President Biden’s disastrous performance in last week’s debate has caused panic among Democratic Party leaders, with key figures said to be considering ways to dissuade him from reelection.
The situation has plunged the party into crisis and threatens to drive a rift between Biden supporters and battleground state elected officials ahead of next month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Top Biden campaign officials have spent the past week engaging in damage control with major donors, but the White House – and Biden himself – remain adamant that he is the right person to lead the party against former President Trump, who is the presumptive Republican nominee.
Biden resists growing pressure to resign
President Biden’s debate performance has caused panic among party leaders and sparked serious debate about whether he should be at the top of the party’s list of candidates. (Photo by Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Democrats say Biden should withdraw
- Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas): “I expect him to make the hard and difficult decision to withdraw and I respectfully call on him to do so.”
- Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ): I intend to support [Biden]But I think this is an opportunity to look for other candidates… What he needs to do is take responsibility for holding onto that seat, and part of that responsibility is to withdraw from this election.”
- Adam Frisch, candidate for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District“I thank President Biden for his years of service, but the path ahead requires a new generation of leadership to lead our country forward.”
On Wednesday, Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, became the second Democrat in Congress to call on Biden to drop out of the race. (Getty Images)
Van Jones says Democrats are plotting ‘how’ to replace Biden with Harris
Democrats who expressed concerns
- Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.): “I think it’s a legitimate question to ask, ‘Is this an episode or is this a symptom?’ It’s totally legitimate for people to ask that question of either candidate.”
- Rep. Marie Grusenkamp Perez (D-Wash.): “About 50 million Americans turned on their TVs to watch the debate. I was one of them and it was about five very difficult minutes for me. We all saw what we saw. There’s no changing that. I think the truth is that Biden is going to lose to Trump.”
- Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine): “I believe Trump will be in the White House in 2025. Maine’s representatives need to work with him when it benefits Mainers, hold him accountable when it doesn’t, and operate independently and bipartisan no matter what.”
- Representative Summer Lee (Democrat, Pennsylvania): “People may not want to hear it, but the clock is ticking. Time is not on our side. We only have a few months to do a monumental task. It’s not cheap, it’s not easy. If the president decides this is not the way forward, we have to act quickly. There is no time for a primary. That time has passed. The vice president is the obvious choice. She’s right there.”
- Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.): “While I have deep respect for President Biden and all he has accomplished for America, I have serious concerns about whether he can defeat Donald Trump.”
- Congressman James Clyburn (DSC): “I do know this: I think the American people want an explanation. They need reassurance. And I expect that to happen in the next few days.”
- Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL): “I think we have to be honest. This isn’t just about a poor performance in the debates. There are very real concerns and we have to meet voters where they are, not where we want them to be.”
- Senator Peter Welch (Democrat, Vermont): “I’m really critical of the campaign’s dismissive attitude towards people who raise questions for the sake of debate. It just speaks to the reality we’re facing.”
- Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (DR.I.): “Like a lot of people, I was pretty intimidated by this debate… I think people want to be sure that this campaign is set up to win, that the president and his team are being honest with us about how the president is doing, that this is really something out of the ordinary and not how he’s been lately.”
Nancy Pelosi expressed concern about Biden’s health on MSNBC.
Democrats who support Biden as candidate
Twenty-three Democratic governors from across the country gathered at the White House on Wednesday evening to meet with the embattled president, but only three — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who heads the Democratic Governors Association, New York Governor Kathy Hockle and Maryland Governor Wes Moore — voiced their support to reporters after the meeting.
Governor Moore described his meeting with Biden as “candid” and “candid” and said state governors “stand by him.”
Governor Hawke said President Biden is “in it to win” and that the three had pledged their support to him as “the stakes couldn’t be higher,” evoking the fight against tyranny on the eve of Independence Day.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who many commentators have cited as a possible successor to Biden, also attended the White House meeting and endorsed the 81-year-old Biden.
“Just one thing I heard from the President tonight: He has my full support, and so do I,” Newsom posted last night on X. Newsom publicly endorsed Biden immediately after the debate.
“You’re not going to turn your back on one performance,” Newsom said after the debate. “What political party can do that? This president has delivered. We need to deliver for him now.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke to reporters after the debate, where he endorsed President Biden. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
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Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has also publicly endorsed Biden, as have Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and Hawaii Governor Josh Green.
Meanwhile, Biden’s longtime allies, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have also voiced their support for Biden.
“Setbacks are just preparation for comebacks,” Jeffries wrote in a post on X on Saturday.
Fox News’ Kyle Morris contributed to this report.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
