Democratic leaders and lawmakers are under increasing scrutiny for not blowing the whistle sooner on what is widely seen as Biden's decline during the final two years of his presidency. .
Some Democrats fear there will be more debate as party members grapple with what went wrong in the 2024 election and how to chart a path forward. There is.
Over the weekend, NBC's Kristen Welker fired back at Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, who dismissed talk of Biden's mental and physical decline as “right-wing propaganda” in February.
Mr. Welker pointedly asked Mr. Schumer whether he and other Democratic leaders had “misled the American people” about Mr. Biden's “insight.”
“Look, we're not doing that,” Schumer replied curtly, before defending Biden's record and character.
“The legislation we passed is one of the most important pieces of legislation since Lyndon Johnson's Great Society,” Schumer said, referring to the Inflation Control Act, which includes many energy and climate provisions. .
“Place 235 judges [on the federal bench],record. And he's a patriot and a great guy,” Schumer added.
A handful of Democratic senators are now calling for more answers and accountability as Biden's condition became an obvious issue after he struggled through the first presidential debate with President-elect Trump. He warns that demand will increase.
“I think the time is finally here,” one Democratic senator said, predicting that Democrats would be criticized for not asking tough questions about Biden.
He claimed that many Democrats in Congress have been kept in the dark about Biden's health and fitness.
“The fairest thing to say about this is we've never met him, really. We don't know how long ago it was the last time Biden came to a caucus,” the senator added. “Meanwhile, I think he said no.”
But the senator said that regardless of how much Democratic leaders actually knew about Biden's condition, Republicans are calling Democrats “corrupt” for not sounding the alarm sooner about the president's suitability for a second term. He said that he had succeeded in labeling them as “yes.”
Democrats were tagged with “I believe the corruption charges were a huge success” while voters wondered, “What on earth are you talking about?” The senator said, referring to voters' reactions to his assertion that Biden, at age 82, is well qualified to serve in the Oval Office for another four years.
Schumer and other Democrats, who have spent time with Biden at the White House and at special events such as the 80th anniversary of D-Day in June, reiterated Biden's sharpness of mind before the debate with Trump. insisted.
“I talk to President Biden regularly, sometimes several times a week, usually several times a week. His mental acuity is amazing. It's OK. The best it's been in years,” Schumer said. was announced in mid-February.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told The Hill in June that Biden looked sharp and focused as he celebrated the Allied invasion of Normandy, which ultimately liberated Western Europe from Nazi occupation. He said it looked like he had power.
Blumenthal said at the time that he wasn't counting on a “Plan B” for the election, but he correctly predicted the debate would be a “really important point” in the campaign.
Former Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) also said that when Mr. Biden visited both states during the spring presidential campaign, Mr. Biden was sharp and clear-eyed. He claimed that he looked like a solid person.
Blumenthal later said he was stunned by Biden's poor performance in a debate with Trump just weeks after the D-Day anniversary.
“I was really surprised by his performance in the debate,” the Connecticut senator said.
He said Biden, who met with NATO allies in Normandy, was “sharp, insightful, eloquent and fully committed to his strategy.”
A second Democratic senator said Monday that many in the Senate had serious concerns about Biden's energy, stamina and acumen well before the June 27 debate in Atlanta, but he remains a strong candidate for president. He admitted that he didn't want to hurt the person he was watching.
“I don't mean to disrespect my candidate,” the Democratic senator said, explaining why the calls for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race weren't louder on Capitol Hill. did.
“People were ready to ask that question at the State of the Union” about whether Biden should remain the nominee. However, the senator said Biden performed “pretty well” in his speech to Congress, silencing his critics.
“We didn't hear from his inner circle, who see that much of him every day, about his physical and mental state,” the source said.
The senator added: “This is part of the reason why this debate was so shocking to most people.”
Democrats say what actions members of Biden's inner team have taken to “protect Biden from concerns” that Democrats have about his ability to win and serve a second term. He said that it was necessary to examine the matter carefully.
After Biden's embarrassing performance in the debate, only a few Democratic senators thought he should remain the nominee.
Two Democratic senators told The Hill that when the entire caucus met with Biden campaign officials at the headquarters of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in July, Biden was one of his Senate Democratic colleagues. Only three people said they thought he should remain a candidate.
Months later, some Democratic senators doubt that Biden has sufficiently expressed to the president the level of opposition they felt on Capitol Hill to remaining on the ticket.
Schumer then delivered this message directly to the president during a one-on-one meeting with him at the White House on July 17.
ABC News' Jonathan Karl reported that Schumer had a candid conversation with Biden, arguing that it was best for him to withdraw from the race. A spokesperson for Mr. Schumer said that Mr. Schumer had “communicated the views of his caucus.”
Several Democrats had expressed concern in the months before the debate that Biden's age and perceived fitness for office were becoming a major issue.
Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) told The Hill in February that Biden needs to “address the age issue.”
“He's got to show energy and he's got to show what the future holds, not just defeating Trump,” Welch warned at the time.
Another senator, who requested anonymity, told The Hill in February that he was “concerned about a lot of people in the country” who don't think Biden is up to the task.
Two weeks before President Trump's inauguration, Democratic lawmakers remain nervous about talking about mistakes their party made during past election cycles.
They hope to launch attacks against the incoming administration and the Republican majorities in the House and Senate.
“I want to look forward to what this administration brings us. It's going to create enough challenges for us, and I'm focused on that,” said Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii). ) said.
