Is Biden ready to return to the campaign trail? Expert says its up to Biden

SALT LAKE CITY — After testing positive for COVID, President Joe Biden’s campaign has announced he’s returning to the campaign trail next week. The news came as rumors circulated that he was ready to step down this week.

Scott Howell, former Utah Senate minority leader and a Biden-Harris team surrogate joined Jeff Caplan’s Afternoon News to discuss whether was Biden up for the task. 

Howell said the only one who can really decide that is President Biden himself. 

“I’ve got great respect for Joe. I’ve known him for a long time for me. It’s like I want to go up and hug him and help him walk up the stairs to Air Force One,” Howell said.

Howell said he hopes he can do half of what Biden does when he’s 81. 

 

But is Biden ready for an election? 

 “I think he’s got to have this really crucial conversation with key advisors and everyone else to determine what he’s going to do,” said Howell. 

When asked what he would say to Biden, Howell said, 

“I would say, ‘Joe, you need to go take a very crucial look in the mirror and determine if you can beat Donald J. Trump. That’s what’s really the big question. Can you win? Do you have that energy to continue now?… You should think seriously about what you want to do and how you want your legacy to be. We all want you to win, but can you win? Can you beat Donald J. Trump?” 

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