The political crisis surrounding President Biden deepened on Sunday, when the number of House Democrats calling on the president to resign rose to nine. This came after a weekend in which Biden campaigned in the must-win state of Pennsylvania to shore up his shaky candidacy.
Four senior House Democrats made strong statements Sunday during an off-the-record call with House Democratic leadership that they believe Biden should step aside: Reps. Jerry Nadler (N.Y.), Adam Smith (Wash.), Mark Takano (Calif.) and Joseph Morelle (D-N.Y.), according to two people on the call. They join five other House Democrats who have publicly called on Biden to drop his reelection bid or have said they believe Donald Trump will defeat him in November.
Additionally, at least 18 current and former top Democrats publicly expressed concerns Saturday about Biden’s fitness for office and his ability to defeat Trump as the president heads into a pivotal week.
In a moment charged with symbolism, Biden appeared to seek solace and support from what has historically been his most loyal base: Black Americans, during a church service in Philadelphia on Sunday morning.
“The joy comes in the morning,” Biden, who has said “the Lord Almighty” is the only one who could talk him out of the race, said at Mt. Airy Church of God in Christ. “You have never given up on me in my life. And as your president, I have tried to walk my faith.”
The Black community has come out in force in support of Biden in recent days, as a growing number of elected officials urged the president to show he can effectively defeat Trump in November. From the start of the service in Mt. Airy, the Rev. Louis Felton was emphatic in his support for Biden, urging the faithful to stand and chant, “We love you, President Biden!”
Felton noted that the president was sitting next to a 91-year-old bishop, the church’s founder, Ernest C. Morris Sr.
“Don’t let anyone talk about your age,” Felton joked. “You’re a young brat.”
At one point during a service that at times seemed designed to lift his spirits during a difficult time, Biden appeared to become more introspective, telling the congregation that “we are all imperfect beings.”
“We don’t know where or what fate will bring us or when,” Biden said. “But what we do know is that we can seek a life of light and hope and love and truth no matter what.”
“We have to work together,” the president added. “Because if we do, you can’t stop us.”
Throughout the day, Biden’s campaign team tried to get him in front of cameras campaigning, backed by Pennsylvania’s two Democratic senators: John Fetterman, a staunch defender, and Bob Casey, who is running for re-election in November.
The president enters a crucial week that could determine the fate of his campaign. He prepares to host a NATO summit in Washington, while Democratic lawmakers return to the Capitol after spending days listening to voters who questioned Biden’s staying power and his ability to defeat Trump.
In recent days, Biden and his staff have become increasingly determined that he will not back down, as the campaign plans more events to boost the president’s visibility. The efforts come amid growing unease among Democratic members of Congress and governors, many of whom are calling on him to reconsider his reelection bid after his flagging debate performance.
Meanwhile, elected Democratic officials expressed concerns and appeared to send messages to the Biden campaign as they appeared on television networks on Sunday.
“You know, to invoke God Almighty as the only intervention that’s going to stop him from going forward, I hope that’s not what Joe Biden really meant,” Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) said on CNN. “Look, this is a very human process, not a divine process. While we all hope for the blessings of God, politics is a very human thing and we’re going to have to make some very difficult decisions going forward. And so does he.”
Some leading senators publicly defended Biden, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a former campaign opponent turned ally who insisted Biden could “clearly beat” Trump.
“What we’re talking about right now is not a Grammy Award contest for best vocalist,” Sanders said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “Biden is old. He’s not as eloquent as he used to be. I wish he could jump up the steps of Air Force One. He can’t. What we should be focused on is policy — whose policy has benefited and will benefit the vast majority of people in this country.”
During a nearly two-hour virtual off-the-record phone call Sunday afternoon, Democrats leading 24 House committees expressed mixed feelings about whether Biden should stay or go, according to the people on the call who spoke on condition of anonymity to reveal details of the discussion. Reps. Richard E. Neal (Mass.), Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), Maxine Waters (Calif.) and Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (Va.) fiercely defended the idea of Biden staying in the race, while Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), caucus chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) and other leaders on the call offered no input on the matter.
Still, many House Democrats continue to privately insist that it’s time for Biden to step aside. They’re considering saying so publicly after the president said in an interview Friday that he’s never heard such concerns from lawmakers he’s spoken to. To them, Biden appears defiant and determined, with little sign that he’s considering dropping out of the race.
