At least four House Democratic leaders said in a private call Sunday afternoon that President Biden should recuse himself from the 2024 presidential race, sources told The Hill, a worrying sign for a president who has insisted on continuing on the campaign trail after his disastrous performance in last month’s debate.
Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and Joe Morrell (D-N.Y.) all support a change in the top Democratic presidential nominee, three sources familiar with the matter told The Hill. Two of the sources said Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) had joined in the call.
“The general consensus was that something else needed to be done,” one source told The Hill.
The four Democrats, who serve as ranking members of key House committees, made their positions during a private call with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, House Democratic caucus leaders and committee Democratic leaders.
Nadler is the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, Morell is the ranking member of the Administration Committee, Takano is the ranking member of the Veterans Affairs Committee and Smith is the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee.
The Hill has reached out to the Biden campaign for comment.
The four Democratic leaders, who have privately voiced support for Biden stepping down, joined five other Democrats who publicly called on the president to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race days after a lackluster performance at last month’s debate, in which Biden at times stumbled and lost his train of thought.
The list includes Reps. Lloyd Doggett (Texas), Mike Quigley (Illinois), Raul Grijalva (Arizona), Seth Moulton (Massachusetts) and Angie Craig (Minnesota).
Biden tried to ease concerns within his party in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Friday, but some Democrats said the 22-minute conversation didn’t accomplish that goal.
“The interview doesn’t allay those concerns,” Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “You can’t do that with one interview.”
The California Democrat said Biden’s debate performance “raised legitimate questions among the American people about whether he has what it takes to defeat President Donald Trump.”
“He should look for people who have some distance and objectivity. He should look for pollsters who are not his pollsters. He should take some time to make his best informed judgment. And then when that judgment is overturned, beat the motherfucker with all his might,” he added.
Biden has said he has no plans to withdraw from the presidential race despite growing public pressure.
“Let me be as clear as possible: I am the sitting President of the United States. I am the Democratic nominee. And I am running for office,” Biden wrote. Social Platform Xon friday.
Veteran House Democrats, meanwhile, have so far sided with Biden. Jeffries and Rep. James Clyburn (D.C.) told reporters last week that Biden shouldn’t drop out of the race, and a spokesman for former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.C.) said last week that House Democrats “have the utmost confidence in President Biden and look forward to attending his inauguration on January 20, 2025.”
But last week, Pelosi cast doubt on her support for Biden when she said in an MSNBC interview that it was “legitimate” to ask both Biden and Trump “is this an episode or is this a symptom?”
Amy Parnes contributed..
