The Guardian

Hakeem Jeffries reportedly did not offer Biden his endorsement in private meeting – as it happened

By Chris Stein (now) and Gloria Oladipo (earlier),

7 days ago

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1lEpcZ_0uOgTsKC00 — The House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, speaks during his weekly press conference on 11 July. Photograph: Jemal Countess/UPI/Rex/Shutterstock

9.00pm BST

Closing summary

Democratic House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries announced that he had met with Joe Biden following his closely watched press conference yesterday, and conveyed “conclusions about the path forward” that he had heard from lawmakers. CNN later reported that Jeffries did not offer Biden his endorsement, though it was unclear if the president asked for it. Later in the day, Biden called in to a meeting with the Congressional Hispanic caucus, which reportedly did not go very well. Some lawmakers were not allowed to ask questions, while one who did told Biden he should step aside. Despite all that, his campaign says they remain on track, and that donations “ exploded ” during his press conference last night.

Here’s what else happened today:

James Clyburn , a House Democrat close to the president, reiterated his support for Biden, but noted that the party has until the start of their convention next month to make decisions about replacing him.
A new poll may undercut arguments that Biden has lost significant public support following his debate, after it found him in a statistical tie with Donald Trump .
Speaking of Trump , the former president wants congressional Republicans to insist on the passage of a law, opposed by the White House, to require people to present proof of citizenship when registering to vote, raising the possibility that a government spending fight could break out just weeks before the 5 November election.
The former president also said that he would take a cognitive test if Biden took one, and that all future presidential candidates should follow suit.
Melania Trump , who has generally been absent from the campaign trail, will reportedly make an appearance at the Republican national convention next week.

Updated at 9.03pm BST

8.47pm BST

Biden campaign says donations 'exploded' during press conference last night

In a briefing to reporters as Joe Biden flies to Michigan for a campaign event in Detroit, Biden-Harris campaign communications director Michael Tyler said they had seen a surge in donations during the president’s press conference last night.

“Since last night, we’re seeing strong support across our coalition, but most importantly, we’re seeing it with our grassroots base. We have close to 40,000 donations last night alone. Donations exploded during the president’s press conference. In fact, we hit seven times our average during the press conference,” Tyler said.

He also said the campaign believes polls are in his favor.

“Polling continues to show the same race we’ve been seeing, right, one that is close and unaffected by the debate. President Biden has enduring strength with high propensity voters, while Donald Trump demonstrates a low ceiling, unable to expand his support,” Tyler said.

Biden yesterday told reporters he remained confident in his ability to win, and spoke at length about foreign policy topics, but made a few blunders in the closing hours of the Nato summit, including by accidentally introducing “president Putin”, when he meant Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy .

Tyler downplayed those moments, saying, “Joe Biden has been making gaffes for 40 years. He made a couple last night. He’ll probably continue to do so. Our opponent is somebody who, every single day out on the stump, is calling for a bloodbath if he loses, is pledging to rule as a dictator on day one, and is pledging to ban abortion nationwide, across the country,.”

Here is a look back at press conference:

Updated at 8.59pm BST

8.31pm BST

Donald Trump has more harsh words for George Clooney, over the actor and director’s New York Times column in which he called for Joe Biden to stand aside as the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, given concerns about the 81-year-old’s fitness for office.

“I thought George Clooney was very disloyal,” Trump, 78 and the presumptive Republican nominee, told The Clay and Buck Sexton show on Friday.

“Because whether you like Biden or not, you know, he’s been nice to Clooney. I thought it was very disloyal, backstabber, third-rate movie actor.

“He was a television actor and never made really a good movie. So he’s sort of third-rate as a movie actor. Clark Gable, he’s not. I thought it was a great act of disloyalty.”

The Times column was headlined “George Clooney: I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee.”

Clooney wrote: “It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe ‘ big F-ing deal ’ Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.”

Biden’s disastrous debate against Trump in Atlanta last month fueled a crisis for Democrats, with members of Congress and reportedly donors calling for the president to quit.

Trump had already attacked Clooney, writing on social media after the Times column: “He’s turned on Crooked Joe like the rats they both are. What does Clooney know about anything?

“Clooney should get out of politics and go back to television.”

Trump famously got out of television and went into politics, having made his name as a cartoon version of himself on The Apprentice for NBC .
Clooney has not commented.

