Biden has a hectic Friday as more allies and leaders abandon his ‘determined’ stance

A tough week for President Joe Biden ended with congressional and donor defections, a lingering COVID-19 illness and new dire numbers.

After his now-infamous debate performance last month, Biden has struggled to quell concerns about the viability of his candidacy. While the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump distracted from the news on Saturday, the crisis resumed in full force on Tuesday when Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) called on Biden to resign. The screws were tightened on Friday as a series of setbacks cast further doubt on his candidacy.

Although Biden’s campaign team said after Trump’s speech at the Republican National Convention that the president is “more determined than ever,” that determination does not appear to be having an effect on his party.

Here’s a look at Biden’s bad day and what it could mean for the weeks ahead:

Congress defections

Friday saw the largest increase in defections among Democratic members of Congress, with 13 in total, including 11 representatives and two senators, calling on Biden to resign.

This group included Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Representatives Sean Casten (D-IL), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Marc Veasey (D-TX), Chuy Garcia (D-IL), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Kathy Castor (D-FL), Morgan McGarvey (D -KY) and Gabe Vasquez (D-NM).

Notably, Lofgren is a close ally of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who is reportedly pushing behind the scenes to oust Biden.

“Simply put, your candidacy is on track to lose the White House and potentially impact crucial House and Senate races at the ballot box,” Lofgren said. “It is for these reasons that I urge you to step aside from our party’s nomination so that another Democratic candidate can compete with and defeat Donald Trump in the November election.”

The list of defectors also included the first member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Veasey, complicating Biden’s argument that it is primarily white “elites” who want to oust him, while minority groups want him to stay.

As of Friday, 35 Democrats in Congress are calling on Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, with little sign that this will lead to a stop.

Bad polls

An Emerson College poll released Thursday but gaining wider attention Friday, conducted after Trump’s assassination attempt, found Trump again beating Biden in every swing state and a majority of voters saying Biden should drop out of the race.

Other polls showed Biden’s lead shrinking dramatically among key minority groups he had relied on to bolster his candidacy. Despite winning 95% of the Black female vote in 2020, just 70% said they would vote for him in 2024, a Data for Progress poll found.

A majority of Black voters in swing states said they would prefer Vice President Kamala Harris to top the Democratic ticket, rather than Biden.

Bad optics

Press releases played a crucial role in undermining Biden’s candidacy, with several key Democrats leaking conversations to put public pressure on him to withdraw.

That continued Friday, with an NBC report claiming that Biden’s family began discussing a calculated exit plan for the first time. Two people reportedly familiar with the conversations told the outlet that the primary concerns were putting the party in the best position to defeat Trump while also securing Biden’s legacy.

Despite growing reports that Biden may be more open to an exit plan, Biden’s team has vehemently denied it. In a memo dated Friday, obtained by NBC News, Biden’s team reaffirmed its commitment to staying in the race.

“Joe Biden has made it abundantly clear: he is in this race and he is in this race to win. Furthermore, he is the presumptive nominee, there is no plan for an alternate nominee,” the memo said.

“In a few weeks, Joe Biden will be the official nominee. It is high time we stop fighting each other,” the memo reads. “The only person who wins when we fight is Donald Trump.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Billionaire Democratic donor Michael Moritz’s demand that Biden resign as presidential candidate was perhaps the worst news for the president on Friday. The megadonor vowed to cut off all of his funding to the party until Biden is removed from office.

Biden has a choice: “Vanity or virtue,” Moritz said in an email to the New York Times. “He can condemn the land to dark and cruel times or heed the voice of Father Time. Time is up.”