Biden addresses doubts about candidacy
Four Democratic sources with knowledge tell CBS News that they expect dozens of Democratic lawmakers over the next 48 hours to issue statements calling for President Biden to step out of the race.
The planning is coordinated, and some of the statements are pre-written, according to two sources. And it’s not clear that anything Mr. Biden said in his high-stakes press conference Thursday night could redirect the expected course of events.
House Democratic leadership has indicated to members that they should speak their minds, multiple sources told CBS News. One of those well-placed sources predicted that the next three to four days will be “brutal,” and that it may become untenable by sometime next week for the president to continue in the race.
Congressional leaders aren’t expected to publicly speak out themselves or to attempt a forced replacement of Mr. Biden, aiming to avoid a public break with the president out of respect. But there is also a recognition, as two sources put it, that public calls from leadership would trigger stubborn opposition from the president.
It’s not clear that any number of defections from Democrats will change the president’s mind. So far, more than a dozen House Democrats and one Senate Democrat have publicly called on Mr. Biden to end his reelection bid.
One of the few things that could pierce the insular Biden team and persuade Mr. Biden to reconsider his run is the argument that his legacy could include tarnishing the Democratic Party and its electoral prospects, one of the sources indicated. Multiple sources indicated that the only two people who could effectively deliver that message to him would be his sister, Valerie, or wife, first lady Jill Biden.
Two of the sources predicted that, should Mr. Biden step aside, Vice President Kamala Harris would ultimately move to the top of the ticket and pick up the $240 million war chest. The Democratic National Committee rules would make that the easiest and cleanest transition. However, the Democratic Party would then also need to shore up more support among men, and it’s an open question as to which male running mate would join her on that ticket to challenge former President Donald Trump.
Margaret Brennan is the moderator of “Face The Nation with Margaret Brennan.” She is also the Network’s chief foreign affairs correspondent based in Washington, D.C.
