President Joe Biden gave a forceful and defensive response to centrist Democrats who raised concerns about his reelection campaign in a Saturday meeting, and in one tense exchange dismissed one lawmaker’s concerns as “crap.”
Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), a respected centrist in the Democratic caucus, told Biden that people want a strong leader so they can feel safe on national security.
“I don’t want to hear that crap,” Biden said in response to Crow’s suggestion that voters did not have confidence in his national security credentials, raising his voice in a forceful defense of his foreign policy record, including the rebuilding of NATO, according to three people familiar with the remarks granted anonymity to discuss the private meeting.
But Crow spoke up again to say Biden’s accomplishments weren’t breaking through to voters.
Biden had begun his remarks to the group — the centrist New Democrat Coalition — by urging members to bring him their “hard questions” about his candidacy and his age — about which the president had been hoping to quash this week after his disastrous debate performance last month. And by the end of the roughly 30-minute call, several members raised them.
“I hear your concerns: Will I bring your election down? Will we keep the White House?” Biden said on the call, according to two people familiar with the remarks. “Give me your hard questions.”
At least three members raised concerns about Biden’s candidacy during the meeting. Besides Crow, Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas), asked about Biden losing ground since the debate and his plan to turn things around. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan raised concerns about Biden’s polling in Pennsylvania.
Biden, as he has in many public appearances this week, spent time ticking off his record of achievements in office — which, as many Democrats privately point out, they don’t question. He dismissed polling concerns and, according to one person on the call, said they are looking better.
During the call, no Democrats called on Biden to leave the race. But many in the centrist group have raised concerns with one another in recent days. Some, including leaders of the New Democrats, brought their concerns directly to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Jeffries had a meeting with Biden on Thursday night to relay them.
“Moving forward we expect President Biden to do everything in his power to demonstrate to the American people that Democrats will keep the White House and flip the House in November,” said New Democrat Chair Ann Kuster (D-N.H.) in a statement after the call.
Several other Democrats were in the queue to raise their own questions, including some of his more vocal critics, like Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.). But Biden said he needed to leave, saying he had to get to mass, according to two people familiar with the remarks.
Moments before his call with the centrist Democrats, the president spoke for over an hour with progressive Democrats — many of whom have been more vocally pro-Biden.
The head of that caucus, Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) — who has said little about Biden’s debate performance other than that she is “listening” to her diverse caucus — wrote in a statement afterwards that the group had a “productive and engaging conversation.”
“We spoke frankly to the President about our concerns and asked tough questions about the path forward,” Jayapal said, calling him a “champion for working people.”
Rachael Bade and Daniella Diaz contributed to this report.
