Rachel Cohen, a spokeswoman for Senator Warner, would not confirm or deny whether the senator believes Biden should withdraw from the election, instead issuing a statement saying, “Like many in Washington and across the country, Senator Warner believes this is a critical time in the presidential campaign and has made this clear to the White House.”
As growing concerns mount, senators are weighing how to best convey their concerns to the president, with various tactics being discussed.
One option under consideration is a meeting between senators and Biden at the White House, where proponents say they could express honest concerns directly, even if some senators don’t want Biden to resign. No sitting Democratic senators have publicly called for Biden to resign, but they have been privately sharing their growing concerns with each other over the past week as they fight an already uphill battle to maintain their Senate majority.
Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is seen as a serious voice personally urging the president to step down, and he represents a state Democrats must win in the November election to maintain control of the White House.
There is a growing sentiment among Senate Democrats that Biden’s status as the top contender is untenable, and they are trying to figure out how to best get that message across to the isolated president. Some senators don’t think Biden has people around him who can give him an accurate picture, according to a Democratic senator and a senior Democratic aide.
Still, many senators are taking a wait-and-see approach, wanting to see how Biden performs in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Friday night and at a rally in Wisconsin before deciding to take such drastic measures.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has told senators to refrain from taking any action until there is more polling data on Biden and where Democrats stand, according to two people familiar with the conversations. Some Democrats have argued that the polling data cannot be trusted until later this month, given the Fourth of July and an expected Republican vote gain at the national convention.
Warner has not publicly commented on Biden’s debate performance, even though many of his colleagues initially posted messages of support but privately worried about the debate’s fallout.
“The bottom line is, Joe Biden is our president. He’s a patriotic American. He’s done a good job. He puts others first, not himself,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Warner’s co-senatorial candidate up for reelection this fall, said at a recent campaign rally, according to Progress Index. “He had one existential race in 2020 that he had to win. He’s built a great record as a president.”
If Warner’s group materializes, it would signal a major shift in Democrats’ approach to whether Biden can remain in the race against Trump.
In August 1974, three Republican congressional leaders came to the White House to inform then-President Richard M. Nixon that he no longer had enough support to survive impeachment over the Watergate scandal. Nixon resigned two days later.
In this case, many Democratic senators know Biden personally and like him, but are concerned about his future and prospects because his performance in the debate raised questions about his mental state and health.
“I think there’s a recognition among many that the current path may not be sustainable for Trump,” said one Democratic senator, describing the general mood of the caucus. “It’s not just about the debate, it’s about how well Trump can do going forward. He clearly has to show strength now.”
Senators have returned home since the debate but have been in touch by phone to express concerns and figure out a way forward. Schumer has publicly endorsed Biden.
Warner is now preparing to sue over the matter, according to people familiar with the matter.
The former Virginia governor and businessman has occasionally criticized the Biden administration in the past for its decisions to promote TikTok content and its handling of the classified documents investigation. In 2023, he was one of eight Democratic senators who wrote a letter to Biden urging him to commit more resources to securing the southern border.
Warner has served as a moderate negotiator in the Senate, including helping to negotiate the 2021 infrastructure bill.
