House Dems still divided after Biden vows he won’t quit: ‘He’s the only candidate’
House Democrats were stuck in neutral Tuesday as they met to weigh the future of President Biden’s re-election bid following his disastrous performance in last month’s first debate against Donald Trump.
One day after Biden, 81, told congressional Democrats he had no intention of stepping aside, House members gathered for an all-caucus meeting — with most in attendance content to play along and follow the (party) leader.
Notably, House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jerry Nadler (D-NY), who told fellow lawmakers on a Sunday call that Biden should withdraw, sounded a very different tune Tuesday morning.
“At this point, he’s the best candidate — he’s the only candidate,” Nadler said of the president outside Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee headquarters on Capitol Hill.
“Remember, only he can withdraw,” the Manhattan lawmaker added. “He’s been very clear that he won’t. That’s the end of the story.”
However, Nadler admitted that he had not been impressed with Biden’s performance in a closely watched interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News, which aired Friday.
Specifically, the Judiciary Committee ranking member took issue with Biden saying he would be fine with losing to Trump on Nov. 5 “as long as I gave it my all and I did the goodest job [sic] as I know I can do.”
“That wasn’t the best comment. I think if the president thought about it, uh …,” Nadler said before trailing off.
During the meeting, more than two dozen members spoke up and aired their opinions, The Post was told.
Some of those who spoke gave a presentation about the impact of the debate on voters in their districts.
Several Democrats characterized their meeting as a “family conversation” and tried to downplay divisions. But it was clear as the gathering wound down that members did not have a consensus on how to tackle the situation.
Asked by a reporter if he and his colleagues were “on the same page” about Biden, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) answered: “No, we’re not even on the same book.”
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) argued that more Democrats have warmed up to Biden: “As the president said, it’s been 10 or 11 days or so since the debate and it’s time to move on. And I think that’s where many more members are today than they were last week.”
Six House Democrats have publicly called for Biden to renounce his bid for a second term, and those who spoke Tuesday indicated they had not budged.
“My position has not changed,” Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) said bluntly, reiterating his call that Biden should consider his legacy and avoid leaving the country to, in Doggett’s words, a “tyrant.”
Doggett also brushed aside Biden’s Monday dare to disgruntled Democrats to challenge him at next month’s national convention in Chicago, calling it “totally unrealistic.”
The Texan also affirmed that he will “certainly” back the president if he ultimately gets the party’s nod.
Two other defectors, Reps. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) and Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), also stuck to their guns.
“I think it’s time for President Biden to show the fighting spirit, pride, and courage that served the country so well four years ago,” Quigley said before the meeting. “He just has to step down.”
“I made my position very clear,” Moulton told The Post when asked about his call last Thursday for Biden to follow in “George Washington’s footsteps and step aside to let new leaders rise up.”
What to know about the calls for President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race:
- President Biden’s poor performance in the first 2024 presidential debate left some Democrats unsure of his fitness for office and future as the party’s candidate.
- More than a dozen congressional Democrats have joined in calling for Biden’s exit from the race. Former Biden supporter George Clooney echoed these calls in an op-ed published in the New York Times just weeks after he helped lead a record-breaking fundraiser for the Democrat.
- Democratic voters have continued to raise concerns about Biden’s nomination since the debate, with speculations and suggestions for replacement nominees running rampant.
- Biden’s former running mate Barack Obama has reportedly been trying to pressure him to drop out, and had prior knowledge of Clooney’s op-ed. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi allegedly told Biden he could not beat former President Donald Trump this time around.
- As the Democratic National Convention approaches, California delegates for the Democratic Party are reportedly in disarray as debate over the president’s chances of re-election threatens to tear the party apart.
- However, the Biden campaign has denied any plans for Biden to bow out and for Kamala Harris to step in as the Democratic nominee. Sources close to the president believe he might not be willing to drop out, while other sources claim he is “receptive” to giving up on a second term.
After the meeting, Quigley remained unimpressed.
“I’m concerned about him dragging the ticket down,” he said. “I don’t want to quote anybody (else). I don’t want to be excommunicated. I’m already off the Christmas card list.”
The trio have been joined by Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Angie Craig of Minnesota and Adam Smith of Washington in demanding Biden bow out of the 2024 race.
Another group of swing-state Democrats also griped about Biden likely remaining at the top of their party’s 2024 ticket during a pre-caucus huddle, Axios reported.
“There were actual tears from people, and not for Biden,” one lawmaker recounted to the outlet, describing the mood of the room as “intense” and the members as “unanimous” in their belief that the president should quit the race.
“Most of our caucus is still with him,” one of the swing-state Democrats also explained to Axios, “meaning he’ll stay in, which sucks for our country.”
“As someone who wanted the reckoning and is really disappointed that it’s over, trust me: it’s over,” another House Democrat told the outlet.
One Democrat who has seen evidence of Biden’s aging up close refused to even weigh in on questions of his current mental fitness.
“I’m not a medical doctor,” said Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) when confronted by a National Republican Congressional Committee tracker following the meeting, according to video footage of the exchange exclusively obtained by The Post.
When pressed whether it was a sign of “cognitive impairment” that the president had referred to her several times during a Rose Garden event last year as “Jonah,” Hayes also demurred.
“Do you know how many Republicans have mispronounced my name? You know how many people?” she shot back. “It’s Jahana — or ‘Congresswoman’ if that’s too hard.”
Despite the obvious divisions, most of the Democrats tried to turn the page on the drama.
“We’re riding with Biden,” Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) proclaimed after the meeting.
“We’re staying with Papa,” Manhattan and Bronx Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) said energetically, while Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, shouted, “Joe Biden all the way!” before giving a big thumbs-up to reporters on his way into the meeting.
“The president has made a decision and we have to make the best of a complicated situation,” said South Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), calling himself a “pragmatist.”
“I think these conversations were necessary,” said Lynch, who acknowledged that the party drama could negatively impact Biden’s electoral prospects and that the conversation probably isn’t over yet.
“He’s the one candidate who I think has the best chance to beat Donald Trump in this upcoming election,” the Massachusetts man summed up of the president.
During a subsequent event hosted by the Washington Post, however, progressive Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) argued that something is needed to change the dynamic of the race while stopping short of calling for a revamp of the ticket.
“We’re the underdog and we’re going to have to fight to come from behind and win,” he said. “And then we need a change, of course, that we can’t just continue with what we’re doing.”
Khanna predicted that Biden will be the nominee, but that Vice President Kamala Harris would defeat Trump should the president step aside.
Diana Glebova contributed to this report.
