Biden Interview May Not Have Solved His Problems

Democrats including Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned for their ticket on Saturday, and President Biden has appearances scheduled Sunday in the must-win state of Pennsylvania. It became clear over the weekend that Biden's ABC interview on Friday did not end the debate in his party about whether he should step down as the nominee. Developments include:

• Newsom campaigns: California Gov. Gavin Newsom praised the Biden administration's achievements at a rally in Pennsylvania. "If Donald Trump succeeds, God help us," told the crowd in Doylestown, a Bucks County suburb. "We will roll back the last half-century. It's America in reverse." Newsom's remarks were greeted enthusiastically, per the New York Times. Many attendees said they're weary of the debate over Biden's cognitive ability. Much of the crowd wants Newsom to run for president, though not necessarily this time. "Democrats have to back Biden the way Republicans back Trump," said one supporter. "They have got to support him unequivocally and with unbridled fervor."
• Interview fail: David Axelrod, who was a strategist for Barack Obama, said Biden's interview did not put the debate debacle to rest. If Biden believes this election to be as important as it is, Axelrod writes for CNN, "he will eventually do what duty and love of country requires, and step aside."

• A defection: Democratic Rep. Angie Craig called on Biden to drop out, per the Washington Post. Craig represents a swing district in Minnesota. After his debate performance and response to the alarm it caused, "I do not believe that the President can effectively campaign and win against Donald Trump," Craig said in a statement.
• Party session: Biden, who spent the day at his home in Delaware, kept a previously scheduled meeting with his campaign's national co-chairs, per the Post. He also walked to church for Mass a day ahead of stops in Philadelphia and near Harrisburg.
• Harris defines herself: The first question for the vice president at Essence Fest in New Orleans was, "Who is Kamala Harris?" To the crowd's cheers, she answered: "The vice president of the United States of America." Harris added that she's a wife, a good cook, and a "fighter for the people."
• Collision course: In a Post analysis, Dan Balz writes that Democrats who want Biden to leave the ticket think he's in denial about the struggle he and the party now face. The period ahead, Balz says, could be "much more contentious and divisive than the period since the debate ended."

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