‘I’m with Joe’: Senate majority leader backs Biden as most Democrats avoid questions after meeting – live | US elections 2024

Democrats in Washington continued to scramble over the party’s prospects in November as focus remained on Joe Biden’s ability to lead and keep the White House. But no groundswell has formed against the president, and it appeared most Democrats would remain quiet while Biden stayed on the ticket.

Here’s what has happened so far today:

• After a Senate Democrats lunch meeting, Democrats tried to avoid most direct questions about Biden, with some saying they were united in defeating Trump, sidestepping Biden’s role in that. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator John Fetterman both reiterated they were with Biden, but it was far from a universal view. Vermont senator Peter Welch said “we’ve got a ways to go” to find a consensus.

• The White House defended against repeated questions about Biden’s health and mental acuity, and the White House’s candor (or lack thereof) on these issues, in a press briefing. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said Biden is committed to serving a full four years again and is physically and mentally able to, according to his medical team. Several questions revolved around Parkinson’s disease, with reporters pressing over why Biden has not been screened for it. Jean-Pierre said his medical team doesn’t believe testing is warranted.

• House Democrats left a meeting this morning about Biden’s fate downtrodden, with many not giving comment to waiting reporters. Some key players – like the Congressional Black Caucus and Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez – stood by Biden. But one representative, Steve Cohen of Tennessee, said that not only is the party not on the same page about Biden, but they are “not even in the same book”.

• Biden and House speaker Mike Johnson both confirmed they will meet at some point this week with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy with the Nato summit in town.

• Coming up today, Biden is expected to speak at Nato, while Trump is expected to hold a rally in Florida, a return to the campaign trail after acting more subdued after Biden’s debate performance.

Schumer says ‘I’m with Joe’ after Democrats meet

Lauren Gambino

Senate Democrats were tightlipped leaving their weekly lunch, after an hours-long discussion about the viability of Biden’s candidacy. Few wanted to speak to reporters, save for Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who stressed Democrats were firmly united behind the goal of defeating Donald Trump.

Of course, the question is whether Biden is the candidate that can do that.

Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, one of the president’s most vocal supporters following his debate, believes he is, though he appeared to acknowledge his view was not universally held among his colleagues. “He’s our guy,” Fetterman told reporters.

Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer deflected questions about Biden’s ability to win the White House in November, repeating three times: “I’m with Joe.”

Just like this morning, several senators dodged reporters, darting to the Senate floor to vote or ducking onto the elevator.

Senator Debbie Stabenow, the Michigan Democrat who is retiring at the end of the year, declined repeatedly to say whether some Democrats had called on Biden to exit the race. So far no Democrats have said so publicly.

Calling the meeting a “private family discussion” she said Biden had been “the best president Michigan has ever had” but would not say what the best path forward was for the party. “It’s in his hands,” she said, apparently in reference to the president.

A reporter, trying a different tack, asked her about speculation that Michigan’s governor, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, could be Kamala Harris’s running mate on a very hypothetical Democratic ticket.

“Wouldn’t that be exciting,” she said whimsically.

Through the senators’ reticent, clipped commentary, it was clear they were still searching for a consensus. Surrounded by a scrum of reporters, Vermont senator Peter Welch said: “We’ve got a ways to go.”

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, is defending against calls from some members of Congress for Biden to end his re-election bid or saying they are concerned about his ability to beat Trump in November.

She noted the hundreds of members of Congress who had stood beside Biden as the nominee.

“We do want to turn the page. You heard me say this last week. We want to get to the other side of this. We want to continue doing the work, and that’s what the president’s going to do,” she said.

Lauren Gambino

Hello from the Ohio clock corridor in the Senate, where we are waiting for Senate Democrats to emerge from their weekly lunch meeting. It’s the first time they’ve all been together in Washington since the president’s disastrous debate performance last month.

No Senate Democrats have publicly called on Biden to step down, but given the president’s decades of service in the chamber, their opinion and support is seen as crucial and influential as the president attempts to defuse concerns about his political viability.

It comes as new polling suggests Biden may be a drag on vulnerable Democrats. Many Senate Democrats are on the defensive this cycle, defending seats in states Trump won, like Ohio and Montana. With so much at stake, dozens of reporters are gathered outside the room waiting for the lawmakers to emerge. The leaders will speak to reporters afterward.

The Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson, will meet with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, tomorrow, per a media advisory from Johnson’s office.

Another House Democrat has expressed concern about Biden’s ability to win in November, joining a relatively small list of lawmakers who have spoken out against the president’s candidacy.

The Massachusetts representative Lori Trahan said in a statement issued today that, though she believes Biden and House Democrats have delivered “unprecedented progress” for Americans, she has been hearing from fellow Biden voters in her district who have “real concerns” over whether Biden can beat Trump. “I share those concerns,” Trahan said.

“While President Biden has made clear he feels he is the best candidate to win this election, nothing that has happened over the past 12 days suggests that voters see things the same way,” she said, adding that she will do everything she can to ensure Democrats win the House and beat Trump.

For prominent Democrats, public appearances lately involve a barrage of questions on Joe Biden’s fitness for office.

The California governor, Gavin Newsom, one of Biden’s most vocal surrogates, answered some of these questions while eating doughnuts at a New Hampshire rest stop, the New York Times reported today.

After a TV newsperson asked whether Biden should drop out, “Mr. Newsom chewed for a moment, reiterated the next-levelness of the doughnut, then turned to the microphone. ‘The answer is no,’” the Times reported.

After a meeting of Democrats at Democratic National Committee headquarters in DC today, most left without saying much. Despite some calls for Biden to step aside, there has not been a groundswell of opposition – Biden got some key support from the Congressional Black Caucus and progressive “Squad” representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

But there doesn’t seem to be much enthusiasm for Biden right now, either, and little unity in the party behind him. Not only is the party not on the same page about Biden, but they are “not even in the same book”, the representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee told reporters after the morning meeting.

From the Associated Press:

Former Sen. Jim Inhofe, a conservative firebrand known for his strong support of defense spending and his denial that human activity is responsible for the bulk of climate change, has died. He was 89.

Inhofe, a powerful fixture in Oklahoma politics for over six decades, died Tuesday morning after he had a stroke over the July Fourth holiday, his family said in a statement.

Inhofe, who was elected to a fifth Senate term in 2020, stepped down in early 2023.

Inhofe frequently criticized the mainstream science that human activity contributed to changes in the Earth’s climate, once calling it “the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.”

Democrats in the House of Representatives were tight-lipped as they left their caucus-wide meeting at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in DC this morning. Those who spoke to the press expressed support for the president. Others noted that Democrats present at the meeting had aired a range of views on whether or not Joe Biden should continue on as the Democratic party’s presidential nominee.

• Representative Jim Clyburn told reporters after leaving that he is still “riding with Biden”.

• Progressive squad member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez indicated she had spoken in Biden’s support during the meeting.