Biden pushes for party unity as he resists calls to step down, says he'll return to campaign next week
Washington DC: A growing chorus of Democratic lawmakers urged President Joe Biden on Friday to drop his re-election bid, even as the president insisted he is ready to return to the campaign trail next week for what he called a “dark vision” held by Republicans. Donald Trump.
As several Democratic members of Congress called on him to leave on Friday — bringing the total number of his disastrous debates against Trump to at least 30 — Biden stayed alone at his beach home in Delaware after being diagnosed with COVID-19. The president, who has insisted he can beat Trump, is grappling with family and relying on some longtime allies as he resists efforts to oust him.
Biden said Trump's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention showed a “dark vision for the future.” The president, seeking to shift the political conversation away from his fate and onto his opponent's agenda, said on Friday that he planned to return to the campaign trail next week and emphasized his path to victory over Trump. The most distinguished members of the party.
“Together, as a party and as a country, we can and will defeat him at the ballot box,” Biden said. “The stakes are high, and the choice is clear. Together, we will overcome. “
Earlier in the day, his campaign chairman, Jane O'Malley Dillion, acknowledged a “slippage” in support for the president but insisted he “absolutely” remains in the race and the campaign sees “multiple paths” to defeating Trump.
“We have a lot of work to do to reassure the American people that, yes, he's old, but he can win,” she said on MSNBC's “Morning Joe” program. She said voters worried about Biden's fitness to lead would not switch to Trump.
Meanwhile, the rulemaking arm of the Democratic National Committee held a meeting Friday, ahead of the party's Aug. 7 convention in Chicago, to move forward with plans to hold a virtual roll call to nominate the presidential pick.
“President Biden deserves the respect to have important family conversations with members and colleagues in the House and Senate and caucuses in the Democratic leadership and not fight leaks and press statements,” said Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, Biden's closest friend in Congress and his. campaign co-chairman, told The Associated Press.
It's been a pivotal few days for the president and his party: Trump wrapped up a rousing Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday. And Democrats, racing time, are considering the extraordinary possibility of defecting to a new presidential candidate before Biden's own convention.
Among the Democrats who expressed concern to allies about Biden's prospects were former President Barack Obama and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who privately told Biden that the party could lose its ability to seize control of the House if he did not back down.
New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich called on Biden to drop out of the race, becoming the third Senate Democrat to do so.
“By passing the torch, he will preserve his legacy as our nation's greatest leader and allow us to unite behind a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump and protect the future of our democracy,” said Heinrich, who is up for re-election.
And Reps. Jared Hoffman, Mark Vesey, Chui Garcia and Mark Pocan, representing a broad swath of the caucus, joined forces to urge Biden to step aside.
“We must defeat Donald Trump to save our democracy,” they wrote.
Separately, Illinois Representative Sean Kasten wrote in an op-ed that with a “heavy heart and a lot of personal reflection” he was calling on Biden to “pass the torch to a new generation.”
Campaign officials said Biden was more committed to staying in the race. And senior West Wing aides have had no internal discussions or conversations with the president about leaving.
On Friday, Biden picked up a major endorsement from the political wing of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. CHC Bold PAC said the Biden administration has shown an “unwavering commitment” to Latinos and “the stakes could not be higher” in this election.
But there is also time to reconsider. Biden is said to be having trouble raising campaign money, and leading Democrats have seen an opportunity since he was away from the campaign for a few days to encourage his exit. In his cabinet, some are resigned to the prospect of him losing in November.
Reporting on this story is based on information from about a dozen people who insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive private matters. The Washington Post first reported on Obama's involvement.
Biden, 81, tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling in Las Vegas earlier this week and experienced “mild symptoms” from the infection, including “general malaise,” the White House said.
White House doctor Kevin O'Connor said Friday that the president still has a dry cough and hoarseness, but that his COVID symptoms have improved.
In Congress, Democratic lawmakers have begun talking privately about going after Harris as an alternative. One lawmaker said Biden's own advisers were unable to reach a unanimous recommendation on what he should do. Many in Congress are considering joining others in calling for Biden to leave. Some prefer an open process for selecting a new presidential candidate.
“It's clear the issue is not going away,” said Vermont Sen. Peter Welch, another Senate Democrat who has publicly said Biden should drop out of the race. Welch said the party's current state of outrage — with lawmakers panicking and donors revolting — “is not sustainable.”
However, influential Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffrey, are sending signals of concern.
“There's definitely work to be done, and that's really the case because we're an evenly divided country,” Jeffrey said in an interview on WNYC radio on Friday.
But he also said, “The ticket that exists now is the ticket that we can win. … It's his decision.
To be sure, many want Biden to stay in the race. But among Democrats nationwide, nearly two-thirds say they should oust Biden and let their party nominate a different candidate, according to a poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That sharply undercuts Biden's post-debate claim that “average Democrats” are still with him.
Amid the turmoil, most Democrats think Vice President Kamala Harris would make a good president herself.
A poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 6 in 10 Democrats believe Harris would do a good job at the top. About 2 in 10 Democrats don't believe it, and 2 in 10 say they don't know enough to say.
