It's hot behind Biden – Sydsvenskan

Joe Biden will meet with his party's governors on Wednesday to assure them that he is fine and capable of leading the country for another four years.

A day later, the US president will give his first televised interview on ABC after his widely criticized performance against Donald Trump in a televised debate last week.

Question marks have been raised about the 81-year-old Biden's physical condition since the debate, and Wednesday's meeting is a strong indication that Biden is trying to calm fears within the party and convince it that he can defeat Donald Trump in the November presidential election.

There may be a need for that.

On Tuesday, the first member of Congress from the party came out publicly and called on Biden to step down.

“Unlike Donald Trump, President Biden’s top priority has always been our nation, not himself, and I hope he makes the painful and difficult decision to withdraw his nomination,” said Lloyd Doggett, a Texas congressman.

The White House responded to the criticism through press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who said at a news conference that Biden is older and not as strong as he once was, but the president left the debate behind him.

– She says he knows how to come back, and also rejects a suggestion that Biden should take a cognitive test.

– No need for that.

Former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, meanwhile, says it's time to ask about Biden's health after the debate.

“Was it a momentary slip or is this the way it is? I think that’s a legitimate question,” she says in an interview with MSNBC, and she stresses that the same question should be asked of the 78-year-old Trump.

Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse told WPRI-TV he was “absolutely horrified” to see Biden at the debate and asked the president's campaign to reassure voters that it won't happen again.

Similar words come from Vermont Sen. Peter Welch, who, according to the Associated Press, is criticizing the campaign's decision to dismiss all questions as unanswerable criticism.

Indeed, during the debate against Trump, the issue of the president's cognitive ability was raised, but Biden himself showed no signs of withdrawing from the candidacy.