House Democratic leadership is expected to hold a conference call this afternoon, two sources familiar with the matter confirmed to The Hill, as anxiety grows over President Biden’s position as the party’s presumptive nominee.
The conference call — scheduled for 5 p.m. EDT — will include Democratic leadership and members of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, one of the sources said.
The discussion comes as questions – and concerns – arise about Biden’s ability to remain at the top of the Democratic Party ticket following his poor debate performance last week.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (Texas) on Tuesday became the first sitting Democratic lawmaker to call on Biden to step aside from the ticket, breaking the wall of public support the president enjoyed among Democrats in Congress after the debate. When asked about other lawmakers in the caucus following suit, another House Democrat told The Hill, “I would think, but I’m not sure.”
Shortly after Doggett’s statement, moderate Democratic Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.) said they believed former President Trump would defeat Biden in November, undermining the party’s confidence in their party’s presumptive nominee.
Biden and his team have undoubtedly consistently stated that the president will remain in office for another four years, dismissing last week’s debate as a poor performance by the commander in chief.
“He knows how to do the job, not because he says so, but because his record proves it. Because for three and a half years, almost four years, the president’s record has been unprecedented, serving the American people,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday.
House Democratic leadership and veteran members of the caucus have also supported Biden to this point, although fissures have emerged. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) told reporters last week that he doesn’t think Biden should step aside, but then said, “Until he articulates a path forward in terms of his vision for America right now, I’m going to reserve comment on anything pertaining to where we are right now, except to say that I support the fine.”
Meanwhile, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has expressed support for Biden, but told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell on Tuesday that it is “legitimate” to ask both candidates “is this an episode or is this a condition”, leading to speculation about his confidence in the candidate. Later that day, her spokesman, Ian Krager, said, “Speaker Pelosi has complete confidence in President Biden and looks forward to attending his inauguration on January 20, 2025.”
Adding to speculation about Biden’s standing as a candidate, The New York Times reported Wednesday that the president told an ally he is unsure whether he will be able to salvage his candidacy after his shaky debate performance last week. The White House, however, refuted the report.
“This statement is absolutely false. If the New York Times had given us more than 7 minutes to comment, we would have told them so,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates told The Hill.
Updated at 3:47 p.m.
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