Washington: After US President Joe Biden's unsteady performance in the presidential debate against his Republican rival Donald Trump caused panic among Democrats and led to calls for him to step aside, a US politician has made a bold prediction by saying that the 81-year-old Democrat will be replaced by Michelle Obama, the wife of former President Barack Obama.
Republican US lawmaker Ted Cruz said after a dismal performance, Democrats are now going to "dump" Biden and will nominate former First Lady Barack Obama as their nominee. "Nine months ago, on Verdict I predicted that the Dems would replace Biden with Michelle Obama. I think that’s going to happen," he said.
Earlier this year, many speculated that Biden will be replaced with another candidate amid mounting concerns over his age and a series of public gaffes that raised doubts over his mental acuity. Michelle Obama had been called on several times to try her luck in politics and contest the presidential election. However, she denied having any interest in fighting.
Notably, Biden performed underwhelmingly in the presidential debate. He fumbled while advocating his administration's steps and policy initiatives and appeared to have lost his train of thought at some points. Although his allies claimed it to be a result of a cold, Trump took a dig at it while in the debate, which became a topic of discussion on social media.
The President's performance heightened concerns that he may not be fit to serve another four-year term and some Democrats are now even considering replacing him as their candidate. His inability to clearly communicate during the 90-minute debate earned harsh criticism from across the US political spectrum, most notably among Democrats.
"I know I'm not a young man, to state the obvious," said Biden at a rally a day after his showdown, which was widely considered a defeat for the 81-year-old President. "I don't walk as easy as I used to, I don't speak as smoothly as I used to, I don't debate as well as I used to," he said, as the crowd chanted "four more years."
On the other hand, Trump called him the "most incompetent president" in US history. Trump said he did not think Biden could drop out of the race, mentioning the demands from some Democrats and opinion writers calling for Biden to step aside, and criticised high0-profile Democrats like Vice President Kamala Harris and Michelle Obama as well.
Many overseas allies of the Democrats also called Biden's performance a "disaster" and a "shipwreck", calling for him to step aside. The New York Times editorial board, which endorsed Biden in 2020, called on him to drop out of the race to give the Democratic Party a better chance of beating Trump by picking another candidate. "The greatest public service Mr Biden can now perform is to announce that he will not continue to run for re-election," the editorial said.
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