House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) gave a terse “no” on Thursday when pressed on whether President Biden would undermine Democrats’ efforts to take control of the House.
The Democratic leader’s comments came ahead of Biden’s high-stakes press conference to close out the NATO summit in Washington, as tensions continue to rise within the caucus over the president’s ability to defeat former President Trump in November.
While fewer than a dozen House Democrats have publicly called for the president to resign, questions about Biden’s fitness for office have caused turmoil in the party since his disastrous debate performance two weeks ago.
Jeffries on Thursday rejected the idea that President Biden will undermine Democrats’ efforts to take control of the House, arguing that the party’s policy agenda is enough to flip the lower chamber in November.
Asked whether Biden makes it harder for frontline Democratic leaders — vulnerable lawmakers in contested seats — to win reelection, Jeffries was terse.
“No,” he told reporters at the Capitol.
Pressed on this issue, the minority leader assured that Democrats will flip the House at the polls – if they manage to convey their political agenda to voters.
“House Democrats will regain control of the House of Representatives on November 5th and vacate the extreme Republican MAGA majority – as long as we are able to clearly communicate our agenda,” he said.
That agenda, he said, includes “cutting costs, growing the middle class, defending fundamental freedoms and democracy – and contrasts this with the extreme Republican MAGA agenda, which will destroy working families and the American way of life.” middle class as we know it. “
The comments came at Jeffries’ first press conference since the June 27 debate between Biden and Trump. Biden’s shaky performance during the event raised alarm bells among Democrats that keeping Biden as the party’s nominee will result in a Republican victory, not just in the White House but also in both chambers of Congress.
“I’m worried about him dragging the ticket down,” Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), who has called for Biden to drop out of the race, said this week.
The episode left Democratic leaders scrambling to decide a path forward, as Jeffries and his top deputies held a series of meetings and calls with different congressional factions to gauge the temperature of the caucus.
Throughout this process, Jeffries expressed support for Biden “and the Democratic ticket.” But he declined to say whether Biden, at the top of the ticket, gives Democrats the best chance of winning. On Thursday, he said he would continue to maintain a low profile while internal negotiations continued.
“House Democrats are talking to House Democrats right now. These conversations were frank, clear and comprehensive,” he said. “And while those conversations are ongoing, I will respect the sanctity of those conversations until we complete that process.”
He did not say how long the talks would last.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
