Despite a disastrous debate against Trump and concern in the Democratic camp, Joe Biden has assured that he will not give up his place in the presidential race, in the manner of Rocky Balboa who refuses to give up, according to an expert.
• Read also: New blunder: Biden claims to be “the first black woman” vice president of the United States
• Read also: Candidacy in peril: tonight, Joe Biden’s last chance interview?
“The work could not be done without the support of my family. Thank you all! Of course, I’m not going anywhere,” the US president said Thursday during the July 4 celebrations.
Yet Biden continues to struggle to turn the tide and change the course of the election, still trailing the Republican nominee by six points, according to polls.
“(Biden) sees himself a bit like Rocky Balboa since the beginning of his career. He has often been knocked down, but he always gets back up and he thinks he will get back up again, but we will see if it is possible,” illustrated Frédérick Gagnon, director of the Observatory on the United States at UQAM.
The loss of his son, brain aneurysms, a difficult election campaign in 1988 and the fact that he was far from being the favorite in 2020 add to this perception, the specialist said in an interview Friday with LCN.
Kamala Harris favorite?
The president’s scheduled interview on ABC on Friday night is seen as Biden’s last chance as support begins to wane, even within his own camp.
“What we see is that Biden is losing American states in view of November 6 (Editor’s note: 5) that we would not usually lose on the Democratic side, such as Maine, North Carolina, Virginia,” explained Mr. Gagnon.
His Vice President Kamala Harris would therefore be increasingly favoured to replace him if he ends his candidacy, an easier option than other candidates since she already knows the government machine.
Donald Trump also seems to be preparing for this eventuality according to one of his recent interventions, which could lead to a change of running mate for him, believes Mr. Gagnon.
“Trump may have to choose someone he hadn’t thought of if it had been Biden on November 6,” the expert suggested.
