WASHINGTON — President Biden on Wednesday met with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and other governors, hoping to reassure Democrats that he can remain their standard-bearer in November.
Earlier, the president had lunch with Vice President Kamala Harris, made calls to congressional leaders and had an all-staff meeting with his White House team where he was quoted as saying he’s “in this race to the end.”
The president’s conversation with governors is his first since his debate performance was said to send panic through the party and supporters. Ahead of the meeting, Pritzker said he’d “like to see more” of Biden reassuring others.
“When you come off a bad debate, you need to remind people why you’re the right guy to elect,” Pritzker told CNN on Tuesday.
Attending Wednesday’s meeting were Pritzker, Mayor Muriel Bowser of the District of Columbia, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, Gov. John Carney of Delaware, Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland, Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York and Gov. Dan McKee of Rhode Island.
Joining the meeting virtually were Gov. Laura Kelly of Kansas, Gov. Katie Hobbs of Arizona, Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado, Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut, Gov. Josh Green of Hawaii, Gov. Janet Mills of Maine, Gov. Roy Cooper or North Carolina, Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Gov. Tina Kotek of Oregon, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Gov. Pedro Pierluisi of Puerto Rico, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. of the US Virgin Islands and Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington.
President attributes global travel to debate performance
The White House first blamed a cold for the president’s poor performance, then his international travel schedule.
“I decided to travel around the world a couple of times, going through I don’t know how many time zones,” the president said at a Tuesday night fundraiser in Virginia, adding that he went through “15 time zones” and joked that he “then came back and nearly fell asleep on stage.”
Biden arrived at Camp David on June 20, seven days before the debate. Both the presidential retreat and Atlanta, where the debate was held, are in the Eastern Time Zone.
Poll shows Trump widening lead
Six days after the debate, data is beginning to show the damage, with a New York Times/Siena College poll showing former President Trump widening his lead, with 49 percent of likely voters choosing him compared with 43 percent for Biden. A Reuters/Ipsos poll showed former first lady Michelle Obama as the only Democrat with a lead on Trump in a hypothetical match-up.
Democrats call for Biden to step aside
Some Democrats are now talking openly about whether the president should consider withdrawing from the race. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) became the first Democrat to call on Biden to step aside. Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) on Wednesday agreed.
While Biden remains defiant, analysts say he has a long way to go before putting to bed questions about his mental fitness.
“For President Biden, this wasn’t about preparation. This wasn’t about being tired. This was an evening that suggested cognitive difficulty, and that’s why more so than anybody else who might have had a bad one night, this president has the obligation to take the tough questions and take them live and show the public that he’s still capable of handling it,” WGN political analyst Paul Lisnek said.
The Trump campaign is watching all of this play out, mindful there’s a chance that Biden is replaced on the ticket.
“President Trump will beat any Democrat on November 5th because he has a proven record and an agenda to Make America Great Again,” the campaign said.
Democrats will hold their nominating convention in Chicago next month.