Multiple senior House Democrats told House Democratic leaders on Sunday that President Joe Biden should resign as the party’s presidential nominee.
ADRIAN FLORIDO, HOST:
House Democrats held a rare Sunday meeting today to discuss President Joe Biden and his future in the race. Some top House Democrats told leaders on that call that they believed Biden should step down. But not all Democrats agree, and Biden has made clear he has no plans to withdraw. He attended a rally in Pennsylvania today.
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PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: We’re about to get so much done. I really mean it.
FLORIDO: NPR congressional correspondent Barbara Sprent joins us now to talk about all this. Hi Barbara.
BARBARA SPRUNT, BYLINE: Hey.
Florido: Please tell us more about this meeting. What do we know about this?
SPRUNT: Well, this was a private call with top House Democrats. Four lawmakers who serve as ranking members of the committee said they wanted to see changes at the top of the ballot, according to several sources familiar with the call. They are Jerry Nadler of New York, Adam Smith of Washington, Mark Takano of California and Joe Morrell of New York. As for the meeting itself, it’s unusual for this type of call to happen in the first place. Lawmakers will return to Parliament Hill tomorrow. No doubt there will be a lot of discussion on this topic.
Florido: Yes.
Sprunt: So it’s remarkable that they felt the need to come to a consensus before they could come back and have to face a slew of reporters on Capitol Hill asking how things were going.
Florido: Barbara, we’re talking about a small group of people. What does this tell us about the direction of the Democratic Party as a whole?
Sprunt: That’s right. I mean, as of today, these four members join five other House Democrats who have also called on President Biden to step down over the past few days. That’s according to statistics from NPR. Members of the House of Representatives have a lot at stake. They worry Biden could be a drag on their hopes of regaining control of the House after a poor debate performance. But there are also vocal supporters of the president. So far, 13 Democratic lawmakers and governors have publicly supported Biden, including Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and California Governor Gavin Newsom, two members of the party Rising Star is often discussed as a candidate who could replace Biden.
Florido: Where are the top Democratic leaders on this issue?
SPRUNT: Well, leaders have largely avoided talking about the issue. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and others have yet to make a clear decision. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was asked about Biden’s poor debate performance and what it means for the campaign more broadly. She told MSNBC she thought it was a legitimate question, in her words, whether this was an episode or a situation. Now, Biden himself said in an interview with ABC on Friday that he doesn’t think those leaders are going to come to him and say it’s time to leave. What’s more, he said the parameters of his exit from the game were that the Lord Almighty came down and said so.
Florido: Of course, that hasn’t happened yet.
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FLORIDO: Biden is campaigning. How does he look on the outside?
SPRUNT: Well, he’s been trying to prove his critics wrong, to show that he can run, to try to show that that bad debate was just a one-off. He made several stops in the swing state of Pennsylvania. He went to a union hall in Harrisburg, a Pentecostal church in Philadelphia, where the pastor launched a call-and-response in support of the president. He made off-the-cuff remarks. He campaigned in hot weather, shaking hands with dozens of people. But this is very different from debating. The debate was broadcast in prime time to millions of people, which is what has House Democrats worried.
Florido: Okay. I’ve been talking with NPR congressional correspondent Barbara Sprent. Thanks, Barbara.
Sprunt: Thank you.
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