High-pressure on Biden: Chuck Schumer told the president he should drop out of the presidential race
As reported by ABC, the Senate Majority Leader spoke with the Commander-in-Chief and conveyed to him "the views of his caucus" in the Senate.
Chuck Schumer- Joe Biden
Chuck Schumer joined the group of Democrats who believe Joe Biden should withdraw from the presidential race to help candidates across the country. Indeed, the Senate majority leader made his thoughts known to the president during a meeting the two held Saturday in Rehoboth, Delaware.
As ABC's Jonathan Karl reported, "Schumer had a blunt one-on-one conversation with Biden Saturday afternoon in Rehoboth," in which the senator "forcefully made the case that it would be best if Biden bowed out of the race."
">Hakeem Jeffries has expressed a similar view to Biden, according to a source familiar. A Jeffries spokesman tells me, “The letter sent by Leader Hakeem Jeffries to his House Democratic colleagues speaks for itself. It was a private conversation that will remain private.”
— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) July 17, 2024
Schumer's office refused to comment on the matter and limited themselves to the following: "Leader Schumer conveyed the views of his caucus." In other words, the top Democrats in the Senate, and even more so those competing in November, share the majority leader's views.
The senator's central concern is the number of vulnerable seats his caucus is defending this year: Pennsylvania, Nevada, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, West Virginia, Montana and Virginia. In the worst-case scenario, losing in each and every one of these states, the GOP would be too close to the 60-senator threshold to pass legislation without being forced to negotiate for a filibuster.
Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) was the first Democratic member of the Senate to publicly call for the president to drop his re-election plans.
"We have asked President Biden to do so much for so many for so long. It has required unmatched selflessness and courage. We need him to put us first, as he has done before. I urge him to do it now," he wrote in an op-ed.
Karl also reported that the House of Representatives shares this view and is concerned about the potential negative effect of having Biden as the head of the ticket.
"Hakeem Jeffries has expressed a similar view to Biden, according to a source familiar. A Jeffries spokesman tells me, 'The letter sent by Leader Hakeem Jeffries to his House Democratic colleagues speaks for itself. It was a private conversation that will remain private,'" he added.
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