A longtime Biden ally secretly indicated to other Democrats that he would be open to supporting a different candidate if the debate went badly.
After Biden’s dismal performance in the first presidential debate on Thursday night, his old friend’s worst fears have likely come true.
For two decades, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer served with Joe Biden in the upper chamber of Congress, but that didn’t stop Schumer from reportedly telling other allies that he would be willing to ditch Biden if The debate was not going well.
The new information reveals that, behind closed doors, Schumer was painfully aware that the night could be a disaster for Democrats.
A longtime Biden ally secretly indicated to other Democrats that he would be willing to support a different candidate if the debate went badly.
After Biden’s dismal performance in the first presidential debate Thursday night, the ally’s worst fears likely came true
According axioswho learned of Schumer’s feelings from two people familiar with the matter, the Senate majority leader liked an early debate for several reasons.
The first was that it would give Biden more time to rehabilitate his image after a weak performance.
The other reason was that it would give the Democratic Party more time to chart a path forward and consider other options.
Now that Schumer’s fear has come true (Biden’s performance has been called a disaster by pundits and politicians of all affiliations), it’s unclear what steps the New York senator will take.
Publicly, of course, Schumer is still very much on Biden’s side.
On X.com, the senator wrote: “Tonight’s debate made the choice clear: four more years of progress or four more years of attacks on our fundamental rights and our democracy.”
For two decades, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer served with Joe Biden in the upper chamber of Congress, but this did not stop Schumer from reportedly telling other allies that he would be open to ditching Biden if the debate did not go well.
He continued: “We need to get out the vote for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and a Democratic Senate and House.”
A Schumer spokesman doubled down on the senator’s support for Biden in a statement to Axios:’Leader Schumer has always supported and continues to support President Biden as a candidate and believes he will be re-elected.’
Democratic experts, however, are dissatisfied with Biden’s performance and believe the debate confirmed many voters’ fears that the president was too old and infirm for the highest office in the land.
Several op-eds have appeared in liberal publications calling on Biden to end his campaign for the White House.
On Friday, the New York Times editorial board urged the president to drop out of the race.
The publication put it bluntly: “Mr. Biden cannot continue this race.”
But elected Democrats have closed ranks and have not publicly withdrawn their support for Biden.
But Democratic pundits are dissatisfied with Biden’s performance and feel the debate confirmed many voters’ fears that the president was too old and infirm for the nation’s highest office.
If the Democratic Party decides to heed the calls of various political analysts, the move to change the presidential candidates will have to be pushed by Biden himself or a high-ranking member of the party.
Given his stature within the Democratic organization, Senate Majority Leader Schumer, who first took office in 1999, is likely to receive some guidance.
Schumer’s position as party leader in the Senate makes him painfully aware of the potential negative implications of a weak presidential candidate at the top of the ticket.
The Senate Majority Leader, a shrewd strategist, has worked closely with Biden in the past to champion and pass different pieces of legislation.
Publicly, of course, Schumer is still very much on Biden’s side.
But ultimately, Schumer’s loyalties lie not with Biden, but with the party and its senators.
In November, Democrats will need a stellar performance from the top voters to secure victories for their Senate candidates in battleground states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada.
It’s unclear whether or not elected Democrats believe Biden will help them in the election.
For his part, Biden announced at a rally in North Carolina on Friday that he did not plan to drop out of the race.
The president used the event to try to deal with some of the consequences of his disastrous performance in the debate.
President Joe Biden has no plans to drop out of the presidential race after Thursday night’s poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump.
‘I know I’m not a young man. To state the obvious,” the president said, standing next to first lady Jill Biden, who was wearing a Christian Siriano dress covered with the word “vote.”
“But I know what I know: I know how to tell the truth, I know right from wrong, I know how to do this job, I know how to get things done,” the president argued.
He then swore before the public that he was still the ideal candidate for the nomination.
“I give you my word as Biden. I would not run again if I didn’t believe with all my heart and soul that I could do this job.”