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Biden concedes debate fumbles but declares he will defend democracy. Dems stick by him — for now

Published

2 years ago

June 29, 2024

Gloria Ikibah

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President Joe Biden is trying to quell Democratic anxieties over his unsteady showing in his debate with ex-President Donald Trump. Biden appeared to acknowledge the criticism on Friday saying ”I don’t debate as well as I used to.”

President Joe Biden worked forcefully Friday to quell Democratic anxieties over his unsteady showing in his debate with former President Donald Trump, as elected members of his party closed ranks around him in an effort to shut down talk of replacing him atop the ticket.

Biden’s halting delivery and meandering comments, particularly early in the debate, fueled concerns from even members of his own party that at age 81 he’s not up for the task of leading the country for another four years. It created a crisis moment for Biden’s campaign and his presidency, as members of his party flirted with potential replacements, and donors and supporters couldn’t contain their concern about his showing against Trump.

Biden appeared to acknowledge the criticism during a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, saying ”I don’t debate as well as I used to.” But he added, “I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done.” Speaking for 18 minutes, Biden appeared far more animated than he had the night before as he excoriated Trump for his “lies” and for waging a campaign aimed at “revenge and retribution.”

“The choice in this election is simple,” Biden said. “Donald Trump will destroy our democracy. I will defend it.”

He added, alluding to his candidacy, “When you get knocked down, you get back up.”

First lady Jill Biden, at a Friday evening fundraiser in New York City, said her husband told her after the debate, “I don’t know what happened. I didn’t feel that great.” But she seconded the president in stressing that he tells the truth and he bounces back from adversity.

Even before the debate, Biden’s age had been a liability with voters, and Thursday night’s faceoff appeared to reinforce the public’s deep-seated concerns before perhaps the largest audience he will garner in the four months until Election Day.

Privately, his campaign worked to tamp down concerns and keep donors and surrogates on board. Democratic lawmakers on Friday acknowledged Biden’s poor showing, but tried to stop talk of replacing him as their standard-bearer, and instead shift the focus to Trump’s attacks and falsehoods.

“Well, the president didn’t have a good night, but neither did Donald Trump with lie after lie and his dark vision for America,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper told The Associated Press on Friday, hours before he introduced the president in Raleigh. “We cannot send Donald Trump back to the White House. He’s an existential threat to our nation.”

Former President Barack Obama backed up his former vice president, posting on X that “Bad debate nights happen.” Alluding to his own poor showing in the first debate of his reelection campaign in 2012, Obama continued, “Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself.”

He added: “Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November.”

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries answered with a flat “no” when asked Friday if Biden should step aside.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., allowed he “had to take a few more antidepressants than usual” after Biden’s debate showing.

But he added that “a Donald Trump presidency would cause me far greater discomfort than a Joe Biden debate performance.”

Biden’s campaign billed the Raleigh event as the largest-yet rally of his reelection bid in the state Trump carried by the narrowest margin in 2020. He then traveled to New York for a weekend of big-dollar fundraisers that his campaign now needs more than ever.

Biden’s campaign announced that it raised $14 million on debate day and the morning after, while Trump’s campaign said it raised more than $8 million from the start of the debate through the end of the night.

Vice President Kamala Harris, whom the Biden campaign sent out to defend his performance, tried to reassure Biden supporters at a rally in Las Vegas on Friday, saying, “This race will not be decided by one night in June.

“This race will be decided by you. By us,” she said. “Who sits in the White House next year will be determined by what we together do in these next 130 days.”

Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler said there had been no internal conversations “whatsoever” about Biden stepping aside, though he, too, acknowledged that the president had a “bad night” on stage.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., said he could hardly sleep because of the number of telephone calls he got after Biden performed “horribly” in the debate.

“People were just concerned. And I told everybody being concerned is healthy, overreacting is dangerous,” Cleaver said.

Rep. James Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat whose support in that state helped Biden secure the Democratic nomination four years ago, said he would likely speak to Biden later Friday and his message would be simple: “Stay the course.”

Biden and his team have long wagered that voters would look past their concerns about his age and unpopularity when confronted at the ballot box with a choice between the president and Trump. Despite their concerns about Biden’s performance, they took solace in Trump doing little to expand his own appeal to voters on Thursday.

Polls from CNN and 538/Ipsos conducted soon after the debate found that most debate-watchers thought Trump outperformed Biden. But the two men’s favorability ratings remained largely unchanged, just as they did in the aftermath of Trump’s conviction.

