Top Democrats warned Biden against running for office
After the attack on Trump, the debate over the Democratic presidential candidacy moved to the background. Now it's back: Leading figures in the party are reportedly urging Biden to withdraw.
The two top Democrats in the US Congress, Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, have warned President Joe Biden, according to media reports, against sticking to his presidential campaign. Schumer, the Majority Leader in the Senate, and Jeffries, the Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, held separate talks with Biden last week and expressed their concern that his continued campaigning could lead to the Democrats losing control of both houses of Congress. The "Washington Post" and ABC News reported this based on anonymous sources familiar with the matter.
Besides the presidency, many seats in the parliament will be up for grabs in the November election. The entire House of Representatives is being re-elected, and one third of the seats in the Senate are up for grabs. The Democrats fear that the Republicans could control both chambers of Congress and the White House after the election. Many parliamentarians are concerned that the lack of support for Biden could also cost them their re-election.
Schumer: Only Transmitting Factional Views
The conversation between Jeffries and Biden took place on the previous Thursday. "In my conversation with President Biden, I expressed the full range of insights, sincere perspectives, and conclusions that the faction has recently been divided over," Jeffries wrote in a letter to the democratic representatives of the chamber after the conversation.
Schumer spoke with Biden on Saturday - just before the attack on Trump, which briefly pushed the debate over Biden into the background. Schumer's office responded to the reports on Wednesday by stating that the Senator had only transmitted the views of his faction to Biden. As long as the source is not Schumer or Biden, reporting falls into the realm of speculation. Schumer himself stated after the meeting that he had had a "good conversation" with Biden at his house in Delaware. Biden has so far rejected all withdrawal demands and made it clear that he has no plans to drop out.
In light of the upcoming US Presidential Election 2024, the Democrats are worried about maintaining their control in Congress. Leading figures, such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, have expressed concerns to President Joe Biden that his continued campaigning could potentially lead to Democrats losing both chambers. Furthermore, many parliamentarians are concerned that a lack of support for Biden could negatively impact their re-election prospects in the upcoming elections where numerous seats in the House and Senate will be contested.
