At least 25 Democratic members of Congress are willing to call on Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race in the coming days.
Biden’s allies continue to insist that the 81-year-old president will continue to fight Donald Trump despite their disastrous first debate just five days later.
His support appears to be crumbling among fellow Democrats, however, with Jared Golden of Maine, Lloyd Doggett of Texas and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Alaska either telling Biden to drop out or saying they believed he would lose to Trump on Tuesday.
Now, it appears “the dam is broken,” as one House Democratic aide said no fewer than 25 House Democratic members are preparing to call on Biden to step aside if he appears unstable in the coming days.
A second House Democratic aide said moderate House Democrats in competitive districts, often called “front-line,” were being bombarded with questions in their districts this week.
At least 25 Democratic members of Congress are willing to call on Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race in the coming days.
Democrats and political strategists have said Biden’s decision to pursue his presidential bid in 2024 after his poor debate performance against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is largely his own.
But Biden is under pressure. Some donors have called on him to step aside and other Democrats openly fear he is not prepared to defeat Trump in November.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll after the debate showed one in three Democrats think Biden should end his re-election bid, while another Ipsos poll showed Michelle Obama as the only Democrat currently beating Trump.
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett on Tuesday became the first congressional Democrat to call for Biden to drop out of the presidential race. In an interview with NBC News, he said he hoped other Democratic lawmakers would follow suit.
“It looks like the dam has broken,” the second assistant said.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi highlighted Biden’s many legislative accomplishments during an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday, but said it was legitimate to ask whether his debate performance was a one-night stand or a broader health issue. She said Trump should receive the same scrutiny.
“I think it’s legitimate to ask whether this is an episode or a condition. And when people ask that question, it’s legitimate to ask it of both candidates,” Pelosi said.
Immediately after the debate, Pelosi had shown strong support. “Joe Biden’s decision to move forward is a decision we will all embrace because of his record and the performance that comes with it,” she said at the time.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that Biden did not have an “episode,” just a bad night.
In an interview with CBS News, Vice President Kamala Harris, when asked about Doggett’s demand, said: “Look, Joe Biden is our nominee. We beat Trump once and we’re going to beat him. Period.”
Biden, speaking at a campaign event in Virginia on Tuesday night without a teleprompter, blamed his performance on lack of sleep and said his campaign had raised $38 million since the debate.
“The thing is, as you know, I wasn’t very smart. I decided to travel around the world a couple of times, crossing about 100 time zones… before… the debate. I didn’t listen to my team and I came back and almost fell asleep on stage,” he said. “That’s not an excuse, but it’s an explanation.”
Some Democrats suggested Biden should think about the future of the party as a whole.
“He has to be honest with himself,” Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley, a moderate from Illinois, told CNN on Tuesday.
“It’s his decision. I just want him to appreciate at this point how much this affects not only his career but all the other races that will be held in November.”
U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, the Democrat often credited with securing Biden’s nomination in the 2020 presidential race, told MSNBC on Tuesday that he would support Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee if Biden steps aside.
Golden, a Maine Democrat, predicted Tuesday that Trump would win the election, as did Washington state Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.
The president and his campaign are struggling to build support. Biden will meet virtually and in person with Democratic governors at the White House on Wednesday and speak with lawmakers this week, White House officials said.
One House Democratic aide said members were disappointed by the lack of outreach so far.
Doggett told NBC News that he had asked the White House to speak to Biden personally about his request that he leave the campaign, but had not heard back from him.
The Biden campaign held tough phone calls Sunday and Monday with major funders who questioned his plans to stay in the race.
Asked Tuesday why Biden had not given more media interviews or news conferences after his debate raised questions, Jean-Pierre pointed to his visit to a Waffle House in Atlanta on debate night and subsequent interactions with supporters.
Biden is scheduled to give an interview to ABC this week and is scheduled to hold a news conference at the NATO summit next week. The Democratic congressional aide said much depends on the ABC interview as lawmakers hope to see that he can handle quick questions and not just staged campaign appearances.
Meanwhile, the Biden campaign said it and its Democratic allies raised $264 million in the second quarter, including $127 million in June and a record “grassroots” fundraiser on the day of Biden’s debate.
