Biden under pressure from Democrats to back off from Trump

Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester on Thursday night urged President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race against former President Donald Trump, adding to already intense pressure from Biden’s fellow Democrats to drop out for a new presidential candidate.

Tester, who is facing a tough re-election battle in a state Trump won in both presidential elections, is the second US senator to call on Biden to drop out of the race.

Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., became the first senator to do so last week.

Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the Democratic nominee for a Senate seat from that state, on Wednesday asked Biden to drop out as a candidate, joining 18 other House Democrats who have done so in the past.

Later Thursday, Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., became the latest member of the House in that group, saying, “For the good of the country, I think it’s time for the President to pass the torch to the next generation to conveys about the legacy he started.”

“Democrats must come together and deliver their strongest team to the American people in this election,” Costa said.

Former President Barack Obama has privately expressed concerns to Democrats about the viability of Biden’s candidacy, both the Associated Press and The Washington Post mentionted.

Biden served two terms as Obama’s vice president, and the 44th president still wields unparalleled influence in the Democratic Party.

The two Democratic leaders in Congress — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both of New York — have told Biden in recent days that his presence on the party’s ticket would it could cost them majorities in both houses of Congress.

Tester, in a statement Thursday, said, “Montanans have trusted me to do what’s right, and it’s a responsibility I take seriously.”

“I worked with President Biden when he made Montana stronger, and I’ve never been afraid to stand up to him when he’s wrong,” Tester said. “And while I appreciate his commitment to public service and to our country, I believe President Biden should not seek re-election for another term.”

Tester is seeking a fourth term in a contest against retired Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, the Republican nominee. The race is one of several seen as critical to the Democratic Party’s efforts to retain majority control of the Senate.

Schumer was given advance notice that Tester would call on Biden to drop out of the race, a source with knowledge of the situation told NBC News.

Schumer then told Tester to do what he thought was best, according to this source.

Biden, who is self-isolating at his seaside home in Rehoboth, Delaware after testing positive for Covid-19 during a campaign rally in Las Vegas on Wednesday, has for weeks flatly rejected calls to resign and is now said to be more open to listening top Democrats about the risk of staying in the race. He also reportedly asked advisers in recent days whether they thought his running mate, Kamala Harris, could beat Trump in November.

“We’re close to the end,” a person close to Biden told NBC News.

Pressure on the 81-year-old Biden stems from concerns that after his June 27 debate, if he remains in the running, it will not only cost Democrats the White House, but also cost the party its majority in the Senate and doom its chances of recapturing Parliament.

Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., told Reuters news service late Wednesday that Biden was “working toward” a decision that would “put the country first.” Hickenlooper did not specifically call for Biden to drop out, saying it was “his decision to make.”

“But there’s certainly more and more evidence that that would be in the best interest of the country, I think,” the senator said.

Schiff, who is considered a strong favorite to win his race, is close to fellow California Democrat Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a former speaker of the House.

CNN reported Thursday morning that Pelosi recently told Biden that she can’t beat Trump and that she could destroy the Democrats’ chances of winning a majority in the House if she insists on staying in the race.

Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania, who until now has fully supported Biden’s plan to stay in the race, told NBC News on Thursday that he heard “increasing concerns” from voters in his state this week.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people in our state who have concerns since the debate took place,” Casey said. “But I think my position has been very clear, and I think the president is going to do what he’s always done, which is the best interest of the country first.”

The Biden campaign’s public response to the growing concerns has not changed, and top officials remain deadlocked against the president’s departure.

“Our campaign does not operate in any scenario where President Biden is not the frontrunner,” Quentin Fulks, the campaign’s principal deputy director, told reporters in Milwaukee on Thursday.

“He is and will be the Democratic nominee,” Fulks said.

Later Thursday, a source close to Biden pushed back with top Democrats pressuring the president to bow out.

“Can we all remember for a minute that these same people who are trying to unseat Joe Biden are the same ones who literally gave us all Donald Trump?” the source told NBC News.

“In 2015, Obama, Pelosi, Schumer dumped Biden in favor of Hillary; they were wrong then and they’re wrong now,” the source said.

This source also noted how polls in 2016 showed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton leading Trump by as much as 9 percentage points.

“How did this all work out for everyone in 2016?” the source said, referring to Trump’s victory that year.

“Maybe we should learn a few lessons from 2016. One of them is that polls are BS, just ask Secretary Clinton. And two, maybe, just maybe, Joe Biden is more in touch with real Americans than Obama- Pelosi-Sumer?” the source added.