Schumer and Jeffries Tell Biden Directly That They Have Deep Concerns About the Election

The two top congressional Democrats have both met privately with the president in the last week.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer emerges from a Senate Democratic Caucus meeting.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s spokesperson did not directly deny that report but called it “idle speculation” and added that: “Leader Schumer conveyed the views of his caucus directly to President Biden on Saturday.” | Francis Chung/POLITICO

By SALLY GOLDENBERG, EUGENE DANIELS and ALLY MUTNICK

07/17/2024 08:35 PM EDT

Congress’ two highest-ranking Democrats have gone directly to President Joe Biden with concerns about their party’s fate in November.

On Saturday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told Biden that he is concerned about Democratic losses in November, according to one person close to both men who was granted anonymity to speak freely about the private conversation.

Just days before, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sat down with Biden and offered a similar message, voicing concerns that the president could put Democratic chances in the House at risk if he remained atop the ticket, according to a person familiar with the discussion, who was also granted anonymity to speak frankly.

Schumer visited the president in his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. During the one-on-one meeting, he shared his grim view of the circumstances, the person close to him said. The meeting ended before the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump nearly 400 miles away at a Butler, Pennsylvania rally.

“The meeting discussed recent polling, the Democratic Party and where it’s headed,” the person added, saying that the talk “was predicated on the recent troubles facing the president.”

Schumer issued a brief statement after he spoke to Biden that simply said: “I sat with President Biden this afternoon in Delaware; we had a good meeting.”

Jeffries has declined to discuss his own private meeting with Biden last Thursday, but two Democratic members said they believe he also delivered the message that the majority of the caucus has concerns he can’t beat Trump. Jeffries’ loyalists in the caucus have repeatedly refused to discuss their conversations with the Democratic leader. Many members said they haven’t heard from him at all since his meeting with Biden.

“The letter sent by Leader Hakeem Jeffries to his House Democratic colleagues speaks for itself. It was a private conversation that will remain private,” a Jeffries spokesperson said.

When reached for comment, White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said: “The President told both leaders he is the nominee of the party, he plans to win, and looks forward to working with both of them to pass his 100 days agenda to help working families.”

Both Schumer and Jeffries were also privately involved with pushing back against the party’s recent effort to speed up Biden’s formal nomination process.

Schumer and Jeffries spoke to one another and both agreed to make the push, according to a person familiar with their conversation. Both men then relayed their concerns directly to the Democratic National Committee before the party agreed to delay a vote to nominate Biden until at least Aug. 1.

Democrats in both the House and Senate have spent weeks panicking over their polling. Many have privately and publicly called for Biden to step aside. Much of the public chatter halted on Saturday after the Trump assassination attempt.

But a forceful statement from Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a close ally to Democratic leadership, turned attention in the party back to the internal campaign to convince Biden to step aside.

Hours after that statement, Biden was forced to cancel a campaign appearance in Nevada after he tested positive for Covid-19.

Through TV interviews and other public remarks, he has failed to reclaim the support of skeptics in his fractured party since his halting debate performance last month. An AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released Wednesday found nearly two-thirds of Democrats want him to withdraw from the race and allow his party to nominate a replacement candidate.

ABC News first reported that Schumer had confronted Biden, telling the president it would be best if he dropped out of the race. POLITICO has not independently confirmed that account. Schumer’s spokesperson did not directly deny that report but called it “idle speculation” and added that: “Leader Schumer conveyed the views of his caucus directly to President Biden on Saturday.”

Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.