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Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey urged President Joe Biden to "carefully evaluate" his chances for reelection in November falling a week of skepticism around the 81-year-old's campaign.
In a statement, which was first reported on by Politico's Lisa Kashinsky and later obtained by Newsweek, Healey, a Democrat, lifted up the president's performance over the past four years, saying that Biden "saved our democracy in 2020 and has done an outstanding job over the last four years."
"The best way forward right now is a decision for the President to make," Healey continued. "Over the coming days, I urge him to listen to the American people and carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat [former President] Donald Trump."
"Whatever President Biden decides, I am committed to doing everything in my power to defeat Donald Trump," Healey added.
The Context
Democrats have appeared split on whether Biden should remain in the 2024 race against Trump after last week's debate blunder, where the president appeared at several times to lose his train of thought and spoke with a raspy voice. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has also increased his lead in polls nationwide since the first presidential debate. A spokesperson told Newsweek the president was fighting a cold at the time of the debate.
But Biden has remained adamant that he is staying in the running, and several party leaders have rallied behind the president in recent days despite reports that Biden has indicated in conversations behind closed doors that he is considering dropping.
What We Know
When reached for comment on Healey's statement, a Biden campaign official told Newsweek that the president's reelection team has seen a "surge" in donor support following the first presidential debate.
The campaign had its single best day for grassroots fundraising so far on the day of the debate and has raised over $38 million in the four days following the event.
Biden also addressed concerns surrounding his reelection chances at a rally in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday, where he was joined by Democratic Governor Tony Evers and Congressman Mark Pocan.
"You probably heard we had a little debate last week," Biden told supporters. "I can't say it was my best performance. But ever since then, there's been a lot of speculation...Well, here's my answer. I am running and going to win again."
"I'm not letting one 90-minute debate wipe out three and a half years of work," the president added. "I'm staying in the race, and I will beat Donald Trump."
Views
Trump, who turned 78 last month, has also faced a wave of backlash for his first debate performance of 2024. According to CNN's fact check team, the former president made at least 30 false statements throughout the debate. He is also the first former U.S. president to be criminally convicted and is facing three other indictments while running for a second term in office.
As of Friday, as reported by FiveThirtyEight's polling aggregate, Trump has a lead of 2.5 percentage points on average across national polling. On the day of the debate, Trump held a 0.2-point lead on Biden nationally, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Trump also got a boost from the New York Times/Siena College's poll that was conducted in the days following the debate, which showed the former president beating Biden 49 to 43 percent among likely voters.
That same poll also showed that Democratic voters were split on whether Biden should remain in the 2024 race—49 percent answered that the president should be replaced as the Democrats' nominee, while 45 percent said that Biden should remain as the party's choice.
What's Next?
Biden's first sit-down interview following last week's debate will air on ABC's World News Tonight at 8 p.m. ET Friday. His performance during the interview could be crucial to quelling concerns over his ability to serve another four years.
Update 07/5/24, 5:57 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and comment from President Joe Biden's reelection campaign.
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About the writer
Kaitlin Lewis is a Newsweek reporter on the Night Team based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her focus is reporting on national ... Read more