Before the debate, the White House dismissed videos of Biden appearing to freeze or wander as “cheapfake” clips, and some had indeed been cropped to cut out context. The debate was live and unedited, and within days Democrats were calling for him to step aside. [5][1]
AP reported that in the days after the debate, family members, Jill and Hunter among them, were urging him to keep running, even as tensions grew inside a White House known for discipline. On 5 July Biden told ABC he was staying in. Sixteen days later he withdrew and endorsed Kamala Harris. [2][3][4]
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