Biden gets support from key lawmakers as he tells Democrats he won’t step aside after debate
UNB
Publish: 09 Jul 2024, 05:43 PM
WASHINGTON,
July 09 (AP/UNB) - President Joe Biden stood firm Monday against calls for him
to drop his reelection candidacy and called for an end to the intraparty drama
that has torn apart Democrats since his dismal debate performance last month,
as key lawmakers expressed support for him to remain in the 2024 presidential
race.
As anxious congressional
Democrats returned to Washington weighing whether to work to revive his
campaign or to try to edge him out, Biden sent them an open letter aiming to
silence their skepticism of his fitness to lead the country for another four
years. He insisted he wasn't leaving the race and stressed that the party has
"one job," which is to defeat presumptive Republican presidential
nominee Donald Trump in November.
After a week of false
starts, a coordinated effort by Biden and his campaign to shore up Democratic
support appeared to be paying off, though he had by no means silenced his
doubters. By late Monday, a sudden rush of public support from Democrats
emerged - or at least some tempering of criticism - as Biden allies appeared to
be trying to overpower the public and private voices calling on him to step
aside.
"We have 42 days to
the Democratic Convention and 119 days to the general election," Biden
said in the letter, distributed by his reelection campaign. "Any weakening
of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts
us. It's time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat
Donald Trump."
Biden followed up the
letter with a phone interview with MSNBC's "Morning Joe" show, in
which he insisted that "average Democrats" want him to stay in the
race and said he was frustrated by the calls from party officials for him to
step aside.
"They're big names,
but I don't care what those big names think," Biden said.
He threw the gauntlet at
his critics, saying if they're serious they ought to "announce for
president, challenge me at the convention" or rally behind him against
Trump. Later, Biden joined a call with members of his national finance
committee, while first lady Jill Biden campaigned for her husband in a
three-state swing focused on engaging veterans and military families.
"For all the talk
out there about this race, Joe has made it clear that he's all in," she
told a military crowd in Wilmington, North Carolina. "That's the decision
that he's made, and just as he has always supported my career, I am all in,
too."
Democratic voters are
split on whether Biden should remain the Democratic Party's nominee for
president, or whether there should be a different Democratic nominee, according
to a New York Times/Siena College poll.
On Capitol Hill, more
prominent voices lined up behind Biden, including the chair of the House's
Congressional Progressive Caucus, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who was not ready to
cast aside the president, saying that the threat of a second Trump presidency
remains too high. Yet one of the most endangered Democrats this election cycle,
Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, said in a statement, "President Biden has got
to prove to the American people - including me - that he's up to the job for
another four years."
However, Biden's letter
left some House Democrats, who want to hear directly from Biden himself,
furious, according to one House aide granted anonymity to discuss the
situation. Lawmakers particularly bristled at being cast as out of touch with
voters since representatives in particular have been home in their districts
listening to voters.
Biden met virtually
Monday with the Congressional Black Caucus - one of his staunchest blocs of
supporters in Congress - for 30 minutes. He told the group about his policy
proposals for a second term, expressed gratitude to members for their support
and repeatedly criticized Trump, according to a person familiar with the call
and granted anonymity.
While not every member
of the Black caucus spoke up, no one spoke out against the president, the
person said.
Biden is also expected
to meet this week with members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said
Jayapal.
Meanwhile, press
secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden had undergone three neurological exams
while in the White House as part of his annual physical exams - and no more -
and said the president has not been diagnosed with or treated for Parkinson's.
The drama is playing out
with just over a month until the Democratic National Convention and just a week
before Republicans gather in Milwaukee to renominate Trump as their
presidential pick.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley,
D-Mass., part of a newer generation of progressive lawmakers, said she backed
Biden and expressed worry that Democrats were taking their eye off defeating
Trump. "We're losing the plot here," she said.
Another prominent voice
in the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Maxine Waters of California, said those
opposing Biden "can speak for themselves or what they want to do, but I
know what I'm doing because I'm a big Biden supporter."
And Rep. Frank Pallone
of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, said:
"I'm tired of all this speculation. I just want to concentrate on the fact
that we have to defeat Trump."
Trump, for his part,
predicted that Biden would remain in the race. "It looks to me like he may
very well stay in," he told Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity on Monday.
"He's got an ego and he doesn't want to quit. He doesn't want to do
that."
House Democratic leader
Hakeem Jeffries, who has publicly stood by Biden even as he weighs how to
address the concerns of many in his conference, said "same answer"
Monday after an evening meeting the Capitol when asked if he supported Biden.
At the same time, other
House Democrats almost ran from questions. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., told
reporters as she exited a leadership meeting that she was off to another
meeting about the Great Lakes, and a group of House Democrats, including Reps. Abigail
Spanberger of Virginia and Lauren Underwood of Illinois, changed the subject,
declining to answer question as they ducked into an elevator.
Rep. Adam Smith of
Washington, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, went public
Monday with his call for Biden to step aside, saying it would be "a
mistake" if Biden continues his campaign. "I'm calling on President
Biden to step down," Smith said on social media.
Biden's allies said they
expected more direct engagement from the president with lawmakers - like the
CBC virtual meeting - as he scrambles to shore up his candidacy. On a call
Saturday with his campaign co-chairs, Biden repeatedly asked them who else
needs to hear from him, who else he needs to engage with and who still has
unanswered questions or concerns, according to Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.
"He is out there
doing his job as a candidate and doing his job as president," Coons said.
Rep. Annie Kuster of New
Hampshire, the chair of the New Democrat Coalition, has asked House leadership
to invite Biden to speak to the entire Democratic caucus.
If the president's going
to stay in the race, "then help us respond to questions from our
constituents," she said. "And it's so much easier to say, I was with
him."
Rep. Nanette Barragan of
California, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, who supports Biden
and campaigned recent with the first lady in Pennsylvania, said Biden
"should talk to as many members as possible."
Senators returning to
Washington Monday were generally reluctant to criticize Biden, and many said
they were waiting for the Democratic caucus meeting on Tuesday to hear
concerns. It was still unclear if any Senate Democrats would publicly call for
Biden to go, even as many have expressed deep concerns in private conversations
over the last 10 days.
"He ran an
excellent campaign, and he's been an excellent president," said Colorado
Sen. Michael Bennet. "And I think what everybody is trying to satisfy is
that's the same trajectory and path that we're on today."
Senate Majority Leader
Chuck Schumer would not answer questions about Biden's reelection as he entered
the Capitol on Monday, but he told reporters, "As I've said before, I'm
for Joe."
Another Democrat, Sen.
Alex Padilla of California, said it was "time to quit the hand-wringing
and get back to door knocking."
While some deep-pocketed
donors may be showing discomfort, strategists working on House and Senate races
said they have posted record fundraising as donors view congressional Democrats
as a "firewall" and last line of defense against Trump.
END/UNB/AP/PR