President Biden will meet virtually with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Monday night, amid growing calls from Democrats for the party’s presumptive nominee to withdraw.
In the conference call with CBC staffers, Biden will “discuss what’s at stake in the 2024 election and their shared commitment to defeating Donald Trump in November,” the campaign said in a statement.
Biden will deliver remarks on the call and answer questions from CBC members, the campaign added.
The meeting comes as the Biden campaign seeks to quell growing discontent with keeping Biden at the top of the ticket and continues to deal with the fallout from Biden’s disastrous debate performance.
At least six House Democrats have publicly called for Biden to step aside, including Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), who became the most senior House Democrat to do so on Monday afternoon. He is the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.
Other House Democrats reportedly expressed similar sentiments privately.
Amid public skepticism, many members of the CBC emerged as some of the president’s staunchest supporters.
CBC President Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), issued a statement Monday morning, saying Biden “is the nominee and was selected by millions of voters across the country, including voters here in Nevada.”
“They know President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting for them. Like me, they do not want to see Donald Trump back in the Whtie House and are ready to work and VOTE to ensure that does not happen,” he continued. “We are not going back, we are moving forward.”
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) — the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee and former chairman of the Jan. 6 select committee — similarly reaffirmed his support for Biden.
“I want to be clear: As the senior Democrat in the U.S. House, I fully support our President and Vice President and we will defeat Trump again! #BackingBiden #BackingBidenHarris,” Thompson wrote on social platform adding“Together we resist, divided we fall!”
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), former president of the CBC, also made clear she supports Biden, saying, “The choice for American leadership and our democracy is clear.”
“It’s Joe Biden! @JoeBiden has done more for our country and our democracy than House Republicans and the convicted criminals and rebels they embrace so warmly. I put people above politics. I support TEAM BIDEN HARRIS,” she continued.
Biden and his campaign have maintained that he will not drop out of the race. Biden, in an interview Monday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” challenged other Democrats to challenge him at this summer’s national convention, emphasizing that he believes he is the best candidate to defeat Trump.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
