Black voters have been a bedrock of Biden’s political support throughout the presidential campaign. Biden greeted the congregation by saying, “It’s good to be home.”
““We are all imperfect beings,” Biden said in brief remarks, “and we don’t know when or where or what our destiny will hold. But we know that no matter what, we can seek a life of light and hope and love and truth. We can ask for that life.”
“We have to work together,” the president added, “because if we do that, no one can stop us.”
As he finished his speech, the crowd chanted, “Four more years! Four more years!”
In recent days, party leaders have privately expressed their concerns and more lawmakers have publicly called on Biden to withdraw, but it is the black community that has been the most enthusiastic in supporting Biden. From the beginning of the service, Pastor Lewis Felton made a strong statement of support for Biden, encouraging his congregation to stand and yell, “President Biden, we love you!”
Biden stood and raised his hands during the song and linked arms with the pastor next to him during the prayer, and Felton noted that the president was seated next to the church’s founder, 91-year-old Bishop Ernest C. Morris Sr.
“Don’t let anyone tell you your age. You’re still a kid,” Felton declared.
The pastor also explicitly contrasted Biden’s actions with Donald Trump’s religious ties, who began selling $60 Bibles in March: “This president isn’t selling Bibles. He actually reads them.”
Amid growing anxiety among Democratic lawmakers and governors — who have largely remained publicly loyal to Biden — campaign aides hastily scheduled events for Sunday to demonstrate Biden’s vitality and willingness to forcefully confront Trump.
Upon arriving in Pennsylvania early Sunday, Biden greeted Democratic Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman, who Biden spoke with briefly, tapping Fetterman on the chest with his fist.
Biden is scheduled to travel to Harrisburg later Sunday for community outreach with labor union members and local Democrats. Throughout the day, the president will be joined by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Lt. Governor Austin Davis.
The meetings with the state’s two senators, and later with Shapiro, the Democratic star candidate, were part of a carefully orchestrated staging by the campaign to demonstrate the support of key figures in the party for the president. At a time when Biden has fallen further in the polls and a majority of the public believes he is no longer fit for the presidency, his 22-minute interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, which aired Friday night, did little to change the restless mood of party members.
Five Democratic senators have called on Biden to drop out of the race, and as of Saturday at least 17 current and former Democratic officials have publicly expressed concerns about Biden’s fitness to be president and his ability to defeat Trump. The latest to urge Biden to seek advice from outside his inner circle is Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who is running for the late Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat.
Schiff, in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, said Biden’s debate performance “raised legitimate questions among the American people about whether the president has the ability to beat Trump,” adding that he believes Biden “should crush” Trump.
“Joe Biden is running a criminal race. It shouldn’t be a close race, and the only reason it’s close is because of the age of the president,” Schiff said. “Obviously he’s talked to his family about this, and that’s important, but he should be looking for people who have some distance and objectivity.”
Schiff said Biden should ponder “whether he made the right decision to run or to pass the baton,” saying “that’s the most important decision he has to make right now.”
Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat and a close ally of Biden, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the president needed to ease voters’ concerns by showing them “he’s still the same old Joe Biden,” without directly answering a question about whether Biden should be the party’s nominee.
“I support Joe Biden. That’s all,” Murphy said, “but I know there are a lot of voters out there who need to be convinced that Thursday night’s debate performance was poor. … At the end of the day, I support Joe Biden. I’m going to vote for Joe Biden. But we need millions of votes for president.”
On Friday, Biden repeatedly rejected questions from Stephanopoulos about whether he would undergo an independent medical evaluation, including neurological and cognitive testing, insisting that simply performing the duties of the presidency “subjects me to a full neurological exam every day.” Schiff said both Trump and Biden should undergo cognitive testing.
Biden and his campaign staff have insisted that his performance in the debate was an aberration rather than evidence of cognitive decline, and the coming days will be crucial in determining whether Biden can maintain his party’s credibility.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has scheduled a call with House Democratic leaders on Sunday afternoon to address concerns from lawmakers who worry that Biden’s candidacy could negatively impact lower-level races.
Lawmakers are returning to Washington on Monday to convene for the first time since the July 4 holiday to consider whether Democratic nominee Biden can help his party prevail in key battles for control of the House and Senate in November. Biden is due to return to the White House on Sunday evening ahead of a NATO summit in Washington this week, and is due to hold an unusual solo news conference on Thursday.
The Biden campaign also added a visit to Michigan on Friday, according to a person familiar with the itinerary, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an event that has not yet been made public. It will be the third battleground state the Biden team will visit in a week.
First lady Jill Biden, who has been a frequent campaign attendee since the debate, is scheduled to campaign in three cities on Monday: Tampa; Wilmington, North Carolina; and Columbus, Georgia.
Reston reported from Washington. Aji Paivala and Joby Warrick in Washington contributed to this report.
