Michelle Obama is the only potential replacement for Joe Biden in the White House race who could beat Donald TrumpThat’s according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, which shows the former first lady — who has always denied wanting to enter politics — holding a significant advantage over the former president, 50% to 39%. The question of who to replace Biden with is becoming more urgent by the hour, as news emerges that the president is considering a potential step back.
Among other Democrats the poll looked at, Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Trump would beat by one point, stands out at 42% to 43%. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is trailing by 3 points, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is trailing by 5. Unlike other polls, this one doesn’t show Biden losing ground after the debate and instead depicts a Biden-Trump duel. Trump is neck and neck, with both candidates at 40%.
Barack Obama's role
The news of the past few hours has also partially highlighted Barack Obama as Biden's personal advisor.After last Thursday's disastrous televised debate, a phone call took place, according to sources familiar with the matter, but it was not specified to what extent Obama directly addressed the president's difficulties and weaknesses or expressed concerns about his chances of winning.
Concerns the former president instead expressed, in private, to his allies, who he told him that Biden's already difficult path to reelection had now become even more difficult after the debate.
A more alarming assessment of the situation than that offered in the former president's hotly-publicized post in which he stated that “bad evenings in debates happen, trust me,” referring to the failure of his first debate in 2012, while reiterating his confidence in the abilities of his former vice president.
“President Biden is grateful to President Obama for his unwavering support from the beginning of the campaign as a strong constituency liaison and trusted advisor to the president,” said Lauren Hitt, a Biden campaign spokeswoman.
In fact, Obama had been expressing his concerns for months about the difficulty of the campaign in private, with friends, but also with the president. For his re-election and the risk of a Donald Trump victory. And even before the debate, he had reiterated, once again to his inner circle of allies, his concerns about the White House race to some of his trusted friends.
Yet unlike many Democrats who have gone into a panic, calling on Biden to withdraw, Obama has not jumped to conclusions, and has continued to see himself as obligated, given their eight years together in the White House, to help and support Biden.
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