Top House Democrat Says He Still Supports the President: ‘Right Now, We’ve Got the Biden-Harris Ticket’

(AP Photo/John McDonnell)

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) publicly offered support for embattled President Joe Biden on Friday as calls from his House members continued to grow for Biden to step aside in the 2024 presidential race.

“Biden, as I’ve said repeatedly, is our nominee. He has a tremendous track record of success,” Jeffries told reporters at an event for Brooklyn school safety.

“He’s one of the most accomplished American presidents in our history, and he has the vision, I believe, the ability, the capacity and the track record to make a case to the American people that will result in us being successful in November,” added the top House Democrat.

New York Times metro reporter Nicholas Fandos noted that Jeffries also said, “Right now, we’ve got the Biden-Harris ticket. We’re going to support that ticket because the stakes are too high at this time.” The “right now” raised some eyebrows as pundits and observers are looking for any and all possible hints as to how Democrats are perceiving Biden.

Jeffries spoke as Reps. Jared Huffman (D-CA), Marc Veasey (D-TX), Chuy Garcia (D-IL), and Mark Pocan (D-WI) joined the call for Biden to step aside with a joint statement.

The statement praised Biden’s leadership, but added , “At this point, however, we must face the reality that widespread public concerns about your age and fitness are jeopardizing what should be a winning campaign. These perceptions may not be fair, but they have hardened in the aftermath of last month’s debate and are now unlikely to change. We believe the most responsible and patriotic thing you can do in this moment is to step aside as our nominee while continuing to lead our party from the White House.”

Watch the clip above.