President Joe Biden gave a forceful and defensive response to centrist Democrats who raised concerns about his re-election campaign at a Saturday meeting and, in a tense exchange, dismissed one lawmaker’s concerns as “crap.”
Representative. Jason Corvo (D-Colo.), a respected centrist in the Democratic caucus, told Biden that people want a strong leader so they can feel secure in national security.
“I don’t want to hear that crap,” Biden said in response to Crow’s suggestion that voters lacked confidence in his national security credentials, raising his voice in a forceful defense of his foreign policy record, including rebuilding NATO, according to three people familiar with the comments, they were granted anonymity to discuss the private meeting.
But Crow spoke again to say Biden’s accomplishments were not getting through to voters.
Biden began his remarks to the group — the centrist New Democratic Coalition — by urging members to bring him their “tough questions” about his candidacy and his age — which the president had hoped to quash this week after his disastrous performance in the last debate. month. And at the end of the roughly 30-minute call, several members raised the issue.
“I hear your concerns: Will I overturn your election? Will we keep the White House?” Biden said on the call, according to two people familiar with the comments: “Ask me your tough questions.”
At least three members raised concerns about Biden’s candidacy during the meeting. In addition to Crow, Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas), asked about Biden’s loss of ground since the debate and his plan to turn things around. Representative. Chrissy Houlahan raised concerns about Biden’s vote in Pennsylvania.
Biden, as he has done in many public appearances this week, spent some time recording his record of achievements in office – which, as many Democrats point out in private, they do not question. He dismissed concerns about the polls and, according to a person on the call, said the situation was looking better.
During the conference call, no Democrat called on Biden to drop out of the race. But many members of the centrist group have expressed concerns among themselves in recent days. Some, including leaders of the New Democrats, took their concerns directly to the House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Jeffries had a meeting with Biden on Thursday night to rebroadcast them.
“Moving forward, we hope that President Biden will do everything in his power to demonstrate to the American people that Democrats will keep the White House and flip the House in November,” said the new Democratic president Ann Kuster (DN.H.) in a statement after the call.
Several other Democrats were in line to raise their own questions, including some of their most vocal critics, like Rep. Mike Quigley (Dill.). But Biden said he needed to leave, saying he needed to go to Mass, according to two people familiar with the comments.
Moments before his call with centrist Democrats, the president spoke for more than an hour with progressive Democrats — many of whom have been more openly pro-Biden.
The head of that caucus, president Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) — who had little to say about Biden’s debate performance other than that he is “listening” to his diverse caucus — wrote in a later statement that the group had a “productive and engaging conversation.”
“We spoke frankly with the president about our concerns and asked difficult questions about the path forward,” Jayapal said, calling him “a champion of workers.”
Rachael Bade and Daniella Diaz contributed to this report.
