It has been noted that President Joe Biden is expected to discuss the future of his re-election campaign with family, including Hunter Biden, at Camp David on Sunday after a nationally televised debate Thursday. That left many fellow Democrats concerned regarding his ability to beat former President Donald Trump in November as per five people familiar with the matter via NBC News.
Biden’s trip was planned before Thursday’s debate. He and first lady Jill Biden were scheduled to join their children and grandchildren there late Saturday.
As of now, the party’s top leaders have offered public support for Biden, including in tweets posted by former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Senior congressional Democrats, including Reps.
Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Jim Clyburn of South Carolina and Nancy Pelosi of California, have privately expressed concerns about his viability, said two sources apprised of those discussions, even as they all publicly back the president.
One Democratic House member believes Biden should drop out of the race — but has yet to call for that publicly — told NBC News that three colleagues expressed the same sentiment to him during votes on the House floor Friday.
House leaders have not wavered publicly, and their aides denied that they are expressing doubts behind closed doors.
At the same time, there is an understanding among top Democrats that Biden should be given space to determine next steps. They believe only the president, in consultation with his family, can decide whether to move forward or to end his campaign early — and that he won’t respond well to being pushed.
“The decision-makers are two people — it’s the president and his wife,” one of the sources familiar with the discussions said, adding: “Anyone who doesn’t understand how deeply personal and familial this decision will be isn’t knowledgeable about the situation.”
