Trump returns to campaigning as deadline to name running mate nears, Biden rejects calls to withdraw

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport ahead of the first Presidential Debate on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

After largely ceding the spotlight to the mounting turmoil surrounding President Joe Biden ‘s campaign in the wake of their debate, former President Donald Trump returns to the campaign trail Tuesday after days of laying low, golfing and letting Democratic infighting play out in public.

Trump is set to rally his voters at one of his Miami-area golf courses as he nears a deadline to announce his running mate. But he appears in no rush as much of the attention is still centered on questions about Biden’s ability to govern for another four-year term. Some Democrats have started calling for Biden to step down as their presumptive nominee following his dismal debate performance last month.

Both Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, are at least two decades older than most American presidents have been, according to the Pew Research Center, which said the median age for all U.S. presidents on their first inauguration is 55 years old. But that has not stopped Trump from arguing he is stronger than Biden, who repeatedly stumbled, paused and could not complete sentences at times during the June 27 debate. Trump was criticized by Democrats for making false statements during the debate about the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and suggesting immigrants entering the U.S. illegally were taking so-called “Black jobs” and “Hispanic jobs.”