Dem calls for Biden to step aside ‘could start back up soon,’ sources say
Democratic efforts to convince President Biden to relinquish the party’s nomination could restart “soon,” three congressional Democratic sources tell The Post — saying the assassination attempt Saturday against former President Donald Trump only temporarily interrupted the momentum.
The 81-year-old president’s political fate was the biggest political news story in the two weeks before Trump, 78, was grazed by a bullet at a Pennsylvania rally, which instantly booted the growing mutiny off front pages.
Momentum had been building against Biden as many leading Democrats hedged in public remarks about whether he should allow Vice President Kamala Harris, 59, or someone else to lead the ticket following his startling confused appearance at the June 27 CNN debate with Trump.
Those escalating calls for Biden to retire “could start back up soon if there’s a sufficient trigger,” such as Biden stumbling in public appearances or interviews, one of the Democratic sources in Congress told The Post.
But other sources told The Post that a specific spark may be unnecessary because Democrats recognize that Trump, who already was leading Biden in national and swing-state polls, was strengthened politically by the assassination attempt — after which he iconically raised his fist on stage as blood streamed down his face.
“The push to replace Biden is going to restart,” the second congressional Democratic source said. “Trump is now stronger than ever and down-ballot Dems can only run so far behind a nominee who is losing in every swing state.”
A third source quipped that “when Donald Trump gets shot, it’s with four-leaf clovers.”
“I think the public pressure only subsided because of the shooting and will be once again applied,” the insider said.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the Democratic nominee in California’s Senate race, privately told donors on Saturday — just hours before Trump was shot — that “I think if he is our nominee, I think we lose,” the New York Times reported Tuesday.
“And we may very, very well lose the Senate and lose our chance to take back the House,” Schiff said.
Ten of the House Democrats calling on Biden to stand down did so on Thursday or Friday.
Biden has been upping his public appearances and media interviews since 20 House Democrats and one Democratic senator publicly urged him to step aside following his disastrous debate performance.
Biden on Thursday sought to allay concerns about his cognitive fitness with a series of public engagements and a press conference at the annual NATO conference in Washington, but ended up compounding worries by mistakenly introducing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at an event as “President Putin” of Russia and by referring to Harris as “Vice President Trump.”
After an interview with Lester Holt ran Monday night, Biden plans to tape an interview with BET on Tuesday, though it is unclear when it will run. He will also address the NAACP in Las Vegas in the evening.
The Democratic National Committee plans to nominate Biden via electronic roll-call vote by Aug. 7 to meet an Ohio ballot access deadline — meaning that any decision on a replacement candidate may have to be made before the Aug. 19-22 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
