Democratic senators left a meeting with the president’s reelection staff feeling skeptical that Joe Biden could lead the party into the November presidential election.
Two weeks after Biden’s terrible debate performance against former President Trump, fears are growing on Capitol Hill that his failed leadership will hurt Democrats on lower-ranking ballots.
There are already 14 elected Democrats publicly urging Biden to drop out of the race.
Amid the crisis, Biden campaign advisers Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti and Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon organized a last-minute meeting with Democratic senators.
But lawmakers emerged from their closed-door meeting to discuss Biden’s political future with little cause for celebration. Most had more questions than they started with.
“Some of my concerns have been alleviated, some of them have been compounded,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told reporters after the closed-door meeting.
‘I have a greater need for analyses that show the path to success.’
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., speaks after Senate Democrats met privately with President Joe Biden’s senior advisers Mike Donlion, Steve Richetti and campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon on the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee on Thursday. He said some of his concerns about Biden have increased after the meeting.
“We need more data and analysis to address my concerns,” he said. “More important than my concerns are the questions raised by the American people.”
“I think Joe Biden needs to take on Donald Trump and address people’s concerns.”
“And I think he can do that, but he has to show the American people the stark contrast and the existential threat that Donald Trump poses to American democracy.”
Many politicians on Capitol Hill share Blumenthal’s concerns.
Two Democratic senators in the meeting revealed PunchBowl News that tempers were rising between lawmakers and Biden’s team.
Several MPs expressed their dismay at being ‘put in an untenable position by defending something that so many of their constituents took for granted.’
Apparently, the Biden camp has tried to show how Joe will beat Trump in November, but not enough data has been presented on this.
“A significant majority of Democratic senators believe the president cannot win,” one senator told the newspaper.
Another senator, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, spoke at a fundraising event earlier this week about his “nervousness” about the Democratic top spot, DailyMail.com has learned exclusively.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), who canceled a meeting to discuss Biden earlier this week, did not take questions before entering the closed-door meeting.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., came out to hand out water bottles to reporters, but he declined to answer questions from the press about the private event
Nancy Pelosi said in sharp remarks Wednesday morning that it is “up to the president” to decide whether to stay in the race, but that “time is running out.”
Earlier this week, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Biden’s favorite morning show on MSNBC that the president must decide whether he still wants to be the Democratic nominee.
The point is that a few days earlier he had sent a letter to all Democrats on Capitol Hill indicating that he planned to stay in the race despite concerns about his age and his performance in debates.
Her insistence that the president has not yet decided has led other Democrats to echo the former chairman’s sentiment that Biden should make his own decision.
Pelosi also said Biden should focus on his solo press conference at the 2024 NATO summit in Washington DC and consider whether to make a decision only after his much-anticipated speech.
Reports indicate that Democrats in Congress may turn on the president over his comments, even on Thursday night, in an effort not to undermine the country’s leader as he manages the delicate foreign relations.
“Tonight is going to be important,” Blumenthal said of the event.
“The press conference could potentially be a turning point. But it has to be more than just one press conference.”
“He has to take on Donald Trump and he has to do it personally. It can’t be done for him. His advisers or his staff can’t do it for him.”
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), who told CNN earlier this week that he doesn’t believe Biden can beat Trump, reiterated his position to reporters before the meeting.
‘If things continue as they are, there is a good chance that Donald Trump will win the election and that we will lose the Senate and the House of Representatives.’
When Bennet left the meeting, he barely said a word.
The meeting was “good,” he told a group of reporters waiting for news from inside.
He then left without revealing any further details.
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., has said he believes Biden will lose to Trump. After the meeting, he could only say it was “good”
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., rushed in and dodged questions by answering a phone call
Only Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., has gone further in his criticism of Biden, calling on the president to withdraw from the race on Wednesday. He remains the only Democratic senator to do so.
“The best way to defeat Donald Trump is to re-elect President Biden,” Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., said after the rally.
“I thought the presentation we just had was excellent.”
Her optimism about Biden’s campaign was not matched by any other Democrat interviewed after the meeting.
“I think it’s still being talked about,” she said of the events inside.
“We obviously have different perspectives on how best to move forward. But again, the president’s team has made a very strong presentation, and I continue to support President Biden’s re-election.”
Most senators avoided reporters’ questions, but Sen. Maggie Hassan paused to praise the president after the meeting
She did admit that the way the president debated colored Democrats’ opinions of the president.
“President Biden had a bad debate,” she said, before adding: “Former President Trump not only had a bad debate where he lied … but he also had a terrible presidency — and that’s what we need to focus on.”
“This is a really strong campaign,” she added.
Biden is expected to deliver his speech at the NATO summit at 6:30 p.m. (Eastern Time).