Biden heads into make-or-break stretch for his imperiled presidential campaign

Washington: President Joe Biden on Thursday opened a critical stretch in his effort to salvage his imperiled reelection campaign, facing a growing sense that he may have just days to make a persuasive case that he is fit for office before Democratic support for him completely evaporates.

In the aftermath of Biden’s disastrous debate performance last week against Republican Donald Trump, some financial backers were holding off or cancelling upcoming fundraisers, according to a person familiar with the plans who spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity to talk about private discussions. “I’m not going anywhere,” Biden told a crowd gathered for a July Fourth barbecue on the White House South Lawn. Later, during evening fireworks, he stood on the balcony with his family and Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, in a clear show of support. Harris at one point grabbed Biden’s hand and held it high in the air, and later the two hugged.

In a Wednesday night meeting with Democratic governors, Biden acknowledged that he needs to get more sleep and limit evening events so he can turn in earlier to be rested for the job, according to three people familiar with the meeting, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.