House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries withheld his endorsement of President Joe Biden following the news conference that was supposed to restore faith in the president's reelection bid, the UK Guardian reported. This comes as fundraisers back out while demanding Biden step down.
Biden is just getting around to courting important Democratic lawmakers as his campaign slowly implodes. The president seems powerless to stop it and instead is attempting to rally lawmakers to his side.
This included a meeting with Jeffries on Thursday following his embarrassing news conference. According to CNN, Jeffries issued a letter the day after the meeting stating he "directly expressed the full breadth of insight, heartfelt perspectives and conclusions about the path forward that the Caucus has shared in our recent time together."
Noticeably absent from that statement was any mention of his endorsement of Biden. This comes as the president struggles for support among lawmakers while major donors are abandoning ship.
Democrats and their allies are struggling to remain committed to Biden after several incidents that demonstrate Biden's cognitive decline. The worst came from last month's debate, where Biden appeared tired, confused, and weak.
With less than four months to go before the November election, Biden is struggling to unite the Democratic Party behind him in the aftermath of that performance. While many are reluctant to publicly call for his ouster, there are many behind-the-scenes rumblings amid a severe lack of enthusiasm.
Even Biden's campaign communications director Michael Tyler was forced to admit Friday that there is "anxiety" among lawmakers about Biden's fitness for office. Still, the plan is for Biden to continue to try to make the case for keeping him in the running.
"Does there continue to be anxiety? Yes, we understand that, the president understands that," Tyler admitted.
"That’s why he’s gonna continue to engage with folks on the Hill. That’s why we’ve engaged with governors, mayors across the country, the vast majority of whom are firmly behind Joe Biden and understand the stakes in this election," Tyler continued.
Even if Democratic lawmakers find their way back to Biden, he must contend with a continued loss of support from those beyond the Beltway. As the New York Post reported, megadonors to the Biden-friendly Future Forward super PAC have threatened to withhold donations if the party doesn't replace Biden.
This means Democrats could lose as much as $90 million from the political action committee. The donors who have threatened to pull their money remain anonymous, but one very big name has also pulled his support.
Actor George Clooney, who previously raked in $30 million for Biden at a fundraiser, said Wednesday that Biden should step down. The 63-year-old actor warned Democrats that they "are not going to win in November with this president."
Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV), who recently left the Democratic Party, thinks the weekend might yield more bad news. "I think everyone will be talking over Friday, Saturday, and, by Sunday, you should have some idea of what’s going on," Manchin said.
If Biden can't even get the top lawmakers in the Democratic Party behind him, he has no hope of winning the general election. The Democrats must replace Biden before it's too late.
