Biden to Meet with Democratic Governors Amidst Concerns Over Debate Performance
President seeks to reassure party leaders and stabilize re-election bid following widely criticized debate showing against Trump.
Washington – President Joe Biden has invited all Democratic governors to meet today in an effort to solidify support among his party’s top leaders following a shaky debate performance last week. According to two individuals familiar with Biden’s plan, the meeting is likely to be mostly virtual. These sources requested anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the schedule publicly.
This meeting follows a previous call by Democratic governors, during which they requested to speak with the President. Three people with knowledge of Biden’s schedule confirmed this detail. The President also denounced the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity on Monday night. Despite this, his post-debate schedule has been described as largely politics-free and business-as-usual, with plans to host July 4 celebrations at the White House on Thursday.
The meeting is seen as a significant move by Biden to address concerns within the Democratic Party. Some Democrats worry about his capability to continue campaigning and ultimately defeat former President Donald Trump, following his occasionally raspy and halting performance during last week’s debate in Atlanta.
Texas Democratic Representative Lloyd Doggett publicly called for Biden to withdraw from the race on Tuesday. This followed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s comments on MSNBC, where she stated it was fair to question whether Biden’s debate performance was an anomaly or indicative of a larger issue.
According to the media reports President Biden will meet with Democratic governors on Wednesday. The meeting, which will be held at the White House but may have many governors attending remotely, aims to reassure party leaders that Biden is fit to continue his campaign despite the debate, which has led some to suggest he should step aside as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee.
In addition to the governors’ meeting, Biden is also scheduled to meet with leaders from Capitol Hill this week. This is part of a broader effort to stabilize his re-election bid after his performance in Atlanta. Biden’s team held challenging phone calls with key campaign funders on Sunday and Monday, addressing their concerns about whether the 81-year-old should remain in the presidential race.
Representative Doggett became the first congressional Democrat to call for Biden’s withdrawal on Tuesday, following widespread criticism of his debate performance. Doggett praised Biden’s first term but emphasized the need for another candidate to challenge Trump in the November election.
“Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so,” Doggett stated.
The Biden campaign has not yet responded to these calls for withdrawal. They have been working to reassure voters, particularly those who believe Biden is too old for office, that he remains the best choice to oppose Trump. However, his recent debate performance has had the opposite effect, leading to efforts to reassure key donors that it was merely a fluke.
While Doggett is the first congressional Democrat to explicitly call for Biden’s withdrawal, others have suggested it may be worth considering. Democratic Representative Mike Quigley of Illinois commented, “He has to be honest with himself. It’s his decision. I just want him to appreciate how much it impacts not just his race, but all the other races in November.”
Democrats face a challenging political landscape, defending several vulnerable Senate seats and attempting to regain a majority in the House. Doggett pointed to Biden’s lagging performance behind Democratic senators in key states and trailing Trump in most polls as additional concerns.
“President Biden has continued to run substantially behind Democratic senators in key states and in most polls has trailed Donald Trump,” Doggett said. “I had hoped that the debate would provide some momentum to change that. It did not.”
