Headlines for July 09, 2024

President Biden on Monday sent a letter to congressional Democrats, doubling down on his intention to remain their presidential candidate and calling for an end to questions about whether he should stay in the race. Biden wrote, “We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump.” Despite Biden’s defiance, the feverish debate appears far from over. On Monday, Congressmember Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, joined calls for Biden to end his campaign. Congressmember Smith spoke on CNN.

Rep. Adam Smith: “I think he should step aside. I think it’s become clear that he’s not the best person to carry the Democratic message. … And look, a lot of Democrats are saying, ‘Well, let’s move on. Let’s stop talking about it.’ We’re not the ones who are bringing it up. We’re not the ones who said, ‘Anytime, anyplace.’ And only Joe Biden was on that stage with Donald Trump. Our constituents are bringing it up; the country is bringing it up. And the White House — sorry, campaign strategy of ‘Be quiet and fall in line and let’s ignore it’ simply isn’t working right now.”

On the progressive flank of the Democratic Party, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar have publicly backed Biden to stay in the race. Meanwhile, visitor logs show neurologist Dr. Kevin Cannard, a renowned Parkinson’s disease expert, visited the White House eight times between last July and March of this year. The White House declined to give details but said he examined President Biden three times as part of his annual physicals.