President Joe Biden felt personally hurt and betrayed that many Democrats, including some of the party’s top leaders, left him out to dry as he faced the biggest crisis of his political career, according to two sources familiar with his thinking.
And privately, many of them expressed doubts about his way forward.
Former President Barack Obama’s only public comment came a day after Biden’s disastrous debate, when he tweeted, “There are nights of bad arguments” and talked about the virtues of his former vice president. Privately, however he has anxiety.
There’s Bill and Hillary Clinton was done nothing to the public Each posted a tweet shortly after the debate.
House and Senate Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, as well as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, spent weeks listening to their members’ concerns and relaying them to Biden and his campaign. All three have publicly said they support every decision Biden makes, but even behind closed doors, they haven’t told Democrats in Congress to go after Biden or instructed them on what to do.
Their responses were remarkable and reverberated throughout the party. Typically, congressional leaders have shown unwavering loyalty to Biden in difficult times. Biden has a decades-long history with Pelosi and Schumer, working closely with them to pass monumental legislation during his time in Congress and two administrations.
Sources said Biden was furious that the party was trying to oust him. A source close to Biden said senior Democratic leaders “[giving] We are Donald Trump.”
“Can we all remember for a minute that the same people who tried to oust Joe Biden are the same people who literally gave us all Donald Trump? In 2015, Obama, Pelosi, Schumer sidelined Biden in favor of Hillary; they were wrong then, and they’re wrong now,” the source told NBC News.
The source pointed to voting in the 2016 elections He found Hillary Clinton the leader Up to 9 children.
“How did this all work out for everyone in 2016? Perhaps we should learn a few lessons from 2016; One of them surveys BS, just ask Sec. Clinton. And two, maybe, just maybe, Joe Biden is connecting with real Americans more than Obama-Pelosi-Schumer? the source added in unusually blunt language, reflecting the views of those closest to Biden.
The silence of Democratic leaders weakened and left Biden alone, creating a vacuum that Democrats filled with a constant stream of doubts and questions. Not only do Democrats fear that Donald Trump will be defeated unless things change, some also fear that the ticket, in the form of a docile majority of Republicans in Congress, could be extended to give Trump unchecked power.
It forced almost daily rebuttals for Biden and his team and more and more militant interaction with the press. The president has also narrowed his circle of advisors with only a few people he trusts.
Reached for comment, the Biden campaign referred to remarks made by deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks to NBC News on Thursday that the president would remain in the race.
“He doesn’t shy away from anything,” Fulks said in Milwaukee. “Our campaign is moving forward, creating a vision and a contrast between Project 2025 and what we’ve seen in Milwaukee over the last three days — the extreme Republican agenda — and that’s where we’re focused. There are no plans to replace President Biden on the ballot, and President Biden knows this is the wrong race.”
“I’m with Joe,” Schumer said when asked. Jeffries said in his latest letter that he and Biden share the “full breadth” of House Democrats. Pelosi said it was Biden’s decision. All three, without telling their colleagues to tone down their doubts, announced that they would support Biden if he were to become the nominee.
For his party, it created a sense of purity. Biden has repeatedly and emphatically insisted that he is not leaving the race. But many Democrats are refusing to respond, with a steady stream of calls for his ouster and tepid remarks from party leaders fueling the belief that the issue is far from over in the party.
One of the most vulnerable members of the party seeking re-election Thursday night was Sen. John Tester of Montana. second senator and 22nd Democrat In Congress, he called on Biden to drop out of the race.
Even though they’re scattered across the country during the congressional recess, Democrats are united around the idea that it’s no big deal. if Joe Biden is stepping down as their candidate, however whenaccording to many sources who share this sentiment.
“We’re getting ready,” said one Democratic member, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
A Democratic strategist said many in the party are impatient with the vacuum and want the infighting to end, a sentiment echoed by Hill lawmakers after the June 27 debate.
“I just want a decision,” said the strategist.
Some fear the controversy will drown out their anti-Trump message.
“We have to sort this out sooner or later because I want to campaign. We have better candidates, faster fundraising and issues on our side – so let’s go for it,” the strategist added. “The sooner we get this behind us, the sooner we can get back into the campaign and focus on winning.”
It also created a unique dynamic for Democrats across the ideological spectrum. Those in battleground states and districts are reluctant to cut ties with Biden for fear of alienating his loyal supporters. Progressives are successfully using the opportunity to push Biden to accept some of his policy ideas — expanding Social Security, eliminating the medical debt, and violating Supreme Court term limits and ethics rules.
Biden’s private discussions with congressional leaders on Wednesday night, as well as a series of leaks from NBC News on Thursday afternoon, show that Biden’s world is preparing for the possibility of his departure, which has not gone unnoticed by lawmakers and an already tense discussion about the state of the party. Several in the party have pointed to Pelosi as someone who moved the process behind the scenes.
“It had to be handled very delicately, and I think Pelosi did a masterful job as a tactician,” said one Democratic official. “Could all this be accelerated by a week? Of course. But Pelosi made it clear where she was going by not responding, and it took time to see more votes and subsequent speeches.
The House Democrat said Pelosi “has power within the party. If she says (she’s out) and she doesn’t agree, if she goes public, that would be very damaging.”
Some Democrats chose to keep their dust dry on a statement asking Biden to leave because they don’t think it will make a difference. Others find it unnecessary at this point.
“I believe [the dam] “It’s breaking now to get out,” said another Democratic member. “Members may feel there is no need to rally at this point.”
But still, several sources pointed to the possibility of a “bigger push” from House Democratic lawmakers when they return to Washington next week, with some saying they hope Biden will withdraw his name as the Democratic nominee before then, forcing them to do so.
Otherwise, Monday could be a “big day” in terms of seeing a larger response from lawmakers, one source said, which could spread throughout the week depending on the president’s stance.
Other members, such as Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., shouted In an article on X Neither confirming nor denying leaks about leadership talks with the president “is a lack of leadership and it makes all Democrats look bad.”
He added that “whatever this turmoil leads to, it will not undo the damage that has already been done.”
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., the first senator to call for Biden to drop out of the race, said his back-and-forth was “of the greatest concern to all” of the Democrats he spoke to, and that he believed it was. a significant move by the president who decided to step aside.
As for the “when” of all this, one Democratic lawmaker who wants Biden out of the race said it should be done tonight at “9:08 p.m.,” adding, “It’s not going to happen. But they have to get it done.”
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a close ally of Biden’s former Senate seat, said the president deserves the space he needs to “hear from trusted partners and leaders” as he contemplates the future.
“Look, I think he values the opinions of his trusted advisors, those who served with him, very seriously. Other than that, I won’t go into details,” Coons said on CNN. “I think he deserves respect for being able to think through this moment.”