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President Biden stops campaign bleeding - but more tough days could be ahead

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has largely stopped eroding support from congressional Democrats for now but he hasn't calmed fears about a brutal presidential campaign ahead that will put his mental fitness under the microscope for months.

And some Democrats still aren't convinced he can defeat former President Donald Trump.

Despite the concerns, Biden and his allies have so far succeeded in fending off widespread calls from Democrats in Congress for him to withdraw from the race against Trump, the former president, following his disastrous debate performance last month.

Although seven House Democrats have said publicly Biden should end his campaign, no Democratic senators have gone as far, and he has held onto support from the entire Black and Hispanic caucuses, two key voices in the Democratic coalition.

Yet in the 12 days since the 81-year-old Biden struggled to finish sentences and complete thoughts during his much-maligned debate against Trump, the scrutiny over his mental and physical wellbeing has only intensified − and it's showing no signs of subsiding. Biden's Democratic skeptics still want him to prove he can change the trajectory of the race.

"Donald Trump is on track, I think, to win this election and maybe win it by a landslide and take with it the Senate and the House,” Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., said in an interview Tuesday night on CNN, delivering one of the bleakest assessment of any Democrat about Biden's campaign.

"The White House in the time since that disastrous debate, I think, has done nothing to really demonstrate that they have a plan to win this election." Bennet said, though stopping short of explicitly calling for Biden to exit the race. "This is something for the president really to consider."

The endless speculation on Biden's mental state has drowned out his campaign's efforts reset the stakes of the election against Trump. And the last two weeks might have offered a glimpse into rest of the 2024 campaign in which any slipup or sign of fatigue from Biden will feed more ammunition to detractors.

"We need to see a much more forceful and energetic candidate on the campaign trail in the very near future in order for him to convince voters he is up to the job," U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Monday in another stinging critique.

Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., one of the six House defectors, was more blunt Tuesday in his assessment. "He can't win," Quigley said, later telling the Associated Press, "The fighting spirit and pride and courage that served the country so well four years ago, that helped Joe Biden win, will bring the ticket down this time.“

Still, the White House and Biden campaign were pleased overall with the last 36 hours since Congress reconvened in Washington following a holiday recess, with Biden maintaining considerable support for his reelection bid from Democratic lawmakers in the face of skeptics.

That includes public backing from House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and two of the House Democratic Caucus' most influential members: Nancy Pelosi and Jim Clyburn.

Even some of Biden's recent Democratic critics seemed to backtrack.

“Whether or not I have concerns is besides the point," said Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., who on Tuesday reversed his previous stance that Biden should step aside as the Democratic presidential nominee. "He is going to be our nominee and we all have to support him,” Nadler, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, told reporters.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who has a large following of young progressive supporters, was unwavering in her support of Biden.

"The matter is closed,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters Monday. “He reiterated that this morning. He has reiterated that to the public. Joe Biden is our nominee. He is not leaving this race. He is in this race and I support him.”