#BREAKING | Sen. Schumer has told Biden that it would be better for the country if he ended his bid for re-election pic.twitter.com/Z1WTha88MKSenate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has privately asked President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.
Schumer visited Biden in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Saturday to make the request.
— VOZ (@Voz_US) July 17, 2024
After the meeting, Schumer said in a statement, "I sat with President Biden this afternoon in Delaware; we had a good meeting." The assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump overshadowed the news.
ABC News reports:A knowledgeable source close to both men tells me Schumer had a blunt conversation with Biden, making the case it would be best if Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race.
When asked about this, Schumer's spokesperson declined to comment on specifics of the meeting, saying only that "Leader Schumer conveyed the views of his caucus." Later, the leader's spokesperson added: "Unless ABC's source is Chuck Schumer or President Joe Biden the reporting is idle speculation. Leader Schumer conveyed the views of his caucus directly to President Biden on Saturday."
Schumer's meeting came about a week after former Speaker Nancy Pelosi had expressed her concerns to Biden about him staying in the race.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has also reportedly expressed his concerns directly to Biden.
A spokesperson for Jeffries told ABC News, “Leader Hakeem Jeffries privately met with President Joe Biden a week ago. On behalf of the House Democratic caucus, he directly expressed the full breadth of insight, perspective and conclusions reached about the path forward - after extensive colleague to colleague discussions. Any further characterization of the private, one-on-one meeting between President Biden and Leader Jeffries is speculative and uninformed. The letter sent by Leader Jeffries to his House Democratic colleagues speaks for itself.”
Rep. Adam Schiff also joined the growing chorus of those calling for Biden to withdraw on Wednesday.
“President Biden has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history, and his lifetime of service as a Senator, a Vice President, and now as President has made our country better. But our nation is at a crossroads,” Schiff told the Los Angeles Times. “A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November.”
Schiff told the Times that the “choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone,” but he is urging Biden “to pass the torch” and “secure his legacy of leadership” by stepping aside for someone who can beat Trump.
The congressman told the newspaper that he would support whoever is the nominee, even if it remains Biden.
Biden has repeatedly stated that he is not willing to step aside.
