Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., reportedly is signaling to donors privately that he is open to replacing President Joe Biden at the top of the Democrat ticket for November’s election.
Schumer, the chamber's top Dem and the staunchest of Biden allies, has publicly backed the president since his disastrous debate last month against former President Donald Trump.
A widely panned performance at the candidates' first faceoff of the election cycle stoked concerns about the 81-yea-old president's age, health and mental capacity. Was he ready to not only challenge Trump in November, but -- in the event of his win -- complete another grueling four-year term in office?
But despite his public support for Biden, Schumer has reportedly explored a different path privately. Behind the scenes over the past 12 days, he has been listening to squeamish donors about the best way forward for the party, Axios reported Wednesday, citing three people familiar with the matter.
Biden, in a letter to congressional Democrats on Monday, stood firm against calls for him to drop from the race and demanded an "end" to the intraparty drama that has torn apart Democrats since the debate. Those calls have been intensifying as more and more donors and lawmakers -- many of them from Biden's own party -- have pressed him to step aside from the campaign in favor of another, younger and more vigorous option: say, Vice President Kamala Harris or California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Among the prominent donors now voicing doubts about Biden is mega-celebrity and activist George Clooney, who has joined the chorus urging Biden to drop out of the race.
Lawmakers and donors, though, are waiting for more polling data, most of which has been negative for Biden, before making a potential move against the president. They are also watching his public performance, parsing his every appearance and utterance, and are eager to see how he performs in a post-NATO summit news conference Thursday, according to Axios.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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