memeorandum: Election 2024 latest news Defiant Biden doubles down on staying in race (Washington Post)

9:55 AM ET, July 6, 2024

Top Items:

Alexandra Hutzler / ABC News:

‘Exhausted,’ ‘bad episode’: Biden doubles down on debate explanations in ABC News exclusive — : Speaking with George Stephanopoulos, he dismissed concerns about mental fitness. — President Joe Biden speaks with George Stephanopoulus on July 5, 2024, in an ABC News exclusive.

Bloomberg:

Biden Narrows Gap With Trump in Swing States Despite Debate Loss — The incumbent trails his GOP rival by just 2 points across key states, a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult shows, even as three in 10 Democrats say he should leave the race. — President Joe Biden registered his best showing yet …

Discussion: Political Wire

ABC News:

ABC's George Stephanopoulos' exclusive interview with President Biden: Full transcript — Full transcript of the ABC News exclusive interview with President Joe Biden. — President Joe Biden speaks with George Stephanopoulos on July 5, 2024, in an ABC News exclusive.

Discussion: Vox, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Althouse, ScheerPost.com, The Spectator World, HuffPost, So What, Georgia Recorder, abc7NY, USA Today and Mediaite

Axios:

Behind the Curtain: Biden's credibility crisis … Some top Democrats told us Biden made matters worse Friday with his ABC interview, where he denied bad poll numbers and widespread Democratic panic. — “All the pollsters I talk to tell me it's a tossup,” Biden told George Stephanopoulos.

Discussion: So What and Newsbusters

Hans Nichols / Axios:

Biden refuses cognitive test, denies he's losing to Trump — President Biden tonight flatly ruled out taking a cognitive test or submitting to an independent medical examination to determine if he has any nuerologial conditions, insisting he had the energy and ability to run for president and defeat former President Trump.

Discussion: Bloomberg, USA Today, New York Times and The Sun

Zachary Basu / Axios:

Biden at peace if he loses to Trump: “As long as I gave it my all” … - Many Democrats believe Biden has been an excellent president — but that his refusal to give up power at his advantaged age could risk throwing the country into turmoil after November's election.

Discussion: Reuters, Business Insider, Townhall, Fox News, CBS News, ABC News, The Gateway Pundit, Politico, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety

Politico:

Healey, a top Biden ally, urges him to consider dropping out of the race — “The best way forward right now is a decision for the President to make,” she says. — BOSTON — One of Joe Biden's high-profile campaign surrogates is publicly urging him to consider exiting the presidential race.

Discussion: Chicago Sun Times, Plain Dealer, CNN, The Free Press, Breitbart, RedState, Washington Examiner, Fox News, USA Today, Alternet.org, Blaze Media, NPR, WHDH-TV, Boston Herald and Boston.com

New York Post:
ABC interview proves that Joe Biden is in complete senile denial

Discussion: Power Line, Sun-Sentinel, Greensburg Tribune-Review, WSVN-TV, CBS News, Raw Story and Politico

NBC News:
Biden doubles-down at Wisconsin rally: 'I'm staying in the race'

Rasmussen Reports:
After Debate Disaster, 55% Think Democrats Should Dump Biden

Discussion: Breitbart and Washington Examiner

ABC News:
Trump stays relatively quiet, unseen as Biden struggles to save political future

Discussion: Sputnik News

Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:
Biden's upcoming interview represents a relatively rare encounter with traditional news media.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, OutsideTheBeltway, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Advocate, Alternet.org, Diane Ravitch's blog and CBS News

Jeet Heer / The Nation: Why Aren't We Talking About Trump's Fascism?

Edward-Isaac Dovere / CNN:
Democrats start moving to Harris as Biden digs in

Discussion: Telegraph, Politico, The Sun, Slate, New York Post, Alternet.org, The Daily Beast, California Globe, New Republic, Bangor Daily News, RedState and Fox News

Washington Post:

Sen. Mark Warner seeks to assemble group of Democratic senators to ask Biden to exit race — There's increasing sentiment among Democratic senators that Biden cannot stay in the race. — Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) is attempting to assemble a group of Democratic senators to ask Joe Biden …

Washington Post:

Election 2024 latest news Defiant Biden doubles down on staying in race — In a pair of Friday events — a campaign rally in the battleground state of Wisconsin and a prime-time interview on ABC — President Biden dismissed concerns about his fitness to continue his campaign and stated he intends to remain on the ballot in November.

Discussion: Associated Press, Business Insider and The Wrap

Annie Karni / New York Times:

Jeffries Plans to Meet Virtually With Top House Democrats on Biden's Path Ahead — The House minority leader scheduled a virtual meeting for Sunday. — Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, has scheduled a virtual meeting on Sunday with senior House Democrats …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Axios, New York Post, Cointelegraph, NBC News, Raw Story and Bloomberg

New York Times:

Some of Biden's Upcoming Fund-Raising Events Face New Uncertainty — Plans for a late July fund-raiser in Wisconsin are now off, and it's unclear whether another event in Texas will proceed, following President Biden's disastrous debate performance. — Some of President Biden's fund-raising events …

Ursula Perano / Politico:

Warner organizing discussion for Senate Democrats to assess Biden's path forward — Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) has approached Senate Democrats to organize a discussion on Joe Biden's path forward as the party's presidential nominee, according to a source familiar.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Alternet.org, JONATHAN TURLEY, Blaze Media and Mediaite

Axios:

Trump torches Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 … - Trump's disavowal comes two days after Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts drew outrage from Democrats with his comments about a “second American Revolution” on Steve Bannon's radio show. — “[W]e are in the process …

Kathleen Culliton / Raw Story:
MAGA ‘freak out’ starts as Trump game plan threatens to ‘backfire’: analyst

Discussion: Breakfast At Ralf's, Mediaite and Salon

Hugh Dougherty / The Daily Beast:
Donald Trump Claims Republicans' Project 2025 has Nothing to Do With Him: ‘Abysmal’

Discussion: Raw Story, So What, The Intercept, National Review, Washington Examiner and New Republic

Tressie McMillan Cottom / New York Times:

Whoever the Democratic Candidate Is, Americans Have Already Lost — I watched the debate from a pub in Ireland. A man sitting next to me pegged me for a Yank. “Sorry about all that — screwed no matter what you do,” he said before the final minutes of the debate ended.

Corbin Bolies / The Daily Beast:

Trump Jumps on Immunity Ruling to Ask Favorite Judge to Gut Secrets Case — WORTH A SHOT — Trump's attorneys asked Judge Aileen Cannon to lay out a new schedule so they can pounce on the Supreme Court's decision. — Donald Trump seized on the Supreme Court's presidential immunity ruling Friday …

Discussion: CNN, Raw Story, New York Times, The Guardian, Sun-Sentinel, abc7NY, CBS News, NOTUS, Washington Examiner and Bloomberg

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Trump seeks new pause in classified documents case, citing Supreme Court's immunity ruling

Discussion: NBC News, Alternet.org, Raw Story, New York Post, Axios and Fox News

Ben Smith / Semafor:

A ‘scared’ Biden aide sounds an alarm — The Scoop — Midday on the Fourth of July, I received a call from a government official with regular access to the West Wing, who said they had reached a breaking point and wanted to sound the alarm. — The person insisted on careful ground rules …

Discussion: Alternet.org and New Republic