Congressional Democrats issue grim warning amid fears for their races after Joe Biden debate debacle: ‘Sh*t is going to hit the fan on Monday’
Democratic members of Congress are increasingly concerned about their own November elections amid panic over President Joe Biden’s rapid public decline.
The 81-year-old incumbent president has said it will take a miracle for him to withdraw, despite a series of calls to oust him in 2024 in favor of a younger, more mentally fit candidate.
“On Monday, when Congress reconvenes, all hell is going to break loose,” said one Democrat in the House of Representatives. told Axios.
They added: ‘People are afraid of their own race. But they are also worried about the country and about democracy.’
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is organizing a group of senatorial Democrats to discuss Biden’s future and wants them to meet Monday night.
Democratic lawmakers are increasingly concerned about their November elections and are likely to increase calls this week for President Joe Biden to withdraw from the race.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told NBC’s Meet the Press during an interview Sunday: “The performance on the debate stage, I think, rightly raised questions among the American people about whether the president has the strength to defeat Donald Trump. And this is an existential race.”
“He should be wiping the floor with Donald Trump. Joe Biden is running against a criminal. It shouldn’t even be close. And there’s only one reason it’s close — and that’s the president’s age,” the California Democrat added.
“And what I would advise the president to do is get the opinions of people you trust. He’s clearly talked to his family about this … but he should seek out people who have some distance and objectivity. He should seek out pollsters who are not his own pollsters.”
“Take a moment to make the best informed judgment. And when the judgment is executed – run and beat that SOB.”
Lawmakers anxious about Independence Day are returning to Washington, D.C., on Monday after Biden’s team spent a week and a half doing damage control after the debate.
Rep. Adam Schiff (R-Calif.) told NBC Sunday: “[Biden] should be wiping the floor with Donald Trump. Joe Biden is taking on a criminal. It shouldn’t even be close. And there’s only one reason it’s close — and that’s the president’s age’
“I don’t know if the interview on Friday night did enough to answer those questions. And so I think this week is going to be absolutely crucial. I think the president needs to do more,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told CNN on Sunday
Biden held a rally in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday, and his first post-debate interview aired that night on ABC, further fueling concerns about his fitness for a second term in the White House.
“I think there’s no question that the president’s performance in the debate has raised questions among voters… questions about whether this is still the old Joe Biden,” Sen. Chris Murphy told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.
“Personally — I love Joe Biden — I don’t know if the interview on Friday night did enough to answer those questions,” the Connecticut Democrat added. “And so I think this week is going to be absolutely crucial. I think the president needs to do more.”
“I’m not advising his campaign, but if I were, I would probably advise the president to hold a press conference and show the country that he’s still the old Joe Biden — one of the best retail politicians this country has ever seen,” Murphy concluded.
A Democratic aide told Axios that “anyone not named Biden” or not on the president’s payroll understood the depths from which the president has had to climb.
Multiple reports indicate that dozens of Democratic representatives and senators are poised to speak out against Biden or sign letters urging the president to abandon his re-election bid.
These discussions are likely to intensify as members return to work this week.