As the Guardian’s Hugo Lowell reports, Trump and his aides are keen to see Biden stay in the race.

8.17pm BST

Biden's call with Hispanic lawmakers reportedly goes awry as another congressman asks him to step aside

A conference call between Joe Biden and lawmakers in the Congressional Hispanic caucus left many with a bad taste in their mouth, Notus reports , as the call’s organizers prevented some members from speaking and one congressman told the president that he should drop out.

Only two members of the Democratic group were initially allowed to ask questions, but after Biden opened the floor to more questions, California’s Mike Levin told the president he thought he should make way for another candidate.

Notus said the president responded to Levin, though they did not report what he said. Then, the call’s host, Representative Linda T Sánchez , ended the call, and Levin later went public with his belief that Democrats would be better with another candidate. Here’s what he had to say:

Like so many of you, I was naturally concerned about President Biden’s performance in the recent debate.

Since then, I’ve made my opinions known in the appropriate manner with House Democratic leadership and my colleagues. And I called upon all Americans to give the president a window to make an expeditious decision about his candidacy.
In the two weeks since the debate, I’ve had a chance to connect with so many of you, our constituents and supporters. The response from literally several hundred of you has been overwhelming, and I’m very grateful for your candor.

First, let me say that President Biden has been an outstanding leader, not only of our nation, but of the entire free world. Making this statement is not easy. I have deep respect for President Biden’s five-plus decades of public service and incredible appreciation for the work we’ve done together these last three and a half years. But I believe the time has come for President Biden to pass the torch.

Updated at 8.20pm BST

7.51pm BST

Trump says he will take cognitive test if Biden takes one

In a string of posts on Truth Social spent insulting Joe Biden over his debate performance, Donald Trump said that he will take a cognitive test if the president undergoes one, and that such exams should be mandatory for all presidential candidates:

Joe should immediately take a Cognitive Test, and I will go with him, and take one also. For the first time we’ll be a team, and do it for the good of the Country….And from now on, all Presidential candidates should be mandated to take a Cognitive Test and Aptitude Test, regardless of their age!!!

Nikki Haley , Trump’s former United Nations ambassador who made a quixotic bid for the Republican presidential nomination, had campaigned on making such tests mandatory for politicians over the age of 75. Both Trump and Biden would meet that criteria.

Republican senator Lindsey Graham took up the call following the first debate, in which the president struggled to counter attacks from Trump, who attracted criticisms of his own for repeatedly lying:

7.22pm BST

Melania Trump, the wife of former president Donald Trump, will make a rare appearance at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee next week, CNN first reported.

Melania’s appearance at the RNC was confirmed by two sources familiar with the former first lady’s plans.

Melania has been mostly absent from the Trump campaign trail. It is unclear if she will give remarks at the convention or participate in any significant way.

6.58pm BST

As Biden works to rebuild trust among Democratic lawmakers and voters, the president will be speaking at the same high school in Michigan where he campaigned with high-ranking Democrats in 2020.

According to CNN:

Biden will speak at same site in Michigan where he promised to be a “bridge” to next generation in 2020, in their ‘live’ piece: The president is set to speak at the same high school in Detroit where he stood hand-in-hand with then-Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Cory Booker and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as he cast himself as a link to the future.
“Look, I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else,” Biden said on March 9, 2020 during the Democratic event . “There’s an entire generation of leaders you saw stand behind me. They are the future of this country.”

Updated at 6.59pm BST

6.36pm BST

Over the weekend, Biden also will be meeting with the Congressional Progressive Caucus in a virtual meeting, Punchbowl News reported .

Biden has already received support from key progressive lawmakers following his widely criticized debate performance, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders.

Updated at 6.36pm BST

6.14pm BST

Biden will also meet with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) on Friday as well, several outlets have reported.

CNN and Punchbowl News have said that Biden will meet with CAPAC as he continues to assuage fears among lawmakers concerning his ability to be the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee.

The meeting will take place virtually.

5.54pm BST

The day so far

Democratic House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries announced that he had met with Joe Biden following his closely watched press conference yesterday, and conveyed “conclusions about the path forward” he heard from lawmakers. CNN later reported that Jeffries did not offer Biden his endorsement, though it was unclear if the president asked for it. Later today, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, whose leaders say they support Biden, will reportedly meet with the president, while one more House Democrat has announced that they think Biden should “pass the torch”. We will see if any others join her, and are also keeping an eye on the president’s campaign visit to swing state Michigan this evening.

