More Hill Democrats call on Biden to step aside after gaffe-filled ‘big boy’ press conference
The number of congressional Democrats calling on President Biden to leave the 2024 race hit 20 on Friday, after his gaffe-filled “big boy” press conference capped the NATO summit in Washington, DC.
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) revealed in a “Dear Colleague” letter Friday morning that he “was graciously granted a private meeting” with the 81-year-old president the previous day.
“In my conversation with President Biden, I 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 Brooklyn Democrat wrote, without explicitly weighing in on the oldest-ever president’s re-election effort.
“The letter sent by Leader Hakeem Jeffries to his House Democratic colleagues speaks for itself,” a spokeswoman for his office told The Post. “It was a private conversation that will remain private.”
Punchbowl News first reported on the Biden-Jeffries meeting, as a source told The Post Democrats were having a “come to Jesus moment” about the stakes for themselves and the party with a little more than five weeks to go before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
“Support Biden, potentially costing them their seat, or disavow him and live to fight another day,” a person familiar with the Capitol Hill hand-wringing said Friday. “Regardless, with him at the top of the ticket, many of these frontline members see the writing on the wall and their path to victory narrowing.”
Two of those frontline members called on Biden to bow out Friday, joining 17 of their House colleagues and Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.)
First, Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.) released a statement on X that urged Biden to “pass the torch” to the next generation of leaders.
“I have deep admiration and love for Joe Biden and all he has done for our country, which is why this decision is so painful, but my son and my constituents can’t suffer the consequences of inaction at this critical moment,” Pettersen said.
“Joe Biden saved our country once, and I’m joining the growing number of people in my district and across the country to ask him to do it again,” she went on.
“Please pass the torch to one of our many capable Democratic leaders so we have the best chance to defeat Donald Trump, who is the greatest threat to the foundation of this country that we have ever faced,” Pettersen pleaded.
Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) used the same language in the afternoon to demand “a new leader” for his party.
“Like so many of you, I was naturally concerned about President Biden’s performance in the recent debate,” Levin said in a statement to the ABC affiliate in San Diego.
“Making this statement is not easy. I have deep respect for President Biden’s five plus decades of public service and incredible appreciation for the work we’ve done together these last three and a half years,” he added. “But I believe the time has come for President Biden to pass the torch.”
House Intelligence Committee ranking member Jim Himes (D-Conn.) had called on Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race moments after the conclusion of the press conference, which was marked by a series of verbal stumbles.
“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. I no longer believe that is Joe Biden,” Himes said in a statement.
Reps. Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.) and Scott Peters (D-Calif.) followed Himes soon afterward.
White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates had been crowing just minutes before about Biden’s foreign policy acumen.
“To answer the question on everyone’s minds: No, Joe Biden does not have a doctorate in foreign affairs,” Bates posted on X. “He’s just that f–king good.”
By contrast, another Democratic source close to the reverberations in Congress said Biden’s Thursday night performance didn’t significantly change the party’s internal deliberations.
“The president was able to answer questions that Donald Trump couldn’t even begin to understand,” this source told The Post, “but, regrettably, those aren’t the questions the American people are asking or worried over right now.”
Biden had shocked some of the DC press corps by mixing up the names of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump at the closely watched news conference — after introducing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” at a different event.
Despite the brutal mistakes, one senior Democrat insisted he was standing by the president.
“I’m riding with Biden no matter which direction he goes, no matter what method he takes — I’m with Joe Biden,” Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), a national campaign co-chair for the president’s re-election campaign, told NBC News’ “Today” show Friday morning.
“He has one of the best minds that I’ve ever been around,” Clyburn added.
“I would hope that we would focus on the substance of this man, rather than these sometimes misspoken words and phrases, and how he has run this country.”
Additional reporting by Steven Nelson
