Biden tries to calm Democrats as 2024 drop-out pressure mounts

President Joe Biden and his White House staff spent Wednesday delivering pep talks in calls and meetings with close allies, Democratic governors, congressmembers and campaign staff.

“Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can, as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running,” Biden said on a call with campaign staff, an official told NBC News. “I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win.”

The comments are part of Biden’s larger firefighting mission as his team works to quell Democratic panic about his reelection bid in the wake of his disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump last week.

Biden was joined at the Wednesday campaign meeting by Vice President Kamala Harris, who is increasingly drawing eyes as a potential replacement for the president if he drops out of the race.

The president spoke with some of his closest allies and Capitol Hill supporters Wednesday, including former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.

The president has also taped interviews with two Black radio shows, the Earl Ingram Show on the Civic Media Network and The Source with Andrea Lawful-Sanders on WURD Radio, scheduled to air Thursday morning, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at the Wednesday press briefing.

On Wednesday evening, the president is also scheduled to meet with Democratic governors from across the U.S., many of whom have been floated as other potential options to replace Biden. That meeting follows a Monday huddle of governors, who reportedly expressed their concerns about the Democratic party’s path forward, according to NBC News.

New polls are delivering mixed signals about Biden’s current standing in the head-to-head rematch against Trump.

A closely-watched New York Times/Siena College poll released Wednesday found Trump leading Biden 49 to 41 among the registered voters surveyed. For likely voters, Trump led Biden by a slightly smaller six-point margin, though that was three points higher than before the debate. The New York Times poll surveyed 1,532 registered voters across the country from June 28 to July 2. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.8 percentage points for registered voters.

A Wall Street Journal poll also out Wednesday echoed those findings, with Trump ahead of Biden 48% to 42%. That survey interviewed 1,500 registered voters from June 29 through July 2 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

A Tuesday CNN poll also found Trump with a 6-point lead against Biden, though that was the same as the poll’s April result. The margin of error for that question was plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

Polling so close after the debate represents a snapshot of immediate voter reactions and the results could change as voters take more time to process Biden’s performance.

While Biden’s campaign continues…