Starmer meets Biden on Nato sidelines as Democratic pressure increases

Rebecca Hartmann
BBC News, reporting from Pennsylvania

As Democratic officials grapple with the question of whether they think Joe Biden should continue as their party’s nominee for president, regular voters are asking themselves the same question.

We’re visiting an area on the
outskirts of Harrisburg in the swing state of Pennsylvania, where Biden held a rally over the
weekend. It could be
key to his victory in 2024.

But voters have mixed feelings about Biden’s poor debate performance two weeks ago.

“Neither
one of (the candidates) represented themselves very well, but Biden was hard to watch. He
embarrassed himself,” Jerry Medvidovich tells us.

Democrat Karren
Gillchrist says she is firmly behind Biden. For her, his
experience makes him the best candidate.

“You’re
talking about a man who has been in politics for how many years. He knows
exactly what he’s talking about,” she tells us.

Twenty minutes away at a local shop in Elizabethtown, Christina Kyllonen tells us she was “floored” at how Biden came across at the debate.

“He just
seems very tired and not very coherent these days,” she says.

Kyllonen tells us that while she would love a different Democratic nominee, she still plans to vote for Biden.

“At this point it’s a vote against
Trump, not a vote for Biden,” she adds.

Down the
road, Democratic voter Melissa Nash is working on her laptop in a café. She thought Biden struggled to be articulate during the debate, and says the performance could influence her decision for November.

“I’m torn
because I’m not a fan of Trump, but at the same time you need somebody strong to
lead the country,” she tells the BBC.