As Biden digs in, some top Democrats want him out of the race this week
Defiance has become as much a part of
Joe Biden’s psychology as Delaware.
But as the president and his inner circle dig in following his
disastrous debate performance last week, a growing number of Democratic leaders are saying they want him to step aside for the good of the party – and the country.
Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas was the
first to break ranks.
“I represent the heart of a congressional district once represented by Lyndon Johnson. Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw. President Biden should do the same,” Doggett said in his statement Tuesday.
“There’s a large and increasing group of House Democrats concerned about the president’s candidacy, representing a broad swath of the caucus,” another House Democratic lawmaker told CNN on condition of anonymity to speak candidly. “We are deeply concerned about his trajectory and his ability to win. We want to give him space to make a decision [to step aside], but we will be increasingly vocal about our concerns if he doesn’t.”
Biden is expected to meet Wednesday with Democratic governors and congressional leaders, the White House said Tuesday. The announcement came after CNN reported that some
governors expressed concerns about the president’s debate performance. The governors, one source said, were worried about going public with their concerns out of fear it would lead to Biden digging in further.
CNN talked to more than two dozen current and former Democratic officials, as well as donors and longtime Biden allies, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid alienating Biden. Many of these people say they have already made up their minds that the president should quit his campaign, a decision some of them think he needs to announce this week.
They have held off going to Biden directly, hoping he would make the decision himself, but patience is wearing thin, multiple Democrats told CNN, amid signs that Biden has taken no steps to seriously consider the mounting concerns. He is poised to travel to swing states this weekend, aides said, a sign that he has no plans of changing course. On Tuesday,
ABC News announced Biden will sit down with George Stephanopoulos for his first TV interview since the debate, with clips airing on Friday.
Initially, there was hope that the president’s family would convince him to step aside, given how badly the debate went. However, at a Biden retreat Sunday at Camp David, it became apparent the president’s family
rallied around his decision to continue his campaign, blaming staff for his missteps.
“One word you know about Biden: stubborn,” said one senior Democratic official who has publicly supported Biden in the past but who privately thinks he needs to step aside. “They are trying to give him the space to realize what a disaster this is.”