The re-nomination of the reigning president is a serious risk for the United States, according to experts.
President Joe Biden told more than 20 Democratic governors in a private meeting Wednesday night that he underwent a medical examination after last week's presidential debate and was fine, Politico reported.
People familiar with the details of the event told the portal: during the one-hour meeting, the purpose of which was to dispel concerns about the president's health and political abilities, one of the governors asked Biden about his physical condition.
The president said that he had been examined in recent days, and according to the results, he is still in good health.
Biden's comment, according to a person close to the president, suggested that in the days after the debate, a White House doctor had a brief check-up for Biden's lingering cold.
The consultation with the doctor, the person added, was short and did not include any serious tests.
During the meeting, Biden reiterated his promise not to let himself be pushed out of the race and that he "ran to win." During the meeting, he also took responsibility for his poor performance in the debate, explaining that he "didn't listen to his colleagues" before the debate. He also acknowledged that his campaign messaging still needs work, and that he needs to talk more about what matters to voters and less about statistics.
Two Democratic governors - Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico and Janet Mills of Maine - expressed concern about the president's condition. According to the governors, it is doubtful whether Biden will be able to win the two states, despite the fact that the majority of their population tends to vote for Democrats.
After the meeting, governors Tim Walz of Minnesota, Wes Moore of Maryland and Kathy Hochul of New York told reporters they were standing by Biden. Hochul said that "all" of the governors "have assured Biden of their support because the stakes couldn't be higher."
We saw the guy we all believed could beat Donald Trump. And he beat Donald Trump,” said Walz, who is president of the Democratic Governors Association and who initiated the meeting to reassure the governors.
Face-to-face, however, several of the president's colleagues voiced their concern about the uncertainty of Biden's future.
At the same time, according to experts, Joe Biden's presidency is a serious risk for the United States in terms of security policy, economic and political risk.
After Joe Biden underperformed, to put it mildly, in the preliminary presidential candidate debate, he is not only attacked by his political opponents, but also by many of his own "own" somehow the certain tomahawk with which they would run at him - only figuratively, of course. This has several messages,
however, the action of the Democrats is more than an admission: it has become clear that Biden's health and mental state actually prevents him from carrying out his presidential duties, and even the Democrats admit that America is led by an incompetent president.
The situation related to security policy risk can be discussed when we already know exactly who the candidate will be, and especially after the elections, when we already know who the new president is, security policy expert József Kis-Benedek told Magyar Nemzet, who is currently not sees such a risk as the presidential administration is also doing its job until January 20, 2025, while Joe Biden is president.
He drew attention to the fact that it is not certain who will be nominated either, this will become clear at the end of August, when they will ask Trump and Biden whether they will undertake the presidential candidate test.
It is clear that Trump accepts this, but it is not entirely clear for Biden - despite his own opinion and the statements of his family. There are quite a few within the Democratic Party who have reservations after the Trump-Biden spat. They may even call on Joe Biden not to run and prepare another candidate.
– However, this is already a serious risk, not only for security policy, but also for elections, since it is not possible to build a presidential candidate in two minutes.
From the end of August until the November 5th election, the time available for this is very little - emphasized József Kis-Benedek.
As he explained, there is a risk if Biden withdraws from the candidacy, but also if he accepts, because at the moment, 81-year-old Joe Biden's chances for the "24-hour presidency" are not great.
As a result of the situation, Trump's chances have undoubtedly increased. The biggest problem is that there are also among the Democrats and among the sponsors who think that Biden should not run in the election, the expert said.
"It's not as easy to pull out an American presidential candidate as it is to pull a rabbit out of a hat," said Sándor Seremet, senior researcher at the Hungarian Foreign Institute (MKI), expert at the Eurássia Center.
As he explained, President Biden's condition had visibly deteriorated, which was also evident during the preliminary debate. This, in turn, also raises the question that if he is not suitable as a presidential candidate, is he currently suitable for president?
There is also an opinion in expert circles that there is a better chance of winning with a bad Biden. Another question is whether, in the event of a victory, a suitable vice-president should be placed next to him, who can take his place if necessary, the researcher added.
According to security policy expert József Horváth, if one of the world's strongest military and economic powers is headed by a person who is unable to make responsible decisions 24 hours a day, as appropriate, about war, peace, or the deployment of nuclear weapons, then this becomes a risk factor and not a solution.
- And Joe Biden, who we also saw in the preliminary debate, is physically unable to perform his task anymore - he said.
He recalled that the older generation in Central Europe saw the same thing in the case of a declining empire, the Soviet Union. In the United States, the nimbus of youth and strength is being destroyed now, and if American society acquiesces in this, it will inevitably lose its economic and political leadership position.
– We have seen this man not only at the debate, but also during the past years tripping, falling on a bicycle, etc. When someone is in such a physical and mental state, what happens if they are woken up at two in the morning that the Ukrainian-Russian war has turned? Then he may have to make a decision within minutes, which would fundamentally determine the fate of the world, he explained.
In relation to security issues, security policy expert László Földi drew attention to the fact that under Obama, the foundations of the presidential function in America had already begun to be dismantled.
- By discrediting the power of the president - something unprecedented in history - the symbol is lost, since the president and presidential power are the symbol of the United States. If you lose this symbol, there is no United States, explained László Földi.
He added that by attacking Trump and wanting to re-elect a practically helpless, experienced man, they are sending a message to the American people that this position is no longer important. According to the expert, the issue of national security arises when the dismantling of presidential power - which is obviously done in the interest of some economic force - practically makes the United States completely ungovernable. The people living there are losing their identity, which is already visible. And this can lead to a spiral that, in one version, leads to a civil war, and in the other version, it can mean the outbreak of a world war, which is already a serious risk for everyone. László Földi said that Biden's person in his current position and health is already a kind of "declaration of war against normality".
Cover image: Democrats are already worried about Biden's incompetence
Source: MTI/AP/Carolyn Kaster
