What he didn’t see was what was happening at that very moment on Sunday afternoon, on a call among senior congressional Democrats who were concerned about the state of Biden’s campaign: Several expressed dismay and said he should end his reelection bid, joining a louder chorus of party officials wanting to change course.
Over a 72-hour period, as Biden campaigned in two key states and returned to Washington, what became increasingly clear is how different things look for the Democratic standard-bearer than they do for many in his party.
Where they see polls predicting political calamity, he sees a technical tie. Where they see a rapidly aging man who should be given cognitive tests, he sees no problem that can’t be solved with a show of energy and force. Where they see a 90-minute debate that showed the state of his mental acuity, he sees it as simply a “bad night” while he fought off a jet-lag-induced cold.
Everyone in the party acknowledges that it is Biden’s decision — and his alone — to continue his re-election bid. But the self-proclaimed congenital optimist now finds himself trying to convince a party that has become increasingly pessimistic, with a growing number of Democrats worried that unless things change, Republicans are poised for a landslide victory and Donald Trump is headed for the White House.
But in the eyes of a president who often relishes an underdog mentality, he has taken on a Joe Biden versus the world (or at least some in his party) stance.
Biden has held several rallies in recent days aimed at showing that he still has the enthusiastic support of the party’s base. But those events have contrasted sharply with the somber mood outside, creating a challenge for skeptics who are pointing to less tangible indicators like troubling poll numbers, rising defections and withheld donations.
While critics may worry that Biden is cocooned in the worst news, living in a sort of Biden Bubble, he has chosen to focus on the positives. He insists that his conversations with top Democrats have been emphatically reassuring: “They’re telling me to stay in the race.”
When presented with contrary information in an interview with ABC News or during conversations with reporters — that Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) had expressed concerns and that Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) was trying to bring concerned senators together to talk to him about the withdrawal — he countered by saying that neither Healey nor Warner had spoken to him personally.
On Monday, Biden became even more emphatic in his view that he was his party’s best option to defeat Trump for a second time. He sent a lengthy letter to congressional Democrats stating bluntly, “I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end.” He joined a call with his top donors, telling them, “The Democratic Party has spoken. I am the Democratic nominee.”
He also told the hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that he had grown frustrated with the chattering class — “I’m getting so frustrated with the elites” — and that he had spent the previous few days on the campaign trail on a sort of fact-finding mission to determine whether his instinct to stay in the race was correct. The passionate crowds he saw, he said, told him that it was.
“I wanted to make sure I got it right, that the average voter out there still wanted Joe Biden,” he said. “And I’m confident they do. … I’m not going anywhere.”
On Sunday, as political talk shows were abuzz with speculation about whether — when? — Biden would drop out of the race, he walked into the Mount Airy Church of God in Christ in Philadelphia to a raucous congregation cheering his name. He heard a pastor adamant about his support for his campaign, noting that the president was sitting next to a 91-year-old bishop (“Don’t let anyone talk about your age. You’re a sassy young man”) and comparing him to his biblical namesake who defied expectations (“Never count Joseph out!”).
“If Joseph could get out of the pit! If Jesus could get out of the pit! President Biden is coming back!” Pastor Louis Felton shouted. “He’s a kid who’s come back. He’s a fighter. He’s a champion. He’s a winner. Hallelujah!”
The president swayed to the music, raising his arms above his head, and heard a member of the congregation offer a prayer, saying: “Touch his mind, O God, his body; rejuvenate him and his spirit, O God—bless him and give him direction.”
Two days earlier, Biden had said that divine intervention would be needed to change his mind about running — “If the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get out of the race,’ I would get out of the race.” But in the message from the church pulpit, the divine had a different agenda.
“God knew President Biden needed some love,” Felton said. “And God sent him here today so we can show him some love.”
The congregation stood, clapping and cheering. The president sat, smiling and beating his heart.
After greeting congregation members after the service, posing for selfies and talking about his loan forgiveness program, Biden visited a campaign office and greeted volunteers. He told them he was getting big crowds.
“We need Dark Brandon back,” one woman said, referring to a meme that portrayed Biden as a superhero and inspired an image the campaign used for merchandise.
“Dark Brandon is coming back,” the president said.
On Sunday afternoon, the president arrived to a courtyard filled with several hundred supporters who were listening to music, playing cornhole and eating barbecue. His remarks were brief and at times rambling before he handed the microphone to Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who has been one of his most vocal supporters in recent days.
“I’m about to point to the only person who’s ever kicked Trump’s ass in an election right now,” Fetterman said, gesturing to the president. “Humiliated Trump. Broke him. And he had to lie about it.”
Biden spoke for six minutes, but then continued speaking for nearly an hour.
He kissed foreheads, grabbed shoulders and spoke face-to-face with several attendees. At one point, he removed his jacket and took a long swig of what appeared to be orange Gatorade. While more Democrats are questioning whether he should stay in the race, the statements from the rope line are sending the opposite message.
While the past few days have seemed to reassure Biden, buoyed by cheering crowds and the more intimate interactions he was known for earlier in his career, there are also signs of trouble that could portend a battle ahead.
His sometimes halting speech patterns continued. And while he was warmly applauded on Friday by a crowd at an elementary school gym in Madison, Wis., several voters said in interviews that they had come to see him because they were concerned about his health and wanted him to drop out of school.
And while the church crowd was excited—praying for him, linking arms with him, and shouting “four more years!”—several pews were empty.
Yet by the time congressional Democrats voiced their concerns in a private call with House leaders on Sunday, the president’s mind was elsewhere, focused on much lighter matters.
“Guys, with your permission, I’m going to find out if you have any ice cream,” he said. “You know, isn’t it kind of annoying when you have a president who’s known for two things — Ray-Ban sunglasses and chocolate chip ice cream?”
