President Joe Biden is planning to hold a video call with Democratic governors, likely on Wednesday, as he tries to quell growing concerns about his ability to serve a second term After a devastating debate performance last week.
Details of that call are still being discussed, according to three sources familiar with the planning. One of the sources, a campaign person for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, said he had received communication about a call likely to take place on Wednesday.
The Biden campaign declined to comment.
The potential call comes a day after Democratic governors met by phone, according to two Democratic sources, to discuss the party’s path forward after the debate. The conference call with governors on Monday afternoon, hosted by the governor of Minnesota. Tim Walz, president of the Democratic Governors Association, did not involve any White House or Biden campaign officials or personnel. Pritzker, who was instrumental in holding the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, was also present.
Governors expressed their concerns after the president’s poor performance in the debate.
“There is no strategy that anyone is suggesting and there is concern about what comes next. What will the president do to counteract the impression left by the debate?” said one of the sources.
The source said everyone on the call still supports Biden’s campaign.
“What everyone needs is guarantees. No one said we needed to go in another direction,” this person said.
On Monday’s call, the governors suggested to Walz that they would like to talk to Biden, which is ultimately what led to Wednesday’s expected call.
“Democratic governors are some of the most proactive and vocal supporters of the president and vice president because they have seen how the Biden-Harris administration’s accomplishments are directly benefiting their residents,” said another person familiar with Monday’s call with the governors. in a statement. The Biden/Harris team is in constant communication with the governors and their teams, including about yesterday’s meeting.”
Separately, White House chief of staff Jeff Zients will hold an all-staff conference call on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. ET, according to a source familiar with the planning. Zients is expected to tell the team to “weather the storm” and “keep their heads down.”
The call will include more junior staff, some of whom have indicated frustration that no one has told them anything. The goal is to amplify the message Zients delivered to the senior team — a much smaller group of about 40 people — on Friday, when he and Biden senior adviser Anita Dunn acknowledged the previous night’s debate and said that “ there would always be challenging days.” “
This article was originally published in NBCNews. with