Here’s what else has happened today so far:

James Clyburn , a House Democrat close to the president, reiterated his support for Biden, but noted that the party has until the start of their convention next month to make decisions about replacing him.
A new poll may undercut arguments that Biden has lost major support following his debate, after it found him in a statistical tie with Donald Trump .
Speaking of Trump , the former president wants congressional Republicans to insist on the passage of a law, opposed by the White House, to require people present proof of citizenship when registering to vote, in a sign that a government spending fight could break out just weeks before the 5 November election.

5.37pm BST

Teamsters president Sean O’Brien nearly threw hands with a Republican senator during a hearing on Capitol Hill last year, but that apparently has not discouraged the union leader from planning to address the Republican national convention. The Guardian’s Michael Sainato reports that is not sitting well with senior members of the union:

The Teamsters International president, Sean O’Brien, has been accused by senior members of the union of disgracing it by agreeing to an unprecedented appearance at next week’s Republican national convention.

O’Brien’s decision was branded “unconscionable” by John Palmer, vice-president at large at the Teamsters, who accused him of lending support to the “most anti-union party and president” in a generation.

In a letter seen by the Guardian, Palmer urged members of the union to demand that O’Brien cancel his planned appearance. The Teamsters did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Teamsters is one of the largest labor unions in the US, with 1.3 million members. While other large labor unions and the largest coalition of labor unions, the AFL-CIO, have already endorsed Joe Biden, the Teamsters has yet to make an endorsement in the 2024 presidential election.

5.18pm BST

Top House Democrat Jeffries did not offer Biden endorsement in meeting – report

CNN reports that Democratic House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries did not offer Joe Biden his endorsement when they met following the president’s press conference yesterday.

Jeffries “bluntly” shared the views of his caucus in the meeting, though CNN notes it is unclear if Biden asked for his support.

Updated at 5.53pm BST

5.14pm BST

Semafor reports that members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus plan to meet with the president today:

Earlier this week, the all-Democratic caucus’s chair Nanette Barragán and deputy chair Adriano Espaillat reaffirmed their support for Joe Biden , saying in a joint statement:

We stand with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Updated at 5.15pm BST

4.54pm BST

Donald Trump has been busy bashing Joe Biden on his Truth Social account.

But the former president also made a comment that could set up a fight over government spending in September, just weeks before the presidential election.

In his trademark all-caps style , Trump said the GOP should insist on passing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which requires people to prove they are US citizens before registering to vote:

REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS SHOULD ATTACH THE VERY IMPORTANT SAVE ACT TO THE NEXT CONTINUING RESOLUTION. STOP THE STEAL, GUARD THE VOTE. LET THE DEMOCRATS TRY TO EXPLAIN WHY THEY ARE AGAINST THIS - NOT DOABLE!!! DJT

The White House opposes the measure, and it is unlikely to be taken up by the Democratic-led Senate. But Congress will have to reauthorize new government spending after September, and if the GOP goes along with Trump’s request, it could set up a spending battle that could in the final weeks of campaigning.

Here’s more on the bill, which on Wednesday passed the Republican-led House:

4.29pm BST

In poll news that contains some grist for Joe Biden’s team, a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist survey shows the race to be statistically unchanged from last month’s debate, despite the welter of political fallout it produced.

The president has even gained one point on Donald Trump in a head-to-head match up, showing him up 50% to 48%. However, that changes to give Trump a 43% to Biden’s 42% advantage, when third party candidates are introduced.

Unremarkably by now, two-thirds of the 1,300-plus respondents – including four in 10 Democrats – believe Biden lacks the mental fitness to remain as president. But in a fascinating finding bound to be noticed by pro-Biden forces, it also shows a large majority – 68% to 32% – more concerned about having a president who does not tell the truth than one who might be too old.

In that same vein, the poll shows a majority, 52%, saying Biden has the character to serve while a bigger figure – 56% – believes Trump does not.

