Throwing cold water on rumors this week that Joe Biden might drop out of the presidential race as soon as this weekend, the president has lined up a high-profile fundraising event in Martha’s Vineyard that’s set to be headlined by David Letterman.
Scheduled for July 29, a week-and-a-half from now, the fundraiser is scheduled to feature the “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction” host alongside Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. It’s one of 10 fundraisers Biden has lined up through the end of July — all of which, for now, serve to underline the campaign’s insistence that he will remain in the race.
The news of the Letterman-headlining fundraiser comes three weeks after the disastrous June 27 debate against former President Donald Trump that ignited concerns about Biden’s fitness to serve a second term. Since then, an increasing number of powerful Biden allies have called on him to quit.
For example, on Wednesday, presidential campaign cochair Jeffrey Katzenberg warned Biden that donors have stopped contributing. Also this week, Senate candidate Rep. Adam Schiff publicly called on him to drop out. Most major party figures haven’t taken that step, but multiple reports hold that congressional leaders including Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer are effectively doing so behind the scenes. And anonymous sources told The Washington Post that even Barack Obama is wavering.
But the news also comes the day after the final night of the 2024 Republican National Convention, and the timing may not be coincidental.
That’s because, prior to his acceptance speech, Trump had strong winds at his back thanks to national sympathy from the failed assassination attempt a week ago. He was even reported — vaguely it should be noted — to have prepared a speech emphasizing “unity,” offering a different tone from the hateful and often violent rhetoric and narcissism that he’s known for.
Instead, Trump delivered a rambling, incoherent filibuster that ditched the unity messaging within minutes, demonized political opponents and even vaguely threatened another Jan. 6 style uprising should he lose. It went on for an excruciating 93 minutes-plus. Widely mocked as both confusing and boring, even some Trump supporters were baffled and turned off by it.
Afterward, pundits panned Trump and multiple outlets reported that Democrats came away reassured that the convicted felon remains quite beatable. Perhaps the Biden campaign sees this as a second chance to reset the conversation that has, since June 27, been dominated by a focus on his alleged enfeeblement.