(NewsNation) — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., met with President Joe Biden over concerns about Biden’s continued candidacy and fears the president can’t defeat former President Donald Trump in November.
In a letter to Democrats, Jeffries noted he met with the president and the White House confirmed the meeting to NewsNation. The letter did not discuss the substance of the discussion, but called it “candid.”
The meeting comes following two gaffes from Biden during his speech and press conference at the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., where the president confused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Later, he referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as vice president Trump.
Biden’s campaign is working overtime to reassure worried Democrats, donors and voters that he’s able to continue in the race and all eyes were on his NATO performance. The president, who has been defiant in the face of suggestions that he needs to pass the torch, is trying to put the focus on his past performance, dismissing concerns from voters that he is not mentally fit enough for a second term.
Since the first presidential debate, 17 Democratic representatives and one Senator have publicly called on Biden to withdraw from the race and let another, younger candidate take over. There are also reports of concern from others in the party, who have signaled that they are open to Biden stepping down but have stopped short of asking him to step aside.
“I directly expressed the full breadth of insight, heartfelt perspectives and conclusions about the path forward that the Caucus has shared in our recent time together,” Jeffries said in the letter.
The Democratic National Convention in August is fast approaching, and the discourse over Biden’s ability to win has led to discussions over how the party might be able to replace the president on the ticket so close to the election.
