The White House and Biden’s campaign tried to stop the bloodshed on Wednesday by forcefully stating that the president would not withdraw from the race after a disastrous debate defeat highlighted concerns about Biden’s age and ability to do the job.
Allies and staff spent the whole day Wednesday in clean-up mode, making it clear that Biden will be the Democratic nominee despite panic within the Democratic Party and new polls showing him trailing former President Trump.
The triage by Biden and his aides came a day after Democrats began calling for the president to withdraw from the race and amid a flurry of news reports highlighting the president’s mental acuity and stories that he needed a nap midway through debate preparations..
Biden dug an even deeper hole by blaming his poor performance at the debate on jet lag, even though he had returned to the US from Europe 12 days before the debate.
“They had a really bad day on Tuesday and they had to step in and do damage control right away,” said a Democratic strategist close to the Biden campaign. “Everybody was writing obituaries yesterday.
“The problem is, things aren’t any better today,” the strategist said. “Nobody is in a better position.”
A second House Democrat, Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, said Wednesday that Biden should resign.
“If he were the nominee, I would support him, but I think this is an opportunity to look for other candidates,” Grijalva told The New York Times in an interview. “What he needs to do is take responsibility for keeping that seat, and part of that responsibility is to withdraw from this race.”
Grijalva’s comments followed those of Texas Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett, who called on Biden to drop out of the race a day earlier. The Boston Globe editorial board also said Biden should step down.
Democrats have acknowledged behind the scenes that they are struggling to see the president’s path forward, and there has been growing talk of the party potentially rallying around Vice President Harris.
“People are starting to talk about his candidacy in the past tense,” the second strategist acknowledged. “The conversation is turning to Kamala.”
As part of the cleanup, Biden is set to appear in a crucial interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Friday. Democrats say if the interview goes poorly, it could deal a crucial blow to his bid for the presidency. Even if it doesn’t go well, Biden will still have to get through a press conference next week when he attends a NATO summit in Washington.
Democratic officials close to the campaign and the White House said the team is placing a premium on interviews and summits, saying they see the role as portraying an energetic president who is also able to improvise and unscripted.
But one Democratic activist who spoke with senior White House aides said, “They’re really leaving this to chance.”
Some have complained that the White House hasn’t put Biden in front of the cameras more often to counter the notion that he is too infirm to be president. Biden, 81, downplayed criticism about his age at a campaign rally the day after the debate, where he also used a teleprompter.
“The president doesn’t need a home run right now,” one Democratic activist said. “He needs a bunch of singles in a row, and they’ve gone almost a week without that.”
Following the Supreme Court’s decision that the president is immune from criminal prosecution for official conduct – seen as a major victory for Trump – some said Biden could have answered a question or two when he delivered a statement from the White House on Monday night.
“It was a missed opportunity,” said the second strategist, “and if he is forced to withdraw, they will look back on that moment and regret the decision.”
Biden, along with Harris, participated in a conference call with campaign staff on Wednesday and told his team “unequivocally” that he would seek reelection.
“I’m going to fight this campaign to the end. I know that as a united Democratic Party, we can win. Just as we beat Donald Trump in 2020, we’re going to beat him again in 2024,” Biden said on the call, a person familiar with the matter told The Hill.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated to reporters late Wednesday that the president has no plans to step down.
“The president is moving forward. He’s moving forward as president, he’s moving forward as a campaign, he’s made that very clear on the campaign trail,” she said.
Still, while Biden and his senior aides are doing all they can to salvage a faltering campaign, Democratic strategists, donors and other activists are questioning whether it can be revived, according to the people.
“The situation is not improving,” said one major Democratic donor. “I don’t know how we get out of this. Nobody is happy with the situation. Nobody thinks the president can win. The question now is, ‘How do we win?'”
White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients met with administration aides to encourage them to stay confident, “talking about the importance of coming together as a team and supporting each other,” Mr. Jean-Pierre said.
Biden also met Wednesday with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), as well as top Democratic leaders Reps. James Clyburn (R-South Carolina) and Nancy Pelosi (R-Calif.), Jean-Pierre told reporters. He is scheduled to meet with more than 20 Democratic governors later in the day.
The White House was also quick to refute reports suggesting the president might withdraw from the race as part of damage control.
The paper denied a New York Times report citing a key Biden ally who said: “The president knows that if he cannot convince Americans in the coming days that he is fit for the office, he may not be able to sustain his candidacy.”
“We have reached out to the president,” Jean-Pierre said, adding that Biden responded directly that the story was “completely false.”
