Wednesday, 3rd, July, 2024
Democratic lawmakers are increasingly frustrated and concerned with President Biden’s denial and deflection regarding his poor debate performance rather than the performance itself.
Why it matters: Some lawmakers are urging Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to privately push Biden to step aside. They argue that the president could jeopardize their chances of holding the Senate or flipping the House if he suffers a significant defeat in November.
What’s happening: Multiple members expressed anger that the 81-year-old president has been slow to reach out to Democratic leaders, let alone rank-and-file members in tough races. Some believe the White House is shielding Biden from those who might suggest he should drop out.
“I don’t know who’s making decisions,” said one exasperated House Democrat. “Why the hell isn’t Biden on the phone with congressional leadership? … Everybody now thinks he could cost us the majority.” As of Tuesday evening, Biden still hadn’t called Jeffries, according to a House Democratic leadership source. Lauren Hitt, a Biden campaign spokesperson, stated that Biden “has spoken personally with multiple elected officials on the Hill and across the battlegrounds since the debate.”
Privately, lawmakers are sharing concerns about Biden’s mental and physical decline, alarmed that it’s primarily people related to Biden or on his payroll being consulted about his capacity and potential impact on the party and nation. They suspect the Biden family doesn’t want him facing skeptics, even if they are friends.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 84, told MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” that it’s “a legitimate question to say: Is this an episode, or is this a condition?”
The big picture: Many Democrats now feel that retaining the Senate majority and winning back the House are existential goals after the debate debacle and the Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.
An increasing number of Biden’s own aides are questioning his mental fitness and are frustrated by what they see as a lack of candor from their bosses. “Everyone is freaking the f*** out,” a White House official told Axios’ Alex Thompson.
What he’s saying: Biden offered a new excuse Tuesday evening, telling reporters at a campaign reception in McLean, Virginia, that he “wasn’t very smart” for “traveling around the world a couple of times” before the debate.
“I didn’t listen to my staff … and then I almost fell asleep on stage,” he told donors. “It’s not an excuse but an explanation.” Biden spent two days resting in Delaware and six preparing for the debate at Camp David after returning from back-to-back trips to Europe, the N.Y. Times reported. Biden’s debate prep never started before 11 a.m. and he “was given time for an afternoon nap each day,” the paper said. The White House stated: “The President was working well before then, after exercising.”
Between the lines: Democrats who previously accused Trumpers of “gaslighting” are now saying the same about their own White House, frustrated with the downplaying, denial, and deflection.
“Strangely, we are getting to the point where it may not have been the debate that did him in, but the aftermath of how they’ve handled it,” a top Democratic operative told us. Axios Sneak Peek revealed that major Democratic donors are now planning to move significant funds to House and Senate candidates as a hedge against a second Trump term, which they view as increasingly likely.
Zoom in: Top Democrats are watching to see if any blue-leaning states, including Minnesota, are suddenly in play. Anecdotally, Democrats say the answer is yes.
Puck reported that post-debate polling by OpenLabs, a progressive nonprofit, found Donald Trump now has a chance in New Hampshire, Virginia, and New Mexico — all of which had looked safe for Biden. The president was polling behind Vice President Kamala Harris and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in hypothetical matchups against Trump. As the revolt spread in Congress, several members criticized the Biden-Harris campaign for a memo dismissing Democratic critics as the “bedwetting brigade.” A House Democrat told Axios indignantly: “Consider me a ‘bedwetter.’ This is not getting better.”
A Democratic lawmaker said that even if Biden stays in, “at a minimum, he needs to show a decisive change in course by replacing his top campaign advisers.” However, that would satisfy few and does nothing to change concerns about Biden’s age.
Behind the scenes: On Tuesday afternoon, a Zoom call by the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, billed as a listening session on legislative priorities, turned into a venting/therapy session about Biden and his handlers, with comments ranging from anguish to anger.
Among the more than two dozen House Democrats on the call was 15-term Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, who on Tuesday became the first Democratic lawmaker to call for Biden to end his campaign. Doggett, 77, said in a statement that since Biden’s “first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw.” A source on the call told us not a single member said Biden should still run. Some warned their colleagues to be careful what they wish for, since ditching a presumptive nominee so close to the August convention could have nightmare consequences for the party.
After a member called Biden’s peril “the elephant in the room,” members referred derisively to the president as “the donkey in the room.” A top Democratic official told us the biggest mystery is why Biden was allowed to debate, given the obviously massive risk: “What’re we doing?”
In the past several months, diplomats and other officials who have dealt with Biden behind the scenes have “noticed that he increasingly appeared confused or listless, or would lose the thread of conversations,” with the lapses seemingly “growing more frequent, more pronounced and more worrisome,” the N.Y. Times reported. As part of the White House response to The Times, Liz Sherwood-Randall, the president’s homeland security adviser, stated how sharp he has been in her presence.
The latest: Top Democrats are becoming increasingly vocal about their doubts regarding Biden’s fitness. Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) wrote in a Bangor Daily News op-ed that the election’s outcome “has been clear to me for months: While I don’t plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win. And I’m OK with that.”
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) told a local TV station: “Biden is going to lose to Trump. I know that’s difficult, but I think the damage has been done by that debate.”
What’s next: We reported Monday that Biden was considering a major one-on-one interview as part of his damage control. Sure enough, ABC News announced Tuesday that Biden’s first post-debate interview will be Friday with George Stephanopoulos.
George’s first question is likely to be some variation of: “Is America truly supposed to believe that debate performance was an anomaly?”