Democrats seized on Trump’s equivocations on whether he would accept the will of voters this time around, his refusal to condemn the rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, trying to overturn his 2020 loss to Biden, and his embrace of the conservative-leaning Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade that had legalized abortion nationwide.

But Biden fumbled on abortion rights, one of the most important issues for Democrats in this year’s election. He was unable to explain Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. A conservative Supreme Court with three justices nominated by Trump overturned Roe two years ago.

As elected Democrats united behind Biden publicly, donors and party operatives shared panicked text messages and phone calls Thursday night and into Friday expressing their concern that Biden’s performance was so bad that he may be unelectable this fall.

Among the few public Democratic voices calling on Biden to step aside was congressional candidate Nancy Boyda in Kansas, who broke with most in her party and called on Biden to suspend his campaign and retire at the end of his current term.

But there were no immediate signs of organized efforts among donors, his campaign leadership or the Democratic National Committee to convince the president to step aside, according to interviews with several people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive conversations.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat frequently mentioned as a 2028 contender and speculated about as a potential replacement for Biden, released a statement backing him on Friday.

“The difference between Joe Biden’s vision for making sure everyone in America has a fair shot and Donald Trump’s dangerous, self-serving plans will only get sharper as we head toward November,” she said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom also dismissed questions on whether he would consider stepping in for Biden, telling reporters, “I will never turn my back on him.”

Under current Democratic Party rules, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to replace Biden as the party’s nominee without his cooperation or without party officials being willing to rewrite the rules at the August national convention.

Trump was set to hold a rally Friday afternoon in Chesapeake, Virginia, a onetime battleground that has shifted toward Democrats in recent years but that his aides believe can flip toward the Republicans in November. [AP]

News

Stand Firm and Keep Fighting, Bello, Gbajabiamila Rally Abejide

Published

3 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Gloria Ikibah

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…leaders urge resilience as pressure mounts within ADC ranks

By Gloria Ikibah

Former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello and Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, have thrown their weight behind Rep. Leke Abejide, urging him to remain steadfast amid ongoing political tensions within his party the African Democratic Congress.

The messages of support were delivered during a dinner in Abuja held to celebrate the 50th birthday of his wife, Esther Abejide, where both leaders praised his resilience and commitment to democratic ideals.

They encouraged the Yagba Federal Constituency representative to stay the course and continue his efforts to stabilise and strengthen the African Democratic Congress, despite mounting internal challenges.

Bello described Abejide as a determined political figure who remains focused on his goals, while Gbajabiamila urged him to remain within the party and push for what he believes is right.

Their intervention comes at a time of heightened uncertainty within the ADC, with calls for unity and perseverance growing louder among party stakeholders.

Bello said, “Honourable Leke Abejide sought to be a member of the House of Representatives on the platform of APC then, and there are some mathematical miscalculations. But that never stopped him. He came second time and he is performing and touching lives across the board.

“Honourable Leke Abejide is acting as if he was the governor. At a point I was like, do you want to overthrow me? Honourable Leke Abigide sought to be the governor of Kogi State. He contested keenly with my amiable and wonderful successor. I know how many times our brother, the chief of staff, the president, intervened, called me, and several meetings were held. And I maintained one thing. I said, look, this is my brother. I will never deceive him. The politics of Kogi State, nobody knows better than I do at this stage. Let him just try his luck and learn and wait for an appropriate time.

“Honourable Leke Abejide did not lose. He only came to learn the act of politicking especially for governorship at that level in Kogi State. Honourable Leke Abejide did not hesitate to support and give all of his backings to my governor immediately after the election. He was under serious pressure to go to court. He was the first person who said he was not going to challenge it. Rather, he collapsed his structures and supported.

“Honourable Leke Abejide at National Assembly level, despite he belonged to ADC, he was supporting our president actively, both physically and covertly. Honourable Leke Abejide, we thank you for all your performance. Your Excellency, thank you for your guidance. The Chief of Staff, the President. Tell Mr. President that we appreciate you. And that myself and my governor, we have conferred on each other. And that we are calling on Chief Leke Abejide and telling all of the Yagba Federal Constituency’s persons that are here, please take this message home, that we want Leke back in APC”.

Similarly, the Chief of Staff to the President and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Gbajabiamila commended Rep. Abejide for his doggedness which he said kept him on track in his democratic journey and winning elections on a platform which he kept alive and running for long.

