Dr. Anthony Fauci is the latest liberal luminary to be asked whether or not Joe Biden should end his presidential campaign after his shocking disaster debate against Donald Trump.
The White House and the campaign blame Biden’s low and sometimes difficult to understand speaking voice on a “cold.”
Others say this is how the president now behaves in everyday life and has even prompted Democrats to wonder whether Biden should be replaced before November as his poll numbers continue to trail Trump.
Fauci, who has served every president since Ronald Reagan and became a polarizing figure during the COVID-19 pandemic, appeared this week to promote his new memoir.
There, the former chief director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) from 1984 to 2022 was asked whether the 81-year-old president should end his campaign or even resign.
Dr. Anthony Fauci is the latest liberal luminary to be asked whether or not Joe Biden should end his presidential campaign after his shocking disaster debate against Donald Trump
“You know, I think it’s just an individual choice, and you can’t just generalize,” Fauci told ABC News.
He believes voters should focus on issues that are important to them, rather than making broad generalizations about fitness for office.
“You know, what their passion is, what their energy is,” Fauci said. “Those are the kinds of things.”
Ultimately, he said he would not speak about anything that would have “political implications.”
Fauci declined to give a final assessment, instead choosing to speak about his experiences with Biden and offering a sunnier vision of the president that was on display Thursday.
“He asks probing questions. He’s right. So my personal experience with him is quite positive.”
A poll released Sunday found that 72 percent of voters believe Biden does not have the cognitive ability to serve another term, up 7 points from the same poll taken earlier in June, before the debate.
Former White House physician Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) has repeatedly questioned Biden’s cognitive and physical health.
The White House and campaign blame a “cold” for Biden’s low and sometimes difficult to understand voice
Others say this is what the president looks like on a day-to-day basis now and even Democrats are wondering whether Biden should be replaced in time for November as his poll numbers continue to trail Trump.
He suggested that the seven-day preparation for the debate at Camp David was a way to ingest the drug cocktail just before the confrontation with Trump.
Both before and after the debate, doubts arose about Biden’s mental acuity and cognitive health.
Biden stumbled through the debate with Trump on Thursday, often speaking softly, mumbling or losing his train of thought. When Trump spoke, the split screen showed the president with his mouth open and a blank stare.
The outcome prompted a flurry of calls for Biden to end his candidacy, even from some of his strongest supporters.
On the other hand, Trump’s debate performance has only increased his party’s support.
Fifty percent of registered voters think the 78-year-old has the cognitive ability to run for a second term in 2024 — only 27 percent feel the same way about Biden.
It’s still unclear what will happen next, but Biden will spend his Sunday at Camp David discussing the future of this race with his family.
Some blame First Lady Jill Biden for forcing her husband to keep campaigning for re-election, and Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wy.) accused the first lady of “elder abuse.”