Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., says he’s still backing Joe Biden after reportedly signaling to Democrat donors that he is open to replacing the president at the top of the 2024 ticket.
Axios, citing three sources, reported that since Biden’s debate performance late last month, Schumer has been listening to donors’ ideas and suggestions that the best way for the party to move forward and debate former President Trump is removing Biden.
In a statement on Wednesday to Fox News after the Axios report, Schumer reaffirmed his commitment to Biden.
“As I have made clear repeatedly publicly and privately, I support President Biden and remain committed to ensuring Donald Trump is defeated in November,” he said.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., confers with Alex Nguyen, his director of communications, during the Senate Democrats’ news conference in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)
The outlet revealed that both before and after Biden’s startling debate performance, Schumer’s iconic flip phone was lighted up with donors.
Despite Schumer’s 20 years of camaraderie with Biden, the top senator’s main concerns are about defeating former President Trump and retaining the Democrat majority in the Senate, the outlet said.
After the Senate Democrats’ regularly scheduled policy lunch on Tuesday, Schumer reportedly invited senior Biden campaign officials to brief members and directly address any concerns they might have.
Schumer’s hesitancy to support the Democrat presidential nominee comes after he has publicly voiced his support of Biden’s candidacy.
“I’m with Joe Biden,” he said at a New York press conference on July 2. “I’m for Joe,” he reportedly reiterated while walking into the Senate on Monday.
Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. (Anna Moneymaker/Bill Clark/Leigh Vogel)
Schumer’s signal to donors comes as prominent Democrat leaders privately and publicly questioned Biden’s viability as the face of the party.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., insinuated that there is still a decision to be made about whether Biden will seek re-election despite the president already stating on several occasions that he is staying in the race.
“It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run. We are all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short,” Pelosi told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Wednesday. “He’s beloved, he’s respected, and people want him to make that decision.”
Asked about Biden already making it clear that he intends to run, Pelosi again suggested that there is a still a decision to be made.
“I want him to do whatever he decides to do, and that’s the way it is. Whatever he decides, we go with,” Pelosi said.
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Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., echoed Pelosi’s comments.
“I think he will continue to make his case to the American people, and he is the one who will decide. There are advisers and supporters who may give him the kind of guidance that he is looking for. But I think, ultimately, it’s his decision to make. I think that this kind of internal debate will end at some point. The question is when,” Blumenthal told reporters Thursday.
President Biden speaks at a campaign office in Philadelphia on Sunday. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., also released a statement, saying Biden needs to “seriously consider” his political future despite the president’s public declarations that he will continue seeking re-election.
“At this critical time for our country, President Biden must seriously consider the best way to preserve his incredible legacy and secure it for the future,” Murray wrote in a statement Monday.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., also suggested that Biden still has a decision to make.
“I think we’re having an important national conversation,” Hollen said. “I’m confident that the president will make a decision that’s in the best interests of the country.”
President Biden speaks at a campaign event in Atlanta on March 9, 2024. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
Many other Democrats will not say whether they believe the president should remain the nominee, but they suggest – after Biden already said he is not dropping out – that there needs to be conversations about his continued candidacy.
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., said there are still conversations that need to be had surrounding Biden as the Democrat nominee, warning of a potential red wave in November.
“Donald Trump is on track, I think, to win this election and maybe win it by a landslide and take with it the Senate and the House,” Bennet told CNN on Tuesday. “We should be having a discussion about that. The White House, in the time since that disastrous debate, I think, has done nothing to really demonstrate that they have a plan to win this election.”
Biden brushed off news that Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., left, sought a discussion with other Democrats about his candidacy. (Getty Images)
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., also encouraged conversations about Biden’s candidacy.
“With so much at stake in the upcoming election, now is the time for conversations about the strongest path forward,” the Democrat posted on X. “As these conversations continue, I believe it is incumbent upon the President to more aggressively make his case to the American people, and to hear directly from a broader group of voices about how to best prevent Trump’s lawlessness from returning to the White House.”
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Biden addressed members of Congress and skeptics of his re-election bid in a letter on Monday, stating that he is “firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump.”
Despite Biden’s attempts to ease concerns within his party, eight House Democrats officially called on Biden to step down as the nominee.
Fox News’ Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.