including Ronald R.: “Kamala Harris is the most likely choice. Why? Because she’s technically in second place and there would be widespread outrage among broad swaths of the Democratic Party if she were to be jettisoned.
“The problem is that Kamala Harris is hopeless, unpopular, and has no discernible talent other than producing word salads of meaningless nonsense. Balancing all of this is the fact that she is a black woman. To jettison her for a white man would be seen as heresy in a party that thrives on woke nonsense.”
Similarly, Kevin Brettle doubts Ms Harris has proven herself a stateswoman fit for the world stage. He says: “The most successful, most powerful country in the world cannot even control a conversation. Will she laugh uncontrollably if she meets Vladimir Putin? Come on, America.”
He has also been ridiculed for his motivational slogan, “Unburden what might be from what was.”
Still, the slogan appeals to reader Ray Sargent because it encapsulates the message of defiance despite past difficulties. He says, “The phrase ‘Unburdened’ seems pretty clear to me. Of course it means don’t let what happened in the past dictate what can be done. That’s a slightly flirtatious way of putting it, true, but not unintelligible.”
And Ms. Harris’s rise to the challenge of beating Trump is something Ron Velten is confident she can handle, too, given enough time: “Vice President Harris, given a few months to campaign, could easily beat Mr. Trump.”
Ms. Harris could inevitably become president by default. The 25th Amendment provides a mechanism to remove the president from office if he or she fails to properly perform his or her duties.
As Jerry Markham summarized: “If Biden is forced to resign under the 25th Amendment, Harris would be legally elected to take his place.”