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U.S. Democratic lawmakers appeared divided Tuesday on the viability of President Joe Biden's reelection campaign against Donald Trump after Biden's faltering debate performance last month against the former president.
Democratic senators and members of the House of Representatives met separately behind closed doors to discuss whether they should continue to support the party's leader, the 81-year-old Biden, or implore him to drop his candidacy, possibly in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Concerns were raised after Biden's performance last month in the debate, where he looked and sounded exhausted and often lost his train of thought.
Only seven of the 213 House Democrats have publicly called for Biden to drop his reelection bid.
But others have voiced concerns about Biden's chances of winning the November 5 election against Trump, the Republican who has edged ahead in national polling since their debate and in crucial political battleground states that both candidates need to win in November.
Biden has vowed to stay in the race, saying that only "the Lord Almighty" could force him out and urging Democratic lawmakers to quickly get behind his campaign and end the drama over whether he might drop out.
But Representative Mike Quigley of Illinois, one of the six lawmakers who have urged Biden to withdraw from his campaign, said on his way into the meeting of House Democrats, "He just has to step down. He can't win. My colleagues need to recognize that."
Representative Adam Smith, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement Monday, "The president's poor performance in the debate was alarming to watch, and the American people have made it clear they no longer see him as a credible candidate to serve four more years as president."
Numerous others, however, said they would not abandon Biden's reelection bid.
"I think he is our best hope to make sure Donald Trump does not get back into office," Representative Shri Thanedar of Michigan told reporters.
After the meeting, Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York, who two days ago privately called for Biden to leave the ticket, said that while he still has concerns about Biden's candidacy, those are now "beside the point."
"He's going to be our nominee, and we all have to support him," Nadler said.
Representative Diana DeGette of Colorado released a statement saying Biden is "still up to doing the job for a second term."
"Looking ahead, it is a waste of time and potentially dangerous for Democrats to spend the next few months wringing our hands trying to find an alternative path forward," she said. "President Biden has been a very successful president: defending our reproductive rights, protecting our environment, and upholding the values of our democracy. Meanwhile, Trump is a crazy felonious authoritarian."
But even staunch Biden supporters say he needs to show the American public that he has the mental acuity and physical stamina to run a winning campaign over the next four months to defeat Trump, let alone, if he wins, to govern through early 2029, when he would leave office at 86.
"We need to see a much more forceful and energetic candidate on the campaign trail in the very near future," Democratic Senator Patty Murray, chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement on Monday night, adding that Biden "must seriously consider the best way to preserve his incredible legacy."
Other Democratic senators also voiced concerns about Biden's candidacy, but none has asked him to withdraw from his reelection bid.
Democratic Senator Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico said, "I hope he continues to reach out to voters the way that we saw him this weekend, talking to them unscripted. The more that he does that, I think the more support that we're going to see across the country."
Democratic Senator Mark Warner said in a statement Monday that another Trump term would be perilous for the rule of law and democracy.
But he went on to say that "it is incumbent upon [Biden] to more aggressively make his case to the American people, and to hear directly from a broader group of voices about how to best prevent Trump's lawlessness from returning to the White House."
Biden on Tuesday hosted a gathering of NATO leaders in Washington, giving him a chance to showcase his global leadership as the West's key military alliance debates how to continue its support for Ukraine to fight off Russia's two-plus-year invasion.
Trump, who is 78, told Fox News on Monday that he expects Biden to remain in the race. Trump is holding a rally in Florida on Tuesday night ahead of next week's Republican National Convention and is expected to soon name his vice presidential running mate for the November 5 election.
Aside from worrying about Biden's fate against Trump, House Democratic lawmakers have voiced concerns that Biden's struggles could damage their chances of capturing a majority in the House, where they now are outnumbered by Republicans, 220-213.
Democrats face a far tougher path to protect their 51-49 Senate majority, as they are defending multiple seats in Republican-leaning states.
Democratic Senator Michael Bennet said he wants Democrats to unite on a campaign strategy by week's end, whether Biden remains on the ticket or not.
"What I hope to see is, over the course of this week, our coming together on the kind of compelling and successful path forward that the American people need," he told reporters on Monday.
Former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, when asked on Monday whether Democrats should stick with Biden, said, "People should be prayerful, thoughtful. And the decision is the president's. It's not the [party] caucus'."