President Joe Biden begins the weekend under increased pressure about his decision to stay in the 2024 presidential race despite several public missteps and questions about his fitness for office, prompting calls from within his party to step down.
Following a press conference on Thursday, Biden met with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Per MSNBC, in a statement about the meeting, Jeffries said he “directly expressed the full breadth of insight, heartfelt perspectives and conclusions about the path forward that the Caucus has shared in our recent time together.”
The statement did not clarify whether Jeffries advised Biden to withdraw from the race, however CNN reported that Jeffries did not offer Biden his endorsement.
Additionally, according to The New York Times, wealthy donors have placed approximately $90 million in pledged donations on hold pending Biden’s withdrawal from the race.
Calls for Biden to step down began after his lackluster performance in the June 27 presidential debate with former President Donald Trump. Thursday’s press conference aimed to reaffirm Biden’s capability to lead and address concerns about his well-being due to his age.
Press conference does not dispel doubts
During the press conference, Biden sought to dispel doubts about his fitness for office, asserting his qualification to lead and defeat Trump.
“I think I am the best qualified — I know — I believe I’m the best qualified to govern,” Biden said, per ABC News. “And I think I am the best qualified to win.”
Despite his reassurances, Biden made several notable blunders during the hourlong conference.
According to The Associated Press, in one instance early on, he referred to Vice President Kamala Harris, as “Vice President Trump.”
A few hours earlier at a NATO event he made an even larger blunder by introducing Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President Putin.” Biden realized the mistake and corrected himself, saying, “President Putin? You’re going to beat President Putin.”
Who called for Biden to withdraw?
After the press conference, three additional House Democrats joined the call for Biden to step down, bringing the total to 18 Democratic members of the House and Senate urging his withdrawal, according to The New York Times.
Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut praised Biden’s accomplishments in a post on X, but urged him to step down to preserve his legacy.
“The 2024 election will define the future of American democracy, and we must put forth the strongest candidate possible to confront the threat posed by Trump’s promised MAGA authoritarianism,” Himes said. “I no longer believe that is Joe Biden...”
Reps. Scott Peters of California and Eric Sorensen of Illinois also called for Biden to withdraw.
“Today I ask President Biden to withdraw from the presidential campaign,” Peters said in a statement, per NBC News. “The stakes are high, and we are on a losing course.”
“In 2020, Joe Biden ran for President with the purpose of putting country over party. Today, I am asking him to do that again,” Sorensen echoed in a statement on X.
Biden’s efforts to build support
In an effort to bolster his candidacy, Biden has scheduled meetings with four groups of House Democrats, per Politico. These groups include the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the centrist New Democrat Coalition, and the Progressive Caucus.
As support wanes for Biden, a popular alternative to run for the 2024 presidency is Vice President Kamala Harris.
When questioned about whether she would run, in an interview with CBS, Harris said, “Look, Joe Biden is our nominee. We beat Trump once and we’re going to beat him again, period.”
According to The Associated Press, during Biden’s press conference Thursday when questioned about Harris’ capability as a prospective alternative for the 2024 presidency, he said, “I wouldn’t have picked her unless I thought she was qualified to be president.”
However, after being directly asked whether he would step down in favor of Harris if polls showed she stood a better chance of beating Trump, he reiterated that he remains the best candidate.
“No, unless they come back and said there’s no way you can win,” he said.