US President Joe Biden told congressional Democrats in a letter on Monday (8) that he will continue his re-election bid despite growing concerns about his mental fitness and the viability of his campaign.
“I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to defeating Donald Trump,” Biden said in the letter, obtained by CNN .
In the meantime, the president will continue to reach out to Democratic lawmakers, a campaign official told CNN, during a critical week for his candidacy as the party’s nominee in 2024, as all House Democrats will meet on Tuesday (9) to discuss growing questions about the path forward.
The congressional recess ends on Tuesday, in the first meeting since the June 27 debate in CNN which has raised widespread concern about Biden’s ability to secure a victory for Democrats in November and serve another four years in office.
In the week after his disastrous debate performance, Biden personally reached out to about 20 House Democrats, a campaign official told CNN and spoke with party leaders — including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Reps. Nancy Pelosi and James Clyburn — with the goal of reassuring them that concerns within the party are being heard.
Since then, Schumer and Clyburn have voiced support for Biden, while Jeffries has remained silent.
Pelosi said the questions surrounding Biden’s disastrous performance in the presidential debate were “legitimate.”
Asked about Pelosi’s comments, Biden told ABC News: “It was a bad episode. No indication of any serious condition. I was exhausted.”
In a conference call with top House Democrats called Sunday (7) by Jeffries, half a dozen lawmakers expressed their own concerns during a conversation that an aide described to CNN as “quite brutal”.
These legislators – who CNN reported to include Reps. Jerry Nadler, Adam Smith, Mark Takano and Joe Morelle — representing the highest-ranking Democrats on the House Judiciary, Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Administration committees.
A campaign official declined to say whether the president had spoken directly to Senator Mark Warner, the Virginia Democrat who organized a simultaneous effort among like-minded senators to explore the possibility of an official request for Biden to step aside. Warner canceled a follow-up meeting scheduled for Monday night, a source said. to CNN after news leaked about the group’s efforts. The next meeting will be on Tuesday with Senate Democrats and their leadership.
Biden told ABC News that Warner was a “good man” but had a “different perspective.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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