He became the first Democratic senator to publicly question the likelihood of President Joe Biden’s election victory after seven House members appeared to urge the 81-year-old president to step down.
Senator Michael Bennet told CNN he expects the president to lose “by a landslide” to Donald Trump, but stopped short of telling him to drop out of running.
Questions have been raised about Biden’s fitness to serve as president following his stumbling performance with Trump in the presidential debate late last month.
The president has maintained his ability to prevail over his rivals and maintained the support of key allies after Democratic lawmakers met on Tuesday to discuss his leadership.
- author, James Fitzgerald
- role, BBC News
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This week, the US president is hosting a meeting of world leaders at the NATO military summit, where the issue of aid to Ukraine is also on the agenda, attracting even more attention.
Trump will hold a news conference at a meeting in Washington on Thursday afternoon that is expected to face intense global scrutiny.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer briefly told reporters after Tuesday’s floor debate: “I’m on Joe’s side.”
Others have stressed the importance of unity between the parties, with Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson telling BBC Radio 4’s “The World Tonight” programme that it was time to “break the firing squad circle” around Biden.
Johnson, a member of the influential Congressional Black Caucus, acknowledged that Biden had a “terrible” debate with Trump but said an overwhelming majority of voters of color wanted Biden as their nominee.
The caucus of about 60 lawmakers reportedly supported the president in a conference call on Monday.
Biden opened the NATO summit on Tuesday with a short but powerful speech, declaring the alliance “stronger than ever.” Observers said he struck a markedly different tone from his awkward performance at the June 27 debate.
But elsewhere, dissent continues to trickle in.
After congressional Democrats returned from private meetings, some chose to speak to reporters praising Biden’s performance in the White House or speaking about Democratic unity.
But on the same day, the No. 7 Democrat in the House of Representatives, Mickey Sherrill of New Jersey, publicly urged Biden not to run for reelection, saying the stakes were “too high.”
She echoed the views of other opponents in parliament, including Adam Smith, who told the BBC earlier this week that the party needed to field a candidate “with a stronger message”.
Bennett said in an interview with CNN that whether to continue the campaign was “a consideration for the president,” but said Trump was “going to win this election, and probably in a landslide victory.”
The Colorado Democrat characterized the issue as “a moral question about the future of our country.”
Two other senators also believe Biden cannot win the White House again, but neither has publicly rebelled, according to CNN.
That same day, George Stephanopoulos, a former Democratic activist and current ABC News anchor who interviewed Biden last week, said he didn’t think the president “could serve another four years.”
TMZ recorded audio of Stephanopoulos making the comments to passersby.
Stephanopoulos did not retract his comments, but later acknowledged that he should not have done so.
Biden has also reportedly faced doubts from diplomats visiting Washington for a NATO meeting, with one of them telling Reuters on condition of anonymity that he could not see himself staying in office for another four years.
As the debate drags on and the White House faces questions about how it is approaching disclosures about Biden’s health, speculation continues to grow about who would replace him if he chooses to step down.
Vice President Kamala Harris has garnered some notable supporters even as she continues to be a vocal supporter of the president. At a rally in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Harris argued that her boss is a “fighter.”
Biden himself has admitted he “failed” in the debate with Trump, but he has called on skeptics to either challenge him or support his candidacy.
Harris’ performance in the head-to-head matchup has been mocked by rivals, who have suggested she would be a “better” contender for the White House.
But in recent comments on the subject, Trump said he expected his opponent to continue in the race: “He has self-respect and he doesn’t want to quit.”