The call among House Democrats came as Biden tried to rally hundreds of supporters at an outdoor venue in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he stood as Fetterman emphatically supported him. Biden worked a rope line for nearly an hour, declaring he would like some ice cream.
Earlier on Sunday, as Democratic lawmakers prepared to appear on Sunday’s talk shows, it was no mistake that Biden joined the congregation at Mt. Airy, a predominantly black church.
During informal speeches at the community organizing event with union members and local Democrats late in the day in Harrisburg, Biden paused several times with unfinished thoughts, but told the crowd that “we’re on the cusp of getting so much done.”
“If we work together, we can accomplish so much for the American people,” he said.
The past few days have seemed to reassure Biden, who seems energized by cheering crowds and the more intimate interactions he was known for earlier in his career. But there are also signs of trouble that could portend a fight to come.
As he was warmly cheered by a crowd in a high school gymnasium in Madison, Wisconsin, several voters said in interviews that they had come to see him because they were concerned about his health and wanted him to drop out. And while churchgoers on Sunday were enthusiastic — praying for him, linking arms with him and chanting “four more years!” after he spoke — not all the pews were filled for the president’s rare appearance.
Fetterman, who was one of Biden’s most enthusiastic supporters after the debate, later told a group of campaign volunteers: “There’s only one person in this country who’s ever beaten Trump in an election, and that’s your president.”
“I know what it’s like to have a tough debate, and I’m standing here as your senator,” he said. “There’s only one man who’s ever beaten Trump, and he’s going to do it twice and beat him for good.”
Biden’s 22-minute interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, which aired Friday night, appears to have done little to calm the uneasy mood within the Democratic Party, as Biden continues to fall further behind in the polls and a majority of Americans believe he is no longer fit to hold office.
In a telling sign of the deepening crisis, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a close Biden ally, did not directly answer a question about whether Biden should be his party’s nominee during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Murphy said the president should address voters’ concerns by showing them “if this is still the old Joe Biden.”
“I’m supporting Joe Biden. Period, stop,” Murphy said. “But I know there are a lot of voters who need to be convinced that Thursday night’s debate performance was a bad night. … Ultimately, I’m supporting Joe Biden. I’m going to vote for Joe Biden. But the president needs millions of votes.”
The latest prominent lawmaker to urge Biden to consider advice outside his inner circle was Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who is running for the late Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat. In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Schiff said Biden’s debate performance “rightly raised questions among the American people about whether the president has the strength” to defeat Trump, adding that Biden should “wipe the floor” with his opponent.
“Joe Biden is taking on a criminal. It shouldn’t even be close, and there’s only one reason it’s close, and that’s the president’s age,” Schiff said. “He’s clearly talked to his family about this, and that’s important. But he should be looking for people with some distance and objectivity.”
Schiff said Biden should consider “whether he made the right decision to run or to pass the torch. That’s the most important decision he can make right now,” he said.
While Biden’s campaign staff insisted his debate performance was an aberration and not evidence of cognitive decline, Biden repeatedly deflected questions from Stephanopoulos about whether he would undergo an independent medical exam, including neurological and cognitive testing.
Biden repeated his claim that he is “given a full neurological test every day” in carrying out his presidential duties. Schiff said on NBC that both Trump and Biden would have to undergo cognitive testing.
Biden had planned to return to the White House on Sunday night, ahead of this week’s NATO summit in Washington. He plans to hold a rare solo press conference on Thursday, and his advisers also said they would add a campaign trip to Michigan on Friday, along with events a few days later in Texas and Las Vegas.
Both the President and First Lady attended the event in Harrisburg.
“Isn’t it boring when you have a president who is known for two things: Ray-Ban sunglasses and chocolate ice cream?” he said.
He stayed for nearly an hour afterward, speaking to people along the rope line one by one in a way he had rarely done since he began campaigning four years ago, kissing foreheads, grabbing shoulders and taking selfies.
Even as the cheers grow — and will likely grow louder — as more Democrats try to convince him to drop out of the race, it’s the kind of affirmation that has made him even more determined to stay.
Reston reported from Washington. Mariana Alfaro, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Azi Paybarah and Joby Warrick in Washington contributed to this report.
