By Howard Fischer
Mail | X: @azcapmedia

PHOENIX — Gov. Katie Hobbs will participate in a virtual meeting Wednesday with President Biden over the question of what’s next following what has been called his dismal performance in last week’s debate with Donald Trump.

An aide to Hobbs confirmed she participated with other Democratic governors Tuesday in the initial call with the White House. But Christian Slater would not divulge the nature of the conversation.

The Associated Press reported that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz described the Tuesday call among the governors as a discussion of “what was obviously a poor performance’’ on June 27. And Walz, chair of the Democratic Governors Association, said participants were “asking questions about what is the plan?”

Walz said “some of those same concerns” are likely to be brought up in Wednesday’s meeting, which at this point is likely to be virtual.

The governor previously told Capitol Media Services she had watched “parts of the debate” last week with former President Trump.

“You know, I’m not a fan of debates,” said Hobbs, who refused to debate Republican Kari Lake in her own race for governor in 2022. And as to Biden’s performance, the governor said “I will leave dissecting that to the pundits.”

But Hobbs, in an interview the day after the debate but before the Tuesday call, made it clear that what she saw on June 27 did not diminish her support for Biden.

“The president himself has said it: Don’t compare him to the almighty. Compare him to the alternative,” Hobbs said.

“For me, that is so clear what the alternative is and what the stakes are in this election,” the governor continued. “We’re talking about someone who incited an insurrection on the Capitol on our democracy and refused to say last night if he would accept the results of this election if he lost. And that is not a choice to me.”

But she sidestepped a direct question at that time about replacing Biden at the top of the ticket.

“I’m not going to talk about a hypothetical,” she said.

“He’s the nominee,” Hobbs continued. “And I have every reason to believe he will still be the nominee.”

The question of whether Biden just had a bad night last week or whether it was something more has gotten the attention of Democrats on the national level.

The White House announced Tuesday the president will meet not only with Democratic governors but also lawmakers.

“We really want to turn the page on this,” said Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary. But she also said that Biden has no intention of getting out of the race.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in an interview Tuesday on MSNBC, said it is up to the president whether to step aside. But she said there are answers that some people want.

“I think it’s a legitimate question to say, is this an episode or is this a condition,” the California Democrat said. But Pelosi said this also was a question for Trump, saying he made repeated lies during the debate.

Others are reaching their own decisions.

Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas became the first member of Congress to urge Biden to withdraw.

“I represent the heart of a congressional district once represented by Lyndon Johnson,” he said in a Tuesday statement.

“Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw,” said Doggett, referring to Johnson’s decision not to seek another term because of low popularity in the middle of the Vietnam war. “President Biden should do the same.”

Biden has effectively acknowledged he needs to reassure voters.

ABC announced Tuesday the president will do an interview with George Stephanopoulos, his first since the debate. Clips of that interview, the network said, will air on Friday.