The Biden campaign on Thursday failed to put at ease Senate Democrats anxious about the president’s ability to defeat former President Donald Trump in the wake of his disastrous debate performance.
Huddling with senior Biden campaign officials for more than an hour at the headquarters of Senate Democrats’ political campaign arm, most senators emerged refusing to speak to the press.
But those with concerns said their positions were unchanged, despite President Joe Biden’s top political advisers laying out what one Democratic senator described as an “aggressive plan” to win the election as polls show him slipping in swing states against Trump.
“Some of my concerns are allayed,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) told reporters. “Some others have been deepened.”
Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), the lone Democrat to call for Biden’s withdrawal from the race, called the meeting “an opportunity for the campaign to come to tell us where they are at and for the senators to ask questions and to make comments,” but his position was no different from before the meeting.
Meanwhile, several more House Democrats called on Biden to exit the race, bringing the total number of sitting lawmakers to 14.
Senators solidly in Biden’s corner emphasized that the president needs to more consistently and aggressively showcase his ability in public to serve a second term amid skepticism of his cognitive abilities. During the debate, the 81-year-old Biden at times struggled to complete thoughts.
“This is not a reflection of that meeting: I think the president can win, but he’s got to be able to go out and address the voters’ concerns,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said. “He’s got to be able to talk to the voters directly over the next few days. I don’t think he’s done enough, but I think he can have that conversation with the electorate.”
Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) said Biden “should be talking to more people and to voters.”
Biden’s next pivotal test will come Thursday evening, when he hosts his first solo press conference of the year capping off the annual NATO summit in Washington, D.C.
The president’s campaign told supporters in a memo earlier that day that although “real movement” occurred in polling in favor of Trump since the debate that marked a “setback,” the race was still winnable and within the margin of error.
Blumenthal, departing the meeting with Biden advisors Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti, as well as Biden campaign chairwoman Jen O’Malley Dillon, said he’d yet to see such evidence. He foreshadowed the NATO press conference would be a potential “turning point.”
“I need more of the kind of analytics that show the path to success,” Blumenthal said. “Joe Biden has to go to the American people — not just in one meeting, one press conference, one speech — but consistently and constantly. Tonight will be important. The press conference will be potentially a turning point.”
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) declined to comment after the meeting but reiterated his unease beforehand.
“If things stay as they are, it’s likely that Donald Trump will win the election, and we will lose the Senate and will lose the House,” Bennet said.
Biden allies, addressing the throng of reporters and TV cameras amassed outside their meeting spot, sought to contrast Biden’s candidacy with that of Trump and downplay the divisions among Democrats over the president’s future.
“We obviously have some different perspectives about how best to proceed, but the president’s team made a very strong presentation,” Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) said. “I think what we need to be focused on is the significant contrast. President Biden had a bad debate. Former President Trump not only had a bad debate … but he had a really horrific presidency.”
Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), who chairs Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, maintained his position that Biden can win after hearing from campaign officials.
Meanwhile, red-state Democrats he’s helping get reelected, namely Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Jon Tester (D-MT), steered clear of the Biden meeting altogether. Tester was spotted by the Washington Examiner riding in his red Toyota Prius on the street outside where the strategy session took place but did not attend.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), a longtime close Biden ally, said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was adequately fielding the anxieties among Senate Democrats, including those in tough reelections.
“I have confidence he’s listening to the members of his caucus. He is certainly calling all of us and asking for input,” Coons said. “Does Sen. Schumer take seriously the concerns of red-state, incumbent Democratic senators? Absolutely. That was true a month ago. That’ll be true a month from now.”
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Other Biden defenders, including Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-CA), steered clear of the press altogether, though the Washington Examiner later caught up with her back at the Capitol.
“I’m so over talking about this,” Butler said. Lawmakers departed the Capitol on Thursday and will not return until after the Republican convention, slated to begin next week.