President Joe Biden’s official schedule for Monday was light, showing only a 10:45 a.m. daily briefing. Biden was plenty busy, though, as he ramped up his efforts to salvage his troubled re-election campaign.
With lawmakers returning to Capitol Hill after their July 4th recess and questions still swirling about Biden’s fitness for another term following his disastrous debate performance 10 days ago, the president sought to quiet the panic in his party and push back strongly on suggestions that he isn’t up to the job.
In a fiery letter to congressional Democrats, Biden said he has heard the concerns about his candidacy but that he still thinks he’s the best person to defeat former President Donald Trump. “I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump,” Biden wrote to fellow Democrats.
He also argued that Democratic primary voters have had their say and have chosen him to be their nominee. “How can we stand for democracy in our nation if we ignore it in our own party?” Biden asked. “I cannot do that. I will not do that.”
The president closed his letter by seeking to silence the Democratic discussion over his fitness for office. “The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now. And it’s time for it to end,” Biden wrote. “We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump. We have 42 days to the Democratic Convention and 119 days to the general election. Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. It is time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump.”
In a surprise call to MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Biden slammed the party “elites” who want him to withdraw and dared any Democrat to challenge him at the party convention. “I’m going to be the Democratic nominee,” Biden said, later adding, “I don’t care what those big names think. They were wrong in 2020. They were wrong in 2022 about the red wave. They’re wrong in 2024.”
Biden said he was confident that grassroots Democrats still want him to be the nominee, despite polls showing widespread concerns among voters about his abilities.
“I am running,” Biden said. “I am not going anywhere.”
Democrats remain divided: The timing of Biden’s offensive is critical, as it comes ahead of some key meeting of Democratic lawmakers and some public events for the president. Senate Democrats reportedly canceled plans to meet Monday to discuss Biden’s re-election bid, but House and Senate Democrats are still scheduled to hold meetings Tuesday that are sure to see some lively debate.
More than a handful of Democratic House members have publicly called for Biden to step aside, and several senior lawmakers reportedly did so privately Sunday afternoon on a call convened by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. One of those lawmakers, Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, told CNN on Monday that Biden should step aside and that Vice President Kamala Harris would be a stronger candidate.
“Any candidate for the highest office in our nation has a strong burden to bear,” Smith said in a statement. “That candidate must be able to clearly, articulately, and strongly make his or her case to the American people. It is clear that President Biden is no longer able to meet this burden.”
The White House said Monday that Biden has engaged with dozens of lawmakers as he tries to shore up support, and he got a key vote of confidence from Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford of Nevada. But The Washington Post’s Ashley Parker reported Monday that “the consensus among Democratic senators is that Biden needs to step down, according to two Democratic senators, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly share a sensitive opinion.”
Monday’s White House news briefing was a testy affair, as press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was peppered with questions over whether the administration had been fully transparent about the president’s health and pressed for answers about reports that a neurologist specializing in Parkinson’s disease had visited the White House eight times in eight months. “We’re miffed around here about how information has been shared with the press corps around here,” Ed O’Keefe of CBS News told Jean-Pierre, who told reporters that the president in not being treated for Parkinson’s and that exams had found no evidence of a neurological disease.
What’s next: Biden’s got a crucial week ahead, including what is sure to be a closely scrutinized solo press conference on Thursday after a NATO summit in Washington, D.C.
The bottom line: Biden and the White House remain on the defensive, and the president’s efforts to reassure his party, and the public, haven’t put to rest the concerns about his functioning, sometimes raising new questions instead. The president is trying to position himself as the rightful choice of the Democratic base fighting back against the party’s panicky elite. As Biden wages his battle, he continues to lose time that could otherwise be used to campaign against Trump, who continues to lead in the polls. Trump has benefitted by staying under the radar — though Democrats’ ongoing debate has complicated the timing of Trump’s announcement of a running mate.
