Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) reportedly urged President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race, ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl revealed Wednesday.
Schumer had a private, one-on-one meeting with the president in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Saturday, Karl added, where the majority leader allegedly encouraged Biden to drop out of the race.
Schumer’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast.
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In a statement released to Punchbowl News, Schumer’s office called the report “idle speculation” but did not confirm or deny what the majority leader said. “Leader Schumer conveyed the views of his caucus directly to President Biden on Saturday,” Schumer’s office said.
CNN Chief National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny added Wednesday, citing a senior Democratic adviser, that privately, Biden is more “receptive” and less “defiant” at the idea of withdrawing from the race. He has reportedly begun to ask if Kamala Harris can win. It is “unclear where he will land,” the adviser added, “but he seems to be listening.”
The outlet later reported that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has also joined the chorus, telling Biden in a private conversation that polling indicated that he cannot win against Donald Trump.
Schumer has previously voiced support for the beleaguered president, telling reporters at a press conference after the debate “I’m with Joe.” However, he has also reportedly told donors in private that he was open to replacing him on the Democratic ticket.
Earlier today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) became the latest Democratic leader to call for the president to step aside after a poor debate performance with former president Trump.
Earlier this week, Schumer joined House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to push for the Democratic Party to delay a virtual roll call vote before the Democratic National Convention in August—giving the party more time to possibly replace him before the convention.
In a statement to CBS and MSNBC, White House spokesman Andrew Bates responded to the report: “The President told both leaders [Schumer and Jeffries] 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.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
