Chuck Schumer says he’s ‘for Joe’ as Senate Dems hem and haw on Biden future
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer confirmed Monday he is standing behind President Biden while other members of the Democratic conference struggled to demand the commander in chief stand aside.
While at least nine House Democrats have publicly or privately called on Biden, 81, to end his bid for a second term, no Senate Democrat has explicitly called on him to take that drastic step.
“He’s for Joe,” Schumer spokesman Angelo Roefaro told The Post in a Monday evening statement after the Brooklyn Democrat made the same insistence to reporters on Capitol Hill.
Meanwhile, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.), who attempted last week to convene a meeting of his colleagues to discuss next steps before canceling it after the gathering was reported by the Washington Post, issued a tepid statement calling on Biden to show him more.
“Another Trump term would be perilous for [the] rule of law and for our democracy. President Biden has made America stronger, guiding the nation through some of our most difficult days,” Warner said.
“With so much at stake in the upcoming election, now is the time for conversations about the strongest path forward,” he added. “I believe it is incumbent upon the President to more aggressively make his case to the American people and to hear directly from a broader group of voices.”
Other Senate Democrats issued similar statements.
“President Biden has got to prove to the American people — including me — that he’s up to the job for another four years,” said Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who is facing a tough re-election battle. “Meanwhile, I’ll continue to do what l’ve always done: Stand up to President Biden when he’s wrong and protect our Montana way of life.”
“I love Joe Biden. He’s the most accomplished President of my lifetime and he’s a genuinely wonderful human being. However, what I care most about is the preservation of our democracy,” said Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), another Democrat up for another term this year. “President Biden needs to continue to demonstrate that his debate performance was just a bad night and that he has a clear path to defeating Donald Trump. Our democracy hangs in the balance.”
“I watched the debate, and it raised a lot of questions. He is trying to answer those questions. In some respects, he’s done it very effectively. In other respects, not as effectively,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told reporters at the Capitol Monday.
“I’m going to vote for Joe Biden, but the president needs millions of votes,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday. “I think the president needs to make some moves this week to put himself out there in a position to answer those questions.
“If he can’t do that, then of course, he’s going to have to make a decision about what’s best for the country and what’s best for the party.”
Some of Biden’s old 2020 primary foes also stood up for him over the weekend.
“President Biden can clearly defeat Donald Trump, the most dangerous president in the history of this country,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
“What we have got to focus on is policy.”
“President Biden is our nominee. He is an excellent president. He works hard on behalf of working families every day,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told the Boston Globe.
Not all senators have been lukewarm about Biden.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) has urged Democrats to get behind the president since the June 27 debate. On Sunday, Fetterman posted a photo to X of himself and wife Gisele posing with Biden, with the caption: “One of us beat Trump’s ass in 2020.”
Fetterman and Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) accompanied Biden during his campaign swing through the Keystone State Sunday.
At 81, Biden is already the oldest president in US history and would be 86 at the end of a second hypothetical term.
Should Trump win Nov. 5 and serve out a full term, he will surpass Biden as the oldest-ever president.
