Democratic lawmakers will return to Washington, D.C., on Monday amid the continued fallout from President Joe Biden’s debate performance, which has prompted some members of his own party to urge him to withdraw from the race altogether.
Democrats are in for what could be a contentious week as they dodge attacks from their Republican colleagues regarding Biden’s age and mental acuity while also facing intraparty disagreement about whether the president should step aside. A small but growing list of Democrats have publicly called on Biden to withdraw, while others have said they don’t believe he’ll win in November.
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Democrats view this week as a make-or-break moment for Biden, 81, to prove he’s up for the job after his unsteady debate performance against former President Donald Trump left the party and the public questioning his mental acuity. While a 22-minute sit-down with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos Friday failed to quiet the backlash, Biden will have another shot this week as he hosts NATO leaders in Washington, D.C., and will hold his first press conference since the June 27 debate.
“I think the focus has to be on the president using this week to do the things necessary in an unscripted way in order to answer the questions that voters have,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday. “And if that doesn’t happen, then obviously the president has a decision to make.”
Murphy added: “The clock is ticking. This is going to be a really important and vital week.”
House Democratic leaders already began the discussion virtually on Sunday afternoon when Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) spoke to senior leaders. On the private call, several Democrats made the case for Biden to stand down, including Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Adam Smith (D-WA), Mark Takano (D-CA), and Joe Morelle (D-NY), according to multiple reports.
Biden’s candidacy is also bound to come up in person during the House Democrats’ weekly closed-door meeting on Tuesday.
There will be no escaping the topic as Democrats are bound to be asked by reporters whether they think Biden is capable of carrying out a second term. Several Democratic lawmakers were thrust into the spotlight the morning following the debate, even those who have typically enjoyed a mostly anonymous presence in Congress.
Lawmakers then left on a weeklong recess for the Fourth of July holiday, allowing the party to deal, or not deal, with the debate fallout from afar.
Now, they’ll be returning to the spotlight for the first time since the initial debate shock as more questions have been raised about Biden’s viability as a candidate. Both the House and Senate return Monday evening.
Cracks began to form last week after three lawmakers publicly called on Biden to withdraw, including Reps. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), and Seth Moulton (D-MA). Two others, Reps. Jared Golden (D-ME) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) have said they believe Trump will win in November. Then, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) sought to convene a meeting with Democratic senators as soon as Monday to urge Biden to step aside, though by Sunday evening those plans seem to have been paused until Tuesday’s Senate Democratic luncheon.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) also raised questions about Biden’s future, noting this week will be “critical” and “very consequential” to whether he can convince voters he is the strongest candidate to take on Trump.
“The fact that he can speak extemporaneously without a teleprompter or cue cards. The fact that he can interact with the public in various settings in an expressive way that puts to rest the doubts that have been raised,” Connolly told CNN. “If he can’t do that, then I think we are looking at some very hard judgments and hard choices we’re going to have to face as a party. What we can’t do is risk losing the White House to Donald Trump.”
This is not the first time Biden has struggled to keep his party in line. Several Democrats have been at odds with each other over a slew of issues over the last three years. However, this is the first time Biden has had to grapple with his candidacy being the very issue threatening to split his party.
Even some of the party’s top House Democrats have failed to convey a unified message, with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) acknowledging voter concerns about Biden’s health as valid.
“I think it’s a legitimate question to say: Is this an episode, or is this a condition?” Pelosi told MSNBC on Tuesday.
However, the Democratic leader noted those same questions should be applied to Trump.
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), one of Biden’s top allies in the House, has also hinted toward an alternative path, saying he would back Vice President Kamala Harris if the president chose to step aside.
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“I’m a Biden-Harris person, so I’m not getting away from that. I’m for Biden-Harris,” Clyburn told USA Today. “I’m going to be for Biden if Harris ain’t there, and I’m going to be for Harris if Biden ain’t there.”
Biden has insisted he will not be dropping out, arguing his worse-than-expected performance was due to his busy travel schedule and intense preparation for the debate. In his ABC interview on Friday, Biden said it would take divine intervention from “the Lord Almighty” to withdraw from the race.
