Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) responded to reporter questions on Monday inquiring where he stood on the push for President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential election.
The former Virginia governor called the division “not helpful” in the party as the dribbling out of Democrats’ criticism of the president has consumed the news cycle.
“It’s not helpful. We need to be unified to be successful [in November]. We have to find a dynamic that will enable us to be unified,” Kaine said. “I do see paths forward where we can be unified, but that’s a burden on our shoulders.”
He added, “We need a lot of unity and energy in order to be successful. The debate did create some excitement and interest, which may have been lacking before the debate.”
A reporter pressed Kaine about his personal view of the pressure campaign to oust Biden.
“Any advice I have for the president, I’m going to share with the president; I don’t feel the need to share it beyond that,” the former Democratic National Committee chairman said after an event on Monday at Reynolds Community College.
Kaine praised Biden for always being “someone who has always put his country first over himself.”
“If he believes fully that he can do this, I will respect that judgment. But I also completely believe that if he has doubts about whether he can do it, he’ll level with the American public about it,” the Virginia senator said, adding, “That’s the kind of patriot that he is.”
VA Senator @timkaine on his thoughts of @JoeBiden dropping out:
“Any advice I have for @POTUS I’m going to share with the President, I don’t feel the need to share it beyond that”
“If [Biden] has doubts about whether he can do it, he’ll level with the
public about it” pic.twitter.com/prxavnFKzC
— NOVA Campaigns (@NoVA_Campaigns) July 8, 2024
The senator said he has been talking to his colleagues and the White House.
Reporters asked him about fellow Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), who was organizing an effort to meet with other prominent Senate Democrats in a “private” meeting but then scrapped it after it became public.
“Obviously there’s division right now, but we just have to find a path forward to unity,” Kaine said.
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He told reporters that he expected a planned lunch on Tuesday between the senators to be “very spirited” but would not reveal what he had discussed with his colleagues in the Senate.
Kaine is running for a third term in November against Republican nominee Hung Cao.
