Major Democratic donors consider three courses of action after disastrous Biden-Trump debate as they reveal the one person who will decide his fate

There are three different paths Democratic mega-donors are considering for handling Joe Biden after his weak debate performance in Georgia on Thursday.

Much of the focus of this weekend’s post-debate was on the Biden family, who gathered at Camp David to discuss their patriarch’s political future.

The family offered unequivocal support for the president and even questioned how they could get more involved, with his embattled son, Hunter, insisting that his father fight the race again.

However, many have begun to play the blame game, citing Biden advisers’ poor preparation for the debate to take on Donald Trump and time running out as Democrats panic over his fall in the polls after Atlanta.

Democratic donors, current and former power brokers in Washington, and Biden supporters appear to have coalesced around three different paths they could take through the remainder of this election season, knowing that there is only one person who will decide the fate of the campaign.

Many of the president’s wealthiest backers believe that while Thursday was a disaster, there is little they can do if Biden does not make the decision himself.

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“The smarter thing is to think about how you (as influential outsiders) operate, assuming there is no change,” Dmitri Mehlhorn, who organizes wealthy Biden boosters like LinkedIn CEO Reid Hoffman.

“And if there’s no change, if Biden wants to remain president, then any kind of pressure campaign is just a waste of time, energy, effort and money,” added Melhorn, who admitted that much of the debate was “very upsetting to watch.”

Charles Myers, chairman of Signum Global Advisors and a major Democratic donor, immediately dismissed the idea of ​​replacing Biden.

“Yes, donors were nervous after the very poor debate performance, but they were still very motivated and some want to do more,” he said.

There is an opposing faction — although largely no one with direct access to or influence over Biden — that says now is the time to encourage him to resign.

Tom Harkin, a former Democratic senator from Iowa who worked with Biden for decades, was perhaps most public with that sentiment in a post-debate missive to his allies.

“All sitting Democratic senators should write to Biden asking him to release his delegates and step down so the convention can choose a new nominee,” Harkin wrote.

“This is a perilous time and it’s bigger than Joe Biden’s ego or his desire to remain president,” he added, saying a new ticket would “energize the party at every level” and would be able to beat Donald Trump.

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A third path is developing among some donors, alarmed by Biden’s performance but wanting to study reactions to Thursday’s debate in more detail before taking major action, while planning ahead.

“It’s time to do some polling and see if there are potential replacements who perform better than Trump,” said businessman Mark Cuban, who endorsed Biden this week.

Ultimately, the only person who can determine the fate of this campaign is Joe Biden himself.

“The party is in the hands of President Biden, for better or for worse. He deserves our respect and our room to make a decision,” said a Democratic senator who spoke on condition of anonymity to CNN.

Another party member told the network that there simply was no feasible replacement plan.

“There is no real succession plan. This is what makes this not only heartbreaking, but also very problematic.

The CNN performance, during which Joe Biden wandered in responses and lost his train of thought, triggered unprecedented panic within the party.

President Biden has locked down the nomination. The only way the party can have a different candidate is if he voluntarily withdraws from the race.

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It appears, however, that the president is fighting an uphill battle after Thursday’s debacle.

A poll released Sunday found that 72% of voters believe Biden lacks the cognitive skills needed for another term. This is an increase of 7% 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.

He suggested that the seven-day debate preparation at Camp David was a way to get the drug cocktail just before the showdown with Trump.

Doubts grew before and after the debate about Biden’s mental acuity and cognitive health.

Biden stumbled throughout the debate with Trump on Thursday, often speaking quietly, mumbling or losing his train of thought. When Trump spoke, the split screen showed the president with his mouth hanging open and his gaze blank.

The outcome prompted a chorus of calls for Biden to end his candidacy — even from some of his most ardent supporters.

On the other hand, Trump’s performance in the debates only increased support for his party.

Fifty percent of registered voters think the 78-year-old has the cognitive skills to run for a second term in 2024 – just 27 percent think the same about Biden.

It’s not yet clear what happens next, but Biden is spending his Sunday at Camp David where he is discussing the future of this race with his family.

Some are accusing first lady Jill Biden of forcing her husband to continue his campaign for re-election, and Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wy.) has accused the first lady of “elder abuse.”