Clyburn says he plans to talk to Biden to give assessment

Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said in an interview that aired Tuesday he plans to talk to President Biden soon to give him an assessment of his “standing” with Americans in the wake of the president’s rough debate performance.

“I did plan to … talk with him later today or … tomorrow morning,” Clyburn said in an interview with “The Hill” on NewsNation’s Blake Burman. “And I’m gonna tell him what I really feel.”

Clyburn said he will tell the president “what his standing is with the American people” from the South Carolina Democrat’s perspective.

Clyburn is often credited with the current president’s 2020 South Carolina primary win, which gave him momentum toward securing his place atop the Democratic ticket that year. However, a shadow has been cast over Biden’s reelection chances in the last week due to the president’s poor debate performance, in which his voice was raspy and he stumbled over the words.

In the interview on “The Hill,” Clyburn acknowledged that last Thursday night’s debate was “a bad night” for the president.

“I do know this: I think that the American people want an explanation; they need to be reassured, and I hope that over the next several days, we’ll do that,” Clyburn said.

A few Democrats have either called on Biden to withdraw from this year’s presidential race or be replaced at the top of his party’s ticket following Thursday’s debate, including former Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), who has thrown his support behind Vice President Harris to replace the president.

“Harris has significantly grown into her job; she will destroy [former President Trump] in debate, highlight [the] choice issue, energize our base, bring back young voters, and give us generational change. It’s time!” Ryan wrote in a social media post Tuesday.

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