4.08pm BST

Democratic donors putting money on hold over objections to Biden's candidacy - report

Deep-pocketed Democratic donors are putting multimillion-dollar pledges on hold and saying they won’t hand over the money until Joe Biden abandons his re-election campaign, the New York Times reports.

Others are holding off on giving any more money to Future Forward, the largest Super Pac supporting the president’s campaign.

The report was the latest indication that Biden had done himself serious damage with his poor performance against Donald Trump at their debate last month. Biden nonetheless has insisted he is staying in, though yesterday noted that he could change his mind if his advisors or polling tell him that he cannot win.

Here’s more, from the Times:

The frozen contributions include multiple eight-figure commitments, according to the two people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation. The decision to withhold such enormous sums of money is one of the most concrete examples of the fallout from Mr. Biden’s poor debate performance at the end of June.
Future Forward declined to comment on any conversations with donors or the amounts of any pledged money being withheld. A Future Forward adviser would say only that the group expected contributors who had paused donations to return once the current uncertainty about the ticket was resolved.
Separately, one donor to the group described being approached multiple times by Future Forward since the debate for a contribution, but said he and his friends had been “holding off”.
The two people briefed on the frozen pledges declined to say which individual donors were pulling back promised checks, which were estimated to total around or above $90m. It was not clear how much of the pledged money was earmarked for Future Forward’s Super Pac versus its nonprofit arm, which has also been running advertising in key battleground states.

Updated at 4.39pm BST

3.53pm BST

Meanwhile, another House Democrat has asked Joe Biden to call it a day.

Colorado’s Brittany Pettersen says:

She represents a Democratic-leaning district in Denver’s suburbs.

3.35pm BST

Democratic House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries’s letter to colleagues about his meeting with Joe Biden leaves plenty unsaid.

Exactly what were the “conclusions about the path forward that the Caucus has shared” that Jeffries wrote he relayed to Biden? Were they that the president should keep up the campaign against Donald Trump , that he should drop out, or something in between?

And what did Biden say back?

Jeffries did not say.

Updated at 4.40pm BST

3.23pm BST

Top House Democrat says he met privately with Biden, shared lawmakers' 'conclusions' amid debate fallout

The House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries said he shared lawmakers’ “insight, heartfelt perspectives and conclusions about the path forward” in a private meeting with Joe Biden yesterday.

The meeting came after more than a dozen House Democrats publicly called on the president to end his bid for re-election after his stumbling performance against Donald Trump in their first debate.

Jeffries had promised that he would talk to Biden after speaking with all of the 213 Democrats in the House of Representatives, and, in a letter to lawmakers today, he indicated that he has done so, without elaborating on Biden’s response.

Here’s what Jeffries wrote:

Over the past several days, House Democrats have engaged in a thoughtful and extensive discussion about the future of our country, during a time when freedom, democracy and the economic well-being of everyday Americans are on the line. Our discourse has been candid, clear-eyed and comprehensive.

On behalf of the House Democratic Caucus, I requested and was graciously granted a private meeting with President Joe Biden. That meeting occurred yesterday evening. In my conversation with President Biden, I directly expressed the full breadth of insight, heartfelt perspectives and conclusions about the path forward that the Caucus has shared in our recent time together.

As House Democrats have done throughout this Congress, we will continue to work in the best interests of everyday Americans. Thank you for your continued leadership in service of the communities we are privileged to represent.

3.12pm BST

From the Guardian’s Kira Lerner , here are the biggest moments from Joe Biden’s press conference yesterday, which was billed as addressing issues related to the Nato summit, but dominated by questions about his fitness to continue serving as president:

During Joe Biden’s press conference at the Nato summit, which many described as a test for the future of his re-election bid, he demonstrated clarity and conviction on foreign policy. But much was overshadowed by a couple of awkward gaffes and a shaky voice, at a time when the US is hyper-focused on his fitness to lead.

After roughly eight minutes of prepared remarks, Biden answered reporters’ questions on Nato, Ukraine, China and Israel, and just as many on his cognitive health and his vow to stay in the race.

“I’m determined on running, but I think it’s important that I allay fears,” Biden said at one point.

The press conference is not likely to be the decisive moment that some hoped would push a critical mass of elected Democrats to call for him to end his campaign – or decide that he can’t be replaced.

