Washington – Nearly two weeks have passed since the disastrous debate, but President Biden remains adamant that he will continue to campaign despite doubts swirling among members of his own party and some refraining from making endorsements.
He said this week, Letter to Democratic Congressman While he is “firmly committed” to running, some Democrats in Congress still say Biden is coming to a decision on whether to continue campaigning, suggesting his future remains undecided.
Asked Wednesday morning whether she supported Biden leading a slate of presidential candidates, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi deferred to Biden, saying the decision on whether to run was “up to the president.”
“We're all urging him to make a decision,” she said on MSNBC, “because time is running out.”
Pelosi praised the president's speech at the election anniversary event, but her response fell short of being a strong endorsement of his reelection bid. NATO's 75th Anniversary She called Trump “truly brilliant” on Tuesday night and praised his record and standing within the Democratic caucus.
“He's loved and respected and people want him to make decisions,” Pelosi said, adding, “Whatever he decides to do, we want him to do it.”
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Meanwhile, Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado questioned Tuesday night whether the president could beat the former president. Donald Trump It was the most critical comment made publicly by a Senate Democrat after the November debate.
“I think Donald Trump is on track to win this election, probably in a landslide victory, take the Senate and the House of Representatives,” Bennet told CNN, but stopped short of calling on Biden to step down.
“This race is on a very worrying trajectory,” the Colorado Democrat said, pointing to where the president currently stands in the polls in 2020 compared to where Hillary Clinton stood against Trump in 2016.
“We're all here this week to discuss and debate the president's prospects,” Bennet said of why she wouldn't call for the president to step down, but added after the debate that the White House had “done nothing” to lay out a plan for winning the election.
Comments are Congressional Democrats Meet Democrats resumed debate on Tuesday after a Fourth of July holiday recess that saw them absent from Washington since last month's debate. House Democrats held what one lawmaker described as a “listening session” Tuesday morning. Senate Democrats held a lengthy meeting Tuesday afternoon, with some members touting unity within their caucus but remaining largely tight-lipped about details of the meeting. Neither meeting appeared to offer a path forward for the party.
In the Senate in particular, Democrats have taken a wait-and-see approach, with no Democrat publicly calling for the president to step down. Instead, many Democrats, such as Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state, have said they expect more from the president, saying he “must work harder to demonstrate that he can run a strong enough campaign to beat Donald Trump.”
Outside the Capitol, new admissions about the president's ability to serve another term made waves late Tuesday when TMZ released a video of ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos saying of the president, “I don't think he can serve another four years.” The first interview was conducted The president's comments come after he discussed the way forward last week.
The developments come as top Democratic Party officials continue to back the president while refraining from making endorsements. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reiterated his support for the president this week, saying, “The day after the debate, I publicly stated that I support Joe Biden for President and the Democratic nominee. My position has not changed.”
Jeffries told reporters after Tuesday's meeting that lawmakers would have a chance to comment and that “the discussion will continue throughout the rest of the week.”Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, at his weekly press conference after the Senate meeting, was asked repeatedly about whether the president should serve another four years in office, only to respond, “I'm with Joe.”
Kate Farrell contributed to this report.
