It marked Biden’s latest attempt to reboot a presidential campaign that some in his party want him to suspend but he is determined to continue. On Sunday, Biden will speak at Mt. Airy Church of God in Christ, a predominantly Black church, returning to address Black voters who have been a bedrock of his political campaigns in the past.
In recent days, even as party leaders express private concerns and a growing number of elected officials publicly call on him to drop out, it has been the Black community that has backed him most strenuously. Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) has expressed support.
As Biden arrived at the airport, he shook hands with Democratic Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman and spoke with each briefly, tapping Fetterman’s chest with his fist. Fetterman patted the president on the arm as they greeted each other.
Later in the day, Biden will travel to Harrisburg for a community organizing event with union members and local Democrats. Throughout the day, the president is expected to be joined by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and first lady Jill Biden.
Amid rising unease among Democratic members of Congress and governors — who have largely remained publicly loyal to Biden — the president’s campaign aides scrambled to schedule Sunday’s events to show Biden’s vigor and his intention to forcefully confront Donald Trump.
Biden’s 22-minute interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News, which aired Friday night, did little to change the restive mood of members of his party at a moment when he is sliding farther behind in the polls and huge majorities of Americans say he is no longer fit to hold office.
Five congressional Democrats have called on Biden to drop out of the race, and at least 16 current and former top Democrats as of Saturday have publicly raised concerns about his fitness for office and his ability to defeat Donald Trump. The latest to urge Biden to seek advice beyond his inner circle was Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who is running for the Senate seat of the late Dianne Feinstein.
In a Sunday interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Schiff said Biden’s debate performance “rightfully raised questions among the American people about whether the president has the vigor” to defeat Trump, adding his view that Biden “should be mopping the floor” with Trump.
“Joe Biden is running against a criminal. It should not be even close, and there’s only one reason it is close, and that’s the president’s age,” Schiff said. “He’s obviously talked to his family about this, and that’s important. But he should seek out people with some distance and objectivity.”
Schiff said Biden should be contemplating “whether he made the right decision to run or to pass the torch. That is the most important decision for him to make right now,” he said.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a close ally of Biden, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the president would have to assuage voters’ concerns by showing them “whether this is still the old Joe Biden.” He did not directly answer a question about whether Biden should be his party’s nominee.
“I support Joe Biden. Period, stop,” Murphy said. “But I know that there are a lot of voters out there that need to be convinced that Thursday night’s debate performance was a bad night. … Ultimately, I’m supporting Joe Biden. I’m going to vote for Joe Biden. But the president needs millions of votes.”
On Friday, Biden repeatedly rebuffed questions from Stephanopoulos about whether he would undergo an independent medical evaluation that included neurological and cognitive tests, insisting that he gets “a full neurological test every day” simply by carrying out his presidential duties. Schiff said both Trump and Biden should undergo cognitive tests.
The next few days will be pivotal in determining whether Biden can maintain the confidence of his party as he and his campaign aides insist that his debate performance was an aberration rather than evidence of cognitive decline.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has scheduled a call Sunday with top House Democrats, in part to field concerns from members who are worried about the drag that Biden’s candidacy could have on down-ballot races.
Lawmakers are returning to Washington on Monday, gathering for the first time after the Fourth of July holiday as they weigh whether the party can prevail in the critical battle for control of the House and Senate in November with Biden as the Democratic Party’s nominee. Biden plans to return to the White House on Sunday night, ahead of next week’s NATO summit in Washington. On Thursday, he is planning to hold a rare solo news conference.
Jill Biden, who has been a constant presence on the campaign trail since the debate, is planning a three-city campaign swing on Monday to Tampa; Wilmington, N.C.; and Columbus, Ga.
Reston reported from Washington. Azi Paybarah and Joby Warrick contributed to this report from Washington.
