Pressure on US President - "For the first time, Biden didn't seem to recognize me," complains a member of parliament

WELT Pressure on US President - "For the first time, Biden didn't seem to recognize me," complains a member of parliament 6 hours • 3 minutes reading time Concern about the health of US President Joe Biden The collective pressure from US Democrats on President Joe Biden is growing. On Friday alone, around a dozen other Democrats from the US Congress dared to publicly call on their party colleague to withdraw from the presidential race. The tone is also getting harsher. One member of parliament revealed how Biden no longer recognized him during a recent meeting. The incumbent, who is currently isolating himself due to a corona infection and is not appearing in public, has so far appeared unimpressed by the rebellion within the party and announced his return to the campaign stage for next week. According to US media, the 81-year-old is secretly no longer categorically ruling out a withdrawal in view of the enormous resistance within his own ranks. The number of critics is growing incessantly The background to the revolt is doubts about the president's mental fitness - and his ability to hold office for another four years. A new wave of Democratic congressmen expressed concern on Friday that Biden will lose the presidential election to his Republican opponent Donald Trump and that the party may no longer have a say in either of the two parliamentary chambers in the future. Around three dozen parliamentarians from both chambers have now openly called on Biden to drop out of the race for a second term. Behind the scenes, according to media reports, the very first ranks of the party are also trying to persuade Biden to withdraw, including the two top Democrats in Congress, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, as well as the former Speaker of the House and still influential Democrat, Nancy Pelosi. Biden's confidants now believe his withdrawal is possible "We will put America first" Biden's former boss, former President Barack Obama, is also said to have expressed concerns. Among those Democrats who have come forward with public calls for his withdrawal are several close allies of Pelosi. The concerted action from within his own party is remarkable. The fact that non-public statements by the most influential Democrats in the country have been leaked out in parallel in recent days is also unlikely to be a coincidence. "For the first time, he didn't seem to recognize me" In his call for his withdrawal, Democratic Representative Seth Moulton of the state of Massachusetts described an encounter with Biden on the sidelines of the celebrations for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. "For the first time, he didn't seem to recognize me," wrote Moulton. While that can happen with age, he believes that his experience in Normandy is "part of a deeper problem." Biden has retreated to his private home in Rehoboth Delaware after being infected with the coronavirus. He is currently not attending any appointments. He has so far firmly rejected all public calls for his withdrawal. His campaign team also insists that he has no intention of giving up.The speech that millions of Americans have been waiting for The president's doctor announced that Biden's Covid symptoms had already improved significantly. Biden announced that he would be campaigning again in the next few days. "I'm looking forward to going back on the campaign trail next week," said a written statement from the US president. He wants to continue to warn people in the country about the danger posed by Trump's policies and at the same time promote his own vision for the country. "There is a lot at stake," he warned, and once again called on his party to show unity: "Together we will win." But unity is not particularly good among the Democrats at the moment. In recent weeks, Biden's deputy Kamala Harris has increasingly come into focus as a possible replacement for Biden. She is still campaigning during Biden's absence and made a high-profile stop at an ice cream parlor in the capital Washington on Friday. These are usually reserved for Biden, an avowed ice cream lover.