GA faith leaders rally around Joe Biden as pressure mounts for him to step aside as president

ATLANTA — A group of Black faith leaders gathered at the state capitol on Wednesday to show their support for President Biden, as Georgia Republicans convened in Milwaukee for their upcoming convention.

Bishop Reginald Jackson of the 6th Episcopal District of the AME Church and other faith leaders emphasized their backing of Biden’s re-election campaign, noting that they will be watching closely when he delivers his first news conference Thursday evening following a widely criticized debate performance in Atlanta two weeks ago.

“I think the press conference for him today is critically important,” Jackson told Channel 2′s Richard Elliot.

Rev. Tim McDonald from First Iconium Baptist Church urged the public to consider Biden’s entire four-year tenure rather than a single night’s performance.

“We cannot judge a man on one night, let’s look at what he’s done in four years. Not one night, anyone can have a bad day,” McDonald said.

Channel 2 Action News learned that top U.S. senators are set to meet with members of Biden’s inner circle on Thursday to consolidate support before the news conference.

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Jackson shared that he has had candid discussions with Sen. Raphael Warnock and other legislative members.

“I’ve had conversations with Senator Warnock. I’ve had conversations with people from Washington and the administration in other places have called, and I’ve had some very blunt conversations with them,” Jackson said.

Meanwhile, Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon and other state Republicans have already gathered in Milwaukee ahead of next week’s Republican convention, where they intend to nominate Donald Trump.

McKoon expressed concerns over Biden’s cognitive abilities, telling Elliot, “It would be nice to know that the President of the United States is aware of what’s going on and is in firm control of his faculties.”

“This country can’t be successful if the person who is supposed to be the chief executive simply does not have the mental capacity to exercise the duties,” McKoon said.

There were no comments from Warnock and Sen. Jon Ossoff on Thursday.

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