Biden is scheduled to meet virtually with the Congressional Progressive Caucus on Saturday afternoon, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The president is expected to join the meeting from his beach house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where he is spending the weekend before leaving on Monday for a trip to Texas and Nevada.
The Congressional Progressive Caucus is as divided over supporting Biden as any other faction, but Biden has a key group of allies within the CPC: members of the progressive “squad,” including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), who believe Democrats should rally behind Biden and not lose sight of what they say is the threat posed by Trump.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a ranking member of the CPC, strongly endorsed Biden’s reelection in an op-ed published online by The New York Times on Saturday. Sanders urged his fellow liberals to “learn a lesson from the progressive and centrist forces in France, who, despite serious political differences, came together this week to defeat right-wing extremism once and for all.”
Biden is also scheduled to meet virtually on Saturday afternoon with members of the New Democrat Coalition, according to two people familiar with the plans. The group represents about 100 House Democrats and spans the caucus’ liberal and moderate wings, making it more likely they will work across party lines in negotiations. The meeting is significant because most of the 21 House Democrats who have publicly opposed Biden are in the group.
Biden met with the Congressional Black Caucus on Monday night and the campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Friday, seeking to solidify support from key Democratic constituencies.
The president has sought to address concerns about his physical and mental health head-on in recent days.
“I promise you it’s going to be OK,” Trump told supporters during a Friday visit to a campaign headquarters in suburban Detroit. He held a rare news conference Thursday, answering reporters’ questions for an hour in an attempt to prove he could handle an unscripted situation. He showed deep knowledge of foreign policy but also stumbled at some points.
But Biden’s most passionate performance came at a rally in Michigan on Friday, where he addressed more than 2,000 enthusiastic supporters who chanted “Don’t give up” and “We’ve got your back.” There, he delivered his most forceful defense of his candidacy to date, accusing Trump of getting an “impunity” and listing a list of reasons why he is unfit to serve as president again.
Biden accused journalists and pundits of ignoring Trump’s criminal convictions and allegations of sexual assault and rape and instead focusing on his gaffes.
“Trump raped her,” Biden said, emphasizing the word “rape” as he read from the ruling in a civil lawsuit filed against Trump for defaming author E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of assaulting her several years ago. “Most people understand the word ‘rape.'”
Democrats have been hotly debating whether Biden should remain in the presidential race because if he drops out, time will quickly run out to replace him with another candidate. Concerns about Biden’s mental and physical stamina were fueled by his struggle to organize his thoughts and finish sentences during a June 27 debate, with less than four months to go until the presidential election.
The president met with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York on Thursday. In a letter released Friday, Jeffries told colleagues he met privately with Biden the night before to discuss the election and conveyed the sentiments of Democratic lawmakers. Jeffries did not disclose what he told the president or how Biden responded, but the letter did not urge Biden to continue his campaign or say House Democrats were endorsing Biden’s candidacy.
This puts Democrats in a particularly perilous position. Many worry Biden won’t be able to beat Trump, but he hasn’t come forward publicly, and time is fast running out to put a new candidate like Harris at the top of the shortlist. Over the past week, Harris has made several public appearances and led various rallies before powerful groups of Black women in support of Biden and his shortlist, but has made no mention of the growing dissatisfaction with Biden’s efforts to stay in the race.
Alarmed by Biden’s recent gaffes, Democratic donors and strategists have already launched advertising and polling efforts to improve public perception of the vice president, creating what one group called a “surround sound campaign for Kamala.”
Biden, meanwhile, has always maintained he has no plans to step down. At a rally in Detroit on Friday, he reiterated that Democratic primary voters chose him and complained that “elites” were trying to subvert their will.
“You’ve noticed a lot of speculation recently: ‘What is Joe Biden going to do? Is he going to stay in the race? Is he going to drop out?'” Biden said. “And here’s my answer: I’m going to run. And we’re going to win.”
Marianna Sotomayor contributed to this report.
