Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.- US President Joe Biden on Monday urged his supporters to rally around him during a series of visits to the crucial state of Pennsylvania, even as some prominent congressional Democrats privately suggested it was time for him to drop his re-election bid amid mounting questions about whether he is fit for a second term.
Addressing a rousing church service in front of sunlit stained-glass windows at the Church of God in Christ in Mount Airy, Philadelphia, Biden, 81, joked: “I know I look 40,” but “I’ve been doing this a long time.”
“I have honestly never felt more optimistic about the future of America if we stay united,” he said.
There and at a subsequent rally with union members in Harrisburg, Biden offered short speeches that touched on themes familiar to voters. But he also left plenty of room for key backers to talk about their support for him. In that way, the Pennsylvania tour seemed to signal support for the president from crucial political quarters, rather than demonstrating that he does have the ability to serve another four years.
However, his Democratic Party remains deeply divided.
As Congress prepares to resume work this week, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries convened top committee members on Sunday afternoon to gauge their views. Several Democratic committee leaders, including Reps. Jerry Nadler, Jim Himes and Mark Takano, have privately said Biden should step aside, according to two people familiar with the meeting, who requested anonymity to discuss the matter.
But other senior Democrats, including members of the influential Congressional Black Caucus, argued just as strongly that Biden remains the party’s choice. The conversation touched on a range of topics, with committee leaders sharing diverse views on the situation, but there was no unanimity on what should be done, the people said.
Biden personally called lawmakers over the weekend. He also participated in a call with influential backers of his campaign and reiterated that he has no plans to drop out of the race. Instead, the president pledged to step up the intensity of his campaign going forward and increase his political travel, according to two people who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
One Democrat the president spoke to, Sen. Alex Padilla, said he and others are pushing the Biden campaign to “let Joe be Joe, let him be in the audience.”
“I firmly believe that we can make things better,” Padilla told The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, a person familiar with Sen. Mark Warner’s position said there would not be a meeting on Monday to discuss Biden’s future — a meeting that had been discussed previously — and that those discussions would take place at the usual caucus lunch on Tuesday with all Democratic senators. The person added that a private meeting was no longer possible after it became known that the Virginia Democrat was reaching out to senators to discuss Biden, and that senators were still having various conversations.
Five other Democratic lawmakers have already publicly urged Biden to abandon his reelection bid before November. Meeting in person this week means lawmakers will have more opportunities to discuss concerns about Biden’s ability to navigate the remaining four months of the campaign — let alone another four years in the White House — and the real chances of defeating presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Biden’s campaign also called and texted lawmakers to try to prevent further defections, and continued to urge high-profile Biden supporters to speak out publicly on his behalf.
However, there have been calls from various quarters for the president to drop out of the race.
Tampa City Councilman and Democratic National Committee member Alan Clendenin on Sunday called on Biden to “step aside and allow Vice President Kamala Harris to carry out his agenda as our Democratic nominee.”
Director Rob Reiner, who has helped organize glamorous Hollywood fundraisers for Biden in the past, posted on Social Media X: “It’s time for Joe Biden to step aside.”
The Democratic convention is fast approaching and Biden’s interview on ABC on Friday failed to convince some who remain skeptical.
Barry Goodman, a Michigan attorney who collects contributions at Democratic fundraisers, said he backs Biden but, should he drop out of the race, will back Harris. That’s notable, since Goodman also served as deputy finance chairman for the two statewide campaigns of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has also been mentioned as a Democratic presidential hopeful.
“We don’t have a lot of time,” Goodman said. “I don’t think the president will pull out. But if he does, I think it will be Kamala.”
There was no such suggestion in Mount Airy, where Pastor Louis Felton compared the president to Joseph and the biblical story of his “many-colored coat.” Joseph was sold by his jealous brothers into slavery in Egypt but eventually rose to a high position in Pharaoh’s kingdom and had his brothers begging him for help without initially acknowledging him.
“Never count Jose out,” Felton pleaded, then referring to Democrats who have called on Biden to step aside. “That’s what happens, Mr. President. People are jealous of you. Jealous of your perseverance.”
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