He said, “I keep saying people to people when I talk about him, that for a man to contest an election in a face-to-face state where elections are fierce, and to contest under a platform of a relatively unknown party, ADC, and to win back-to-back-to-back, it tells you who that man is. Not when he won the first time, he came on a sole ADC carry to the house. Four years later, he went back to Kogi. He brought somebody else from the ADC.

“Honorable Abejide, I know you to be a committed party man. I know you to be a fighter. I know you to be someone who does not like to be cheated. So please, my charge to you is to stay in that same ADC. Fight. Fight them. Scare them. Hold on to your party, ADC. Do not allow them. We like what you are doing. Continue.

“Don’t let the former governor say that you should come and join the APC. No, no, no, no, no, no. Stay in the ADC. Win your election in the ADC as you will. Bring Gombe. We will support him. Bring him. Do the right thing. You are a fighter. Do the right thing. Nobody can come and take your party away from you. A party that you’ve been to for years with your sweat and your money and everything. No. Continue. Good luck in court”.

News

Forum of legislators calls on Judiciary to safeguard Nigeria’s democracy

Published

7 hours ago

April 21, 2026

EMMANUEL AGAJI

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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) National Legislators Serving and Former Forum has tasked all stakeholders especially the Judiciary on projection of Nigeria’s democracy.

The forum gave the charge on Tuesday at a news conference in Abuja while reacting to comments allegedly made by some top politicians and public officials that do not advance Nigeria’s democratic processes.

Speaking on behalf of the forum, Ms Nnenna Ukeje, a member of the 8th House of Representatives said that as patriots, the forum is committed to national interest and have defended democracy on many fora.

According to her, their intervention stands for the defence, stability, protection of democracy and preservation of our beloved country.

“We must reiterate that there is a clear difference between the tyranny of the majority and true democracy; between illiberal civil rule and a system grounded in democratic contestation; between constitutional governance and authoritarian subjugation.

“Nigeria must remain firmly on the side of democracy, resisting overreach by any arm of government is not subversion; it is a constitutionally given right and duty.

“To the judiciary, we reiterate: this is a defining moment; the tipping point, the nation’s eleventh for survival.

“Your independence must remain sacrosanct. Your integrity must be unquestionable and your patriotism unapologetic. Your decision will determine the drift,” she said.

Ukeje said that Nigeria’s democracy must not be weakened by the very forces that once fought to build it saying that the preservation of democratic space is not a favour to the opposition but a duty owed to the nation.

The former lawmaker said that Nigerians must be very vigilant as democracy does not defend itself but survives only when citizens, institutions, and leaders commit to its protection.

“In conclusion, Nigeria must remain a nation governed by law, not expediency; by robust institutions, not strong individuals; and by the will of the people, not predetermined outcomes.

“Let the judiciary act without interference. Let opposition thrive without intimidation. Let citizens participate without fear.

“Nigeria’s democracy belongs to its people, and it must be protected and defended by all.
We remain committed to defending it through all lawful means; through the courts, through civic engagement, and at the ballot box,” she said. (NAN)
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News

Tinubu approves minor cabinet reshuffle, sacks Edun, Dangiwa

Published

9 hours ago

April 21, 2026

EMMANUEL AGAJI

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…..Oyedele elevated to Finance Minister

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a minor cabinet reshuffle in the membership of the Federal Executive Council.

According to a memo signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, two cabinet members, Mr. Wale Edun and Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa are to leave the cabinet while their replacements have been named.

Edun, until the latest development, was the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy.

He has been directed to hand over to Mr. Taiwo Oyedele who is now to take over as Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy. Oyedele was formerly a Minister of State in the ministry.

Also Mr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma (PhD .) has been named as the ministerial nominee and minister designate for the Housing and Urban Development Ministry.

The memo also directed Dangiwa to hand over to the Minister of State in the ministry.

The memo stated that “all handing over and taking over processes should be completed on or before close of business on Thursday 23rd April, 2026.”

Explaining the President’s decision, Akume said: “These changes are aimed at strengthening cohesion, synergy in governance as well as achieving more impactful delivery on the economy to Nigerians, through the Renewed Hope Agenda.”

He said the President, in approving the cabinet reshuffle, has fully exercised his powers as conferred on him by Sections 147 and 148 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999, as amended).

The President thanked the outgoing ministers for their services to the nation while wishing them the best in all their future endeavours.

The President, Akume noted, equally assured all cabinet members that “the process of reinvigoration shall be continuous.”