Here are the key takeaways:

2.50pm BST

On many Democrats’ minds today is Joe Biden’s press conference at the conclusion of the Nato summit yesterday, in which he discussed foreign policy matters at length, while insisting he is qualified to continue serving as president for another four years. Here’s the Guardian’s Andrew Roth and Dan Sabbagh with more about the event:

In a critical press conference meant to make or break his presidential campaign, Joe Biden spiritedly defended his foreign policy record even as he faced a barrage of questions on his mental fitness and, in another gaffe, mistakenly referred to Kamala Harris as “vice-president Trump”.

Biden offered extensive remarks on thorny foreign policy issues including competition with China and the Israel-Hamas war, in which he said he had warned Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu away from an occupation of the Gaza Strip.

He said he was directly in contact with Xi Jinping to warn him not to offer further support for Russia’s war in Ukraine , but not with Vladimir Putin, whom he said: “I have no reason to speak to him right now.”

But Biden, who is running to be president until January 2029, fielded an equal number of questions during the press conference on his mental fitness, an issue that has loomed over his campaign since a faltering debate performance against Donald Trump that he called “that dumb mistake”.

Ultimately, it was a performance that supporters will probably say shows he is capable of handling his responsibilities as commander-in-chief, but unlikely to convince those already in doubt about his mental fitness that he can serve another four years in office.

2.31pm BST

Top ally mounts defense of Biden, but notes Democrats have until start of convention to decide on replacement

James Clyburn , a South Carolina congressman who is viewed as one of the congressional Democrats most influential with Joe Biden , defended the president in an interview with NBC News today.

However, he also said that the party has until the start of its convention on 19 August to decide if he should be replaced as their presidential nominee, and characterized talk of doing so as unhelpful.

“The conversation should focus on the record of this admin, on the alternative, to this election, and let Joe Biden continue to make his own decisions about his future. He’s earned that right and I’m going to give him that much respect. If he decides to change his mind later on then we will respond to that,” Clyburn said.

“We have until the 19th of August to open our convention and so I would hope that we would spend our time focussing now on the record that we will lay out for the American people, remind the people what is in store for them if Project 2025 were to become the law in any form,” he said, referring to the rightwing blueprint authored by Donald Trump ’s for remaking the government.

Should Biden step aside, Clyburn said he was ready to support Kamala Harris as his replacement:

She has acquitted herself well in the job as VP and he wouldn’t have picked her in the first place if he didn’t think she was capable of being president.

He also downplayed Biden’s verbal slip ups, which have attracted even more scrutiny in recent days, saying that they’re a consequences of a stutter he has had since childhood:

He sometimes mangles words and phrases but all of that is almost natural for people who grew up stuttering and they do focus a little more and when you focus a little more you tend to lose the flow … He is still working to overcome this ... he has one of the best minds that I have ever been around.

Updated at 2.39pm BST

2.11pm BST

Biden hits campaign trail in swing state Michigan as Democrats weigh his fate after closely watched press conference

Good morning, US politics blog readers. If Democrats are going to desert Joe Biden en masse, today would be a good day to do it. Last night, the president gave a highly anticipated news conference that many of his allies regarded as his best chance yet to put to rest concerns over his fitness to serve. During the hour-long encounter with reporters, the president impressed many commentators with lengthy but thorough answers regarding foreign policy – but also accidentally said “vice-president Trump”, hours after mistaking introducing “president Putin” when it was, in fact, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy on stage.

The big question now is whether Biden has done enough to restore the party’s trust in him following his weak debate performance against Donald Trump late last month. If the answer is no, today could see a deluge of his allies calling for him to end his bid for re-election, particularly since the Nato summit Biden has hosted in Washington DC over the past few days has concluded. But the press conference may also have convinced his doubters to keep quiet – at least for now. We will hear more from Biden today, as he heads to swing state Michigan to campaign in Detroit in the evening.

Here’s what else is going on:

Trump , on his Truth Social account , ripped into Biden over slip ups at his press conference, in a likely preview of attack ads to come.
The Democratic National Committee is putting up Spanish and English billboards attacking Trump for his ties to Project 2025 in major cities in swing states.
The spotlight will be on the GOP from Monday, when the Republican National Convention kicks off in Milwaukee. The main event comes Thursday, when the party formally nominates Trump, while the former president is also expected to at some point make public his pick for running mate .