More Calls for Biden to Step Aside

President Joe Biden remains defiant as the chorus of Democratic voices calling for him to step aside is growing, from donors, strategists, lawmakers, and their constituents. The calls for Biden to bow out since his weak and confused debate performance more than a week ago grow louder and louder with each passing day.

Despite their being more vocal this past weekend and a prime time friendly interview with former Bill Clinton staffer George Stephanopoulos, Biden has done little to change anyone’s mind. His party has not fallen in line behind him even after the events that were set up as part of a blitz to reset his imperiled campaign and show everyone he wasn’t too old to stay in the job or to do it another four years.

On Saturday, a fifth Democratic lawmaker said openly that Biden should not run again. Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota said that after what she saw and heard in the debate with Republican rival Donald Trump, and Biden’s “lack of a forceful response” afterward, he should step aside “and allow for a new generation of leaders to step forward.”

Craig posted one of the Democrats’ key suburban wins in the 2018 midterms and could be a barometer for districts that were vital for Biden in 2020.

With the Democratic convention approaching and just four months to Election Day, neither camp in the party can afford this internecine drama much longer. But it is bound to drag on until Biden steps aside or Democrats realize he won’t and learn to contain their concerns about the president’s chances against Trump.

While concerns about Biden’s mental capacity increase, all eyes are on House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Many believe that Biden’s future rests squarely in the Minority Leader’s hands. Jeffries is being squeezed between two powerful but opposing forces. On one side is the predilection to rally behind his White House ally for the sake of party unity. On the other is the growing panic within his caucus that the president would be a drag on Democrats up and down the ballot, sinking the party’s chances of flipping control of the House in this year’s elections.

Only five House Democrats have come out publicly so far to urge Biden to bow out and make room for another candidate to challenge former President Trump, the GOP’s presumptive nominee, in November. But that number is expected to grow in the days and weeks ahead — especially if polls continue to show that public confidence in Biden’s capacity to hold the office is waning in the wake of his dreadful debate.

The converging dynamics are thrusting Jeffries into a high-stakes decision, with all eyes in the House Democratic Caucus — and at the White House — waiting to see how the leader traverses the tricky path ahead.

In the aftermath of the debate, alarmed Democrats voiced private reservations about keeping Biden at the top of the ticket, but most have held their tongues publicly — a reflection of their deference to, and respect for, Jeffries as he weighs the path forward. Some said the goal of winning the presidency should outweigh any allegiances to any one person.

“Our mission is to win the White House and to prevent Donald Trump from getting there,” said one lawmaker, who spoke anonymously to discuss a delicate topic. “We have to have a family conversation, basically.”

Jeffries, for his part, has kept his cards close to the vest, fueling questions about how he will handle the sensitive situation.

The day after the debate, the top Democrat told reporters that Biden should not step aside. However, when asked hours later if the president was the most effective communicator for the party, he appeared to leave the door open to replace the president.

“Until he articulates a way forward in terms of his vision for America at this moment, I’m gonna reserve comment about anything relative to where we are at this moment other than to say I stand behind the ticket,” Jeffries said.