Schumer pressed Biden on candidacy: Reports

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) confronted President Biden on his candidacy in the 2024 race, telling the president in a private weekend conversation it would be best if he dropped out of the race, ABC News reported Wednesday.

The reported meeting, coupled with a reporting that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) privately suggested that Biden’s continued campaign could jeopardize down-ballot races, mark an escalation of pressure on the president following his disastrous debate showing against former President Trump last month.

Schumer, who has maintained public support for Biden amid the debate fallout, reportedly met with the president in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Saturday, ABC News reported, citing multiple “well-connected Democratic sources.” During the meeting, the Senate leader reportedly had a “blunt conversation” with Biden and laid out why it would be best for him to withdraw from the race, per ABC.

When reached for comment over the report, a spokesperson for Schumer said he “conveyed the views of the caucus directly” to the president last Saturday and did not share further details.

“Unless ABC’s source is Senator Chuck Schumer or President Joe Biden the reporting is idle speculation,” Schumer’s spokesperson said.

Politico later reported Schumer expressed to Biden in that meeting worries of Democratic losses in November, citing one person close to Schumer.

“The meeting discussed recent polling, the Democratic Party and where it’s headed,” the person told POLITICO, adding the discussion “was predicated on the recent troubles facing the president.”

This comes after Senate Democratic sources told The Hill earlier this month that Schumer has confided to some of his colleagues in the Senate that he has serious doubts about Biden’s ability to defeat Trump, while recognizing it is ultimately up to the president to decide whether to stay in the race.

Schumer told colleagues he has not wanted to publicly question Biden’s viability as a candidate over fears this would undermine the president and could hurt Democrats down ballot in the fall election, Senate sources said at the time.

Jeffries, like Schumer, has publicly maintained support for Biden and “the Democratic ticket.” In a private meeting with Biden last week, however, he also urged the president to step down, ABC reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday evening that both leaders, in these separate meetings, similarly expressed concerns over how Biden’s candidacy could cost Democrats as they try to gain congressional majorities, potentially making it easier for Republicans to push their legislative priorities. The report cited four people briefed on the meetings who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Jeffries’s office did not immediately respond to The Hill for comment.

A spokesperson for Jeffries pointed The Hill to the July 12 letter Jeffries sent to House Democrats, which revealed he spoke with Biden in private the night prior. Jeffries, in the letter, told colleagues he passed along the “full breadth of insight, perspective and conclusions” he heard within his caucus.

“Any further characterization of the private, one-on-one meeting between President Biden and Leader Jeffries is speculative and uninformed,” Jeffries’s spokesperson, told The Hill in a statement. “The letter sent by Leader Jeffries to his House Democratic colleagues speaks for itself.”

The meeting — revealed in a letter to colleagues Friday morning — came after Jeffries spoke with a large swath of House Democrats in the two weeks since last month’s debate, which prompted concerns about Biden’s viability at the top of the presidential ticket. The meeting took place after Biden’s high-stakes press conference that evening, a source familiar told The Hill at the time.

When asked about the president’s discussions with Schumer and Jeffries, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said Biden “told both leaders he is the nominee of the party, he plans to win, and looks forward to working with both of them to pass his 100 days agenda to help working families.”

A number of House Democrats, along with Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) have publicly urged Biden to withdraw following his poor debate showing. Earlier Wednesday, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) became one of the most prominent and high-ranking Democrats calling for his withdrawal.

Biden, who has acknowledged his poor debate performance, has maintained he intends on staying in the race and can defeat Trump at the ballot box in November.

Brett Samuels, Mychael Schnell and Alexander Bolton contributed reporting.