President Joe Biden and his White House aides spent Wednesday offering pep talks in phone calls and meetings with close allies, Democratic governors, lawmakers and campaign staffers.
“Let me say this as clearly as I can, as simply and straightforwardly as I can: I’m running,” Biden said in a phone call with campaign officials, an official told NBC News. “I do not go. I’m in this race until the end and we will win.”
The comments are part of Biden’s larger firefighting mission as his team works to quell Democratic panic over his re-election bid following his disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump last week.
Biden’s campaign meeting on Wednesday was joined by Vice President Kamala Harris, who is drawing increasing attention as a potential replacement for the president if he withdraws from the race.
The president spoke Wednesday with some of his closest allies and supporters on Capitol Hill, including former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.), Rep. Jim Clyburn (D.C.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.
The president also recorded interviews with two Black radio shows, The Earl Ingram Show on Civic Media Network and The Source with Andrea Lawful-Sanders on WURD Radio, to be broadcast Thursday morning, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a press conference on Wednesday.
The president is also scheduled to meet with Democratic governors from across the United States on Wednesday evening, many of whom are being considered as other possible surrogates for Biden. That meeting was followed on Monday by a gathering of governors who reportedly expressed concern about the Democratic Party’s path forward, according to NBC News.
New polls provide mixed signals about the president’s current position in a direct duel against Trump.
A closely watched New York Times/Siena College poll released Wednesday showed Trump leading Biden 49% to 41% among registered voters surveyed. From the perspective of likely voters, Trump led Biden by a slightly smaller margin of 6 points, although that was 3 points more than before the debate. The New York Times poll surveyed 1,532 registered voters across the country from June 28 to July 2. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.8 percentage points for registered voters. The debate took place on June 27th.
A Wall Street Journal poll also released Wednesday confirmed those results, with Trump leading Biden 48% to 42%. This poll surveyed 1,500 registered voters from June 29 to July 2 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
A CNN poll on Tuesday also showed Trump with a 6-point lead over Biden, although that matched the result of the April poll. The margin of error for this question was plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
A poll so soon after the debate represents a snapshot of immediate voter reactions, and the results could change as voters need more time to process Biden’s substandard performance.
As Biden’s campaign continues its winning streak, pressure is growing on the president to consider exiting the race in 2024.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that Biden had privately told an ally that he was considering whether he wanted to stay in the race. Several networks, including CNN and ABC News, followed with similar reports. The White House has repeatedly said these reports are false.
In television interviews on Tuesday, Pelosi and Clyburn said it was reasonable to question Biden’s physical and cognitive fitness, even as they also doubled down on their support for the president.
Also on Tuesday, House Representative Lloyd Doggett of Texas became the first Democrat in Congress to formally call on Biden to withdraw from the race. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Me., later published an editorial expressing his lack of confidence in Biden’s candidacy, titled: “Donald Trump will win the election and democracy will be fine.”
In response, the White House and the Biden campaign have put together a list of events for the coming week to reassure the public.
The president will do an interview with ABC News on Friday. He will also visit the important battleground states of Wisconsin on Friday and Pennsylvania on Sunday. In addition, the White House announced that Biden would give a press conference at the NATO summit next week.
“He has conducted more than 40 interviews this year alone and we will continue to do so,” Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday. “It wasn’t a script. He’s done more than 500 ‘Gaggles.’ That’s not a script, and that’s what we want to keep doing.”
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2024-07-03 21:00:51
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