President Joe Biden is now facing increased pressure to drop out of the 2024 presidential race, as some of his top allies and strongest voices in the Senate are now questioning his ability to beat former President Trump.
Those who have reportedly increased pressure on Biden include arguably the top two Democratic voices in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schummer and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
According to ABC News, Schumer told Biden during a meeting on Saturday that it would be better for the country and Democrats if he stepped down as the nominee.
The media outlet also noted that House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries also shared this sentiment with Biden directly. The report cited a source familiar with the conversation.
On Wednesday, CNN reported that Pelosi also discussed this with Biden, telling him that polls showed he could not beat Trump. She also discussed the possibility of his campaign stopping the Democrats’ chance of winning back control of the House.
However, the report highlighted that it was not clear if Pelosi blatantly told Biden he should leave the race. CNN cited four sources familiar with the conversation.
Biden reportedly responded to Pelosi by saying that polling he has seen did show he could win in a matchup against the former president.
Since the attempted assassination of former President Trump, pressure has started to rise again on calls for Biden to step out of the race.
Experts have looked to past assassination attempts of political figures, pointing to the boost they saw following the attempted slayings.
Still, despite the reports of the meetings and conversations, Pelosi’s office denied any conversation, saying she hasn’t talked to him since last Friday.
Schumer’s office told Reuters it was “idle speculation” and that he “conveyed the views of his caucus directly to President Biden on Saturday.”
As for Biden, he maintains that he can beat Trump and is staying in the race despite 20 Congressional Democrats now calling on him to drop out.
“The President 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,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement.