Biden’s crisis worsens as he recovers in Delaware

Manchin, who changed his party affiliation from Democrat to independent in May, spoke just hours after news reports indicated that Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) did not discuss the future of Biden’s candidacy during remarks at a Democratic “unity dinner” fundraiser in Raleigh, N.C., on Saturday.

“Are you ready for a big Democratic victory?” the influential former House speaker said, closing remarks that lacked an endorsement of Biden. “That’s what I thought.”

Though the weekend was quieter than Friday, when a dozen Democrats called on Biden to resign, the continued voices of discontent foretold a confrontation between the president and his own party in the week ahead. Biden, who is recovering from COVID behind closed doors at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, has said he plans to resume campaigning this week. But elected Democrats and donors — and even Republicans — are planning for the aftermath of his withdrawal as if it were a given.

With less than a month to go until the Democratic National Convention, some Democratic leaders feel they have no choice but to begin preparing for a post-Biden presidential campaign. Lawmakers and delegates are playing out alternative scenarios, including a “mini-primary,” an open convention and a coronation for Vice President Harris.

Manchin strongly advocated that the Democratic Party hold an open party convention to choose a presidential nominee. Implicitly, he argued that Harris should not be nominated as Biden’s replacement.

He expressed doubts about Harris leading the Democratic Party, saying the party has moved too far to the left and has alienated more moderate voters.

“I would have to see it, in principle — that’s why I want an open process,” Manchin said, in a brief interview with The Washington Post on Sunday morning. “How do you get 51 percent — a majority, 51 percent — to win the general election. That’s what they have to worry about. You can’t be hard left.”

Pelosi has told allies that she also supports some kind of condensed primary, even if Harris ultimately becomes the party’s nominee. Some Democrats have said it would strengthen her campaign and motivate voters if Harris earned the nomination rather than received it by default.

The open speculation about what might happen if Biden withdraws has become frustrating for his campaign, especially since the president has repeatedly indicated he has no intention of dropping out of the race.

“It’s a privilege to sit here and play games with what’s going on right now,” Biden’s deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks said Sunday on MSNBC’s “The Weekend.” “Joe Biden said he’s staying. Our campaign said he’s staying. I don’t know how many times we can say it.”

The campaign also pointed to the outpourings of support Biden has received from other elected Democrats, some of whom appeared on television Sunday to voice their continued support for the president.

“I believe he’s as good as they can be,” Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) said on CNN when asked if Biden was best positioned to beat Republican nominee Donald Trump in November. “Is he the only one? No, he’s not the only one. And he’s one of the best we can put forward. And I’m with him until he changes his mind, if he changes his mind.”

But Clyburn also mused aloud about what Democrats might do if Biden decides to leave office. He said there could be a “mini-primary” but that if the party goes ahead with an open party convention, it could lead to chaos.

“If you go to the convention and have an open process, it will be the same as it was in 1968, 1972 and 1980,” he said, referring to previous elections in which Democrats lost the general election after contentious partisan conflicts.

Republicans are also preparing for what they would do if Biden drops out of the race. Several Republicans have indicated that if Biden ends his campaign, they would call on him to resign from the presidency altogether.

“If he can’t be president, how can he govern?” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Sunday on CNN. “We’re projecting weakness on the world stage.”

Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” Johnson suggested that any changes to the Democratic ticket would face legal challenges. “I think they would run into legal hurdles in at least a couple of these jurisdictions,” he said.

Some Republicans have also stepped up their attacks on Harris, with Trump himself adding a line to his speech at a rally on Saturday in which he criticized the vice president as “crazy.”

Harris, who defended Biden at a fundraiser and in a private conversation with donors on Saturday, had no events planned for Sunday.

The vice president finds herself in a particularly difficult position as calls for Biden to drop out of the race have grown louder. She has been unable to take steps to prepare for a national presidential campaign should she suddenly find herself catapulted to the top of the ticket. She has been careful to give no indication, public or private, that she is considering her own future after Biden.

Major Democratic donors are funding a preliminary vetting process for potential vice presidential candidates should Biden drop out of the race. Insiders say investigators have reached out to advisers to prominent Democratic figures, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.

Manchin suggested both Beshear and Shapiro as possible candidates for the top job.

Beshear has governed effectively in a red state because he “doesn’t make thugs; he doesn’t demean anyone; he doesn’t take sides,” Manchin told The Post. Likewise, he said, Shapiro has found common ground with Republicans while working with a closely divided legislature in his state.

Biden hopes to quash such talk by returning to the campaign trail in the coming days. His doctor said his symptoms were improving, though he still had a loose cough and hoarseness.

The White House indicated Sunday morning that Biden would have no public activities before Monday. The president was last seen in public on Wednesday, when he traveled to his Rehoboth Beach home to isolate after testing positive for COVID-19.

Biden’s campaign has at least 10 fundraising events planned in the last 10 days of July, including a July 29 event featuring comedian David Letterman and Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, according to a person familiar with the planning. The fundraising push is particularly significant because new filings for June showed a robust cash flow from Republicans that helped Trump surpass Biden’s once-vast campaign advantage.

Biden is also preparing for a crucial visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who plans to address a joint meeting from Congress on Wednesday. The two leaders have had a tense relationship, and Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza has further soured relations between them.

Some Democrats have drawn a distinction between Biden’s approach to the presidency and his ability to perform as a candidate. He has been almost universally praised for the former, while doubts have grown about the latter.

“Whether he’s the strongest candidate to win the election in November is an open question,” Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) said Sunday in an interview on Fox News. “I also think he’s fully qualified to be commander in chief at this time. And frankly, his record over the last 3½ years shows that.”

Reston and Vazquez contributed from Washington. Yasmeen Abutaleb in Washington contributed to this report.