Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the former House speaker and a longtime Biden ally, made the strongest public push yet for the president to reconsider his re-election bid, suggesting on Wednesday that “time is running short” for him to make a decision.
Speaking on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Ms. Pelosi, 84, said that she would back Mr. Biden “whatever he decides.” But she said she wanted to restart conversations about Mr. Biden’s political future after the NATO summit he is hosting this week in Washington, which on Thursday will include the president’s first news conference since his disastrous debate performance against former President Donald J. Trump.
Mr. Biden, 81, has been unequivocal about his intention to seek a second term, but Democrats on Capitol Hill have agonized over his candidacy.
Ms. Pelosi’s comments appeared designed to give alarmed Democrats, who so far are mostly falling in line behind Mr. Biden, space to pivot in the coming days. It was the first glimmer of pushback against the defiant president from a top congressional leader that gave a sense of the deep divisions within the party on how to move forward.
After a lengthy meeting on Tuesday in which House Democrats privately discussed their concerns about Mr. Biden’s candidacy but reached no consensus about whether he should remain in the race, Representative Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey became the seventh Democrat to publicly call on him to step aside.
After a similar session in the Senate, Senator Michael Bennet, Democrat of Colorado, stopped short of publicly urging Mr. Biden to end his campaign. But in an interview with CNN, he confirmed that he had privately told his colleagues that he did not think Mr. Biden could beat Mr. Trump.
“I think we could lose the whole thing,” Mr. Bennet said, referring to the White House as well as both chambers of Congress, and warning of a potential “landslide” wiping out Democrats.
He added: “The White House has done nothing since the debate to demonstrate they have a plan to win this election.”
The hand-wringing over Mr. Biden’s candidacy came as the Democratic and Republican tickets clashed on the campaign trail on Tuesday evening. Mr. Trump rallied in Florida, repeatedly attacking Vice President Kamala Harris. Ms. Harris, who took aim at Mr. Trump during a stump speech on Tuesday in Las Vegas, will continue her campaign tour with an appearance in Dallas today.
And Mr. Biden, who delivered a forceful speech to NATO allies in Washington on Tuesday, will juggle meetings with union leaders and foreign dignitaries in Washington — including Keir Starmer, the newly elected British prime minister.
Here’s the latest:
Speaking on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Ms. Pelosi, 84, said that she would back Mr. Biden “whatever he decides.” But she said she wanted to restart conversations about Mr. Biden’s political future after the NATO summit he is hosting this week in Washington, which on Thursday will include the president’s first news conference since his disastrous debate performance against former President Donald J. Trump.
Mr. Biden, 81, has been unequivocal about his intention to seek a second term, but Democrats on Capitol Hill have agonized over his candidacy.
Ms. Pelosi’s comments appeared designed to give alarmed Democrats, who so far are mostly falling in line behind Mr. Biden, space to pivot in the coming days. It was the first glimmer of pushback against the defiant president from a top congressional leader that gave a sense of the deep divisions within the party on how to move forward.
After a lengthy meeting on Tuesday in which House Democrats privately discussed their concerns about Mr. Biden’s candidacy but reached no consensus about whether he should remain in the race, Representative Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey became the seventh Democrat to publicly call on him to step aside.
After a similar session in the Senate, Senator Michael Bennet, Democrat of Colorado, stopped short of publicly urging Mr. Biden to end his campaign. But in an interview with CNN, he confirmed that he had privately told his colleagues that he did not think Mr. Biden could beat Mr. Trump.
“I think we could lose the whole thing,” Mr. Bennet said, referring to the White House as well as both chambers of Congress, and warning of a potential “landslide” wiping out Democrats.
He added: “The White House has done nothing since the debate to demonstrate they have a plan to win this election.”
The hand-wringing over Mr. Biden’s candidacy came as the Democratic and Republican tickets clashed on the campaign trail on Tuesday evening. Mr. Trump rallied in Florida, repeatedly attacking Vice President Kamala Harris. Ms. Harris, who took aim at Mr. Trump during a stump speech on Tuesday in Las Vegas, will continue her campaign tour with an appearance in Dallas today.
And Mr. Biden, who delivered a forceful speech to NATO allies in Washington on Tuesday, will juggle meetings with union leaders and foreign dignitaries in Washington — including Keir Starmer, the newly elected British prime minister.
Here’s the latest:
- Mr. Biden’s strategy to save his candidacy appears to be aimed at running out the clock. Every day that he defies pressure to step aside makes the logistics of replacing him more difficult. And in the coming days, the Republican National Convention may turn attention toward the Republicans and Mr. Trump, and reduce scrutiny of Mr. Biden’s viability.
- Mr. Biden hosted a video call with nearly 200 Democratic mayors Tuesday evening in an effort to rally support for his campaign. The mayors described the call as a pep rally and somewhat scripted, with Mr. Biden speaking for about 20 minutes and then taking questions from mayors selected by the moderator.
- Mr. Trump briefly returned to the spotlight with a campaign rally in Doral, Fla. The former president reveled in the Democratic Party’s chaos, mocking Mr. Biden for the crisis of confidence in his campaign and repeatedly attacking Ms. Harris — who Mr. Trump has indicated he expects could replace Mr. Biden.
- The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election forecaster, moved Electoral College projections in six states in Mr. Trump’s direction. Arizona, Georgia and Nevada went from “toss-up” to “lean Republican.” Minnesota, New Hampshire and Nebraska’s Second Congressional District went from “likely Democrat” to “lean Democrat.”
