WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday increased his contact with lawmakers, Democratic governors and staff after days of criticism that he did not do enough to personally quell nervousness that he should abandon his reelection bid.
The outreach includes calls to Democratic leaders in Congress and a Wednesday night meeting with Democratic governors — including 10 who traveled to Washington to appear in person. Nearly a week after the debate, he and senior aides are still struggling to recover from last week’s devastating performance and quell growing calls for him to step down as the party’s nominee in the November election.
In an all-hands meeting with campaign staff, Biden made it clear that he did not plan to drop out of the race, telling attendees, “Let me say this as clearly and directly as possible, as simply and directly as possible: I am running,” according to a campaign official on the call.
“No one is expelling me,” added the president, also saying: “I’m not leaving. I’m in this race until the end and we’re going to win.”
Moments later, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated Biden’s comments at a press briefing, telling reporters that the president is “absolutely not” considering resigning.
In the campaign rally, Biden also called for his party to be unified heading into the fall, telling staffers that, “when Democrats unite, we will always win. Just as we defeated Donald Trump in 2020, we will beat him again in 2024.”
The conference call was organized by Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon and Biden campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodriguez, who was joined by Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a source familiar with the subject.
Harris told staffers she was betting everything on Biden, saying, “We are not going to back down. We will follow our president’s example. We will fight and we will win.”
The campaign’s all-hands meeting was billed as a “quick all-staff call to check in as a team,” by O’Malley Dillon and Chávez Rodriguez.
In an email to campaign staff obtained by NBC News, the two campaign leaders said, “going forward, we will use team-wide emails and calls more frequently to ensure everyone has the latest updates and broader campaign priorities for the day.”
The two also told the team that the focus for Wednesday would be to emphasize that the race remains stable, contrasting with former President Donald Trump and amplifying Biden’s upcoming events in swing states, such as his upcoming trip to Wisconsin on Friday. .
Biden also spoke separately with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday, sources familiar with the conversation told NBC News.
And a spokesperson for Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., the former House majority leader, told NBC News that the two spoke on Wednesday, but “the contents of that call will remain private.”
Biden spoke with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday.
Also on Wednesday, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients called White House staffers, urging them to “get things done,” “keep their heads up” and “execute the president’s agenda,” he said. a White House official told NBC News. .
Zients also told employees to ignore any outside noise and chatter and remain disciplined.
Meeting with governors on Wednesday night he came after a group of state executives met separately Tuesday in a conference call hosted by Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., who serves as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.
Walz, as well as Democratic governors. Gavin Newsom of California, JB Pritzker of Illinois, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, John Carney of Delaware, Wes Moore of Maryland, Maura Healey of Massachusetts, Dan McKee of Rhode Island, Kathy Hochul of New York and Andy Beshear of Kentucky planned to attend the rally joined in person at the White House, while others joined virtually.
Harris also attended the governor’s meeting, alongside Biden, a White House official told NBC News.
“Democratic governors are proud to be some of the president’s closest partners and allies on the campaign trail. Together, we have created millions of jobs, rebuilt roads and bridges across the country, and made critical investments in communities that have been left behind for too long. The president has worked side by side with us to help the people of our states and we look forward to speaking with him today,” Walz said in a statement Wednesday.
A Democratic source familiar with the meeting plans said the governors support Biden and, “at a time when everyone wants to return to the main contrast in this race, they want to listen to the president and offer important ideas from their states as allies.” and people who were there as his campaign surrogates.”
Newsom on Wednesday sent an email to raise funds for his upcoming meeting with Biden, with the subject line “Going to the White House.”
In it, he told his supporters: “As you read this, I’m on my way to Washington, D.C. to meet and be with the President at the White House later tonight. When that’s over, I’ll be on the road to campaign for him and Democrats vying for votes in several swing states.
“One of the places I’ll be going is Pennsylvania, where I’ll be with Senator Bob Casey as he runs for re-election in a tough race against a well-funded opponent… The truth is we all have our roles to play if the Democrats want us to win this fall,” the email added.
Donation links in the email directed supporters directly to the Casey campaign’s donation page.
One Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, has already called on Biden to withdraw his re-election bid and fears his defection could trigger a series of elected officials moving forward to break with the president. Others said they are waiting to see a new round of polls to gauge whether Biden’s support has waned and whether his debate performance has impacted any close election contest.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
