REHOBOTH, Del. — President Biden met with progressive lawmakers on Saturday to ask for their help and advice as he tries to solidify his reelection bid amid growing calls for him to withdraw from the election.
“I’ll be in Las Vegas next week and I need your help and advice on how to proceed with what I’m trying to do there. We’re in the same situation and I’d love to work closer together,” Biden said during an online meeting with the Congressional Progressive Caucus, according to a source familiar with the call.
The source added that the president told China’s Communist Party that he plans a “major” reform agenda for the Supreme Court.
“So, if this guy wins, he doesn’t need to be on the Supreme Court right now because the Supreme Court has given him broad powers, but I need your help anyway,” he told the CPC, referring to former President Trump. “I need your advice and I want us to work closer together because we’re in the same situation. You guys have always made progress.”
The president then took questions from the group. He was in Rehoboth, Delaware, over the weekend and held a conference call with lawmakers from his beach house.
CPC Chair Pramila Jayapal of Washington state said after the meeting that the conversation had been “productive and interesting” and that lawmakers shared their concerns with the president.
“The President has been a champion for workers and families across the country throughout his time in office, and we were proud to work with him to pass important legislation to cut costs and raise wages. We spoke to him frankly about our concerns and asked him tough questions about the way forward,” she said in a statement.
Jayapal added that members appreciated Biden’s “willingness to answer and address questions thoughtfully.”
“As a caucus, we will continue to work as hard as we can to defeat Donald Trump and advance our proposed agenda – popular, populist policies that should be implemented for the American people from day one,” she said.
After that call, Biden spoke with members of the New Democrat Coalition, a group of centrist lawmakers that includes several who have called on Biden to step down as a candidate.
Eighteen Democrats in Congress have publicly called on Biden to withdraw as a candidate, and several others have expressed concern about whether Biden can beat Trump in November’s presidential election.
Trump met with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) on Friday in meetings arranged through the campaign arms of each group, and also met with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Thursday night.
