House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., convened a meeting of top House Democrats on Sunday as the party continues to grapple with serious questions about President Joe Biden’s future as his party’s presidential nominee.
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Multiple senior House Democrats told House Democratic leaders on Sunday that President Joe Biden should resign as the party’s presidential nominee, according to several sources familiar with the discussions.
Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Mark Takano of California, the top Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee, senior member of the House Management Group Member Rep. Joe Morrell of New York told leaders during a virtual meeting that Democrats should seek to make changes on the ballot.
The virtual meeting is an opportunity for top House Democrats to convene before lawmakers return to Capitol Hill on Monday. Top leaders have generally avoided taking a stance on Biden’s future as members grapple with the president and the party at a critical crossroads.
A House Democrat who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak candidly about party discussions said reports last week that Biden would meet with governors suggested he might not attend the event after 8 p.m., the member added. People don’t have much time to let Biden go.
Support for Biden
But some Democrats have publicly expressed their anger at calls for Biden to withdraw. Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson said Democratic “leaders” calling for Biden to drop out of the race need to stop listening to experts.
“Any ‘leader’ calling for President Biden to withdraw needs to get clear on their priorities and stop undermining this incredible de facto leader who is delivering real results for our country,” Wilson said in a statement. “When you contrast that with someone as dangerous as Donald Trump, who on day one is pushing a radical agenda, becoming a dictator and destroying our democracy, we have to do everything we can to defeat him. “
In fact, many Democrats still openly support Biden, even as anxiety is growing among their ranks. The issue is causing consternation within the party, just over a month before the August nominating convention in Chicago.
President Joe Biden’s performance in a debate with presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump has been widely criticized, prompting five House Democrats to publicly call on him to resign as a 2024 presidential candidate. Many others privately want him to quit, fearing he could derail Democrats’ chances of retaking the House and retaining control of the Senate.
So far, no senator has publicly called for Biden to step down, although there are rumors that Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner hosted a meeting aimed at encouraging Biden to withdraw from the race.
Biden insisted in an interview with ABC on Friday that he would remain in the race and defended his record. Asked whether he would step down if he became convinced he couldn’t defeat Trump, Biden defiantly said: “Well, that depends on whether the Lord Almighty comes down and tells me — and I might do that.”
dissatisfaction with the president
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy acknowledged on CNN that fellow Democrats remained skeptical after the interview.
“Personally, I like Joe Biden, and I don’t know that Friday night’s interview will be enough to answer those questions,” he said. “So I think this week is absolutely critical. I think the president needs to do more.”
Earlier Sunday, Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., said on CNN that she heard some voters urging Biden to step down, while others said he needed to stay in the lead.
“I’ve heard a lot of things, so I don’t think it’s as clear-cut as anyone would hope,” she said.
Multiple Democrats told NPR they were frustrated that it took Biden days to call senior congressional leaders and sit down for a television interview, and that they were concerned that Biden had not understood the political implications of the debate from lawmakers. What a serious worry to feel depressed about.
Biden blamed his poor debate performance on exhaustion and insisted that a pre-debate physical showed “no signs of a serious illness.” Biden told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that he had a “bad cold” before the debate.
