Biden Appears to Lose Support of 2 Heavyweights

Things are moving fast on the question of whether President Biden will remain the Democratic nominee: In a major development, the Washington Post reports that both Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told the president he would hurt the party's chances in Congress should he remain. Both leaders, whose opinions are seen as vital to Biden's political fate, met privately with the president—Jeffries on Thursday night and Schumer on Saturday.

• Details: ABC News reports that Schumer made a "blunt" case to Biden that he should withdraw. Other reports are less definitive. Axios reports that Schumer "confronted" the president about his concerns on Biden's candidacy. A report at Politico similarly says Schumer relayed his deep concerns about November if Biden stays atop the ticket. The report, citing two sources, adds that Jeffries relayed the same concerns.

• Someone 'close': The Post also reports, cryptically, that "someone close to Biden" told him he should withdraw but that Biden rejected the argument. The newspaper didn't name the person or drop other hints.
• Schiff, too: The Schumer and Jeffries revelations come shortly after Senate candidate Adam Schiff, a close ally of Nancy Pelosi, urged Biden to step aside.
• A rationale: In a new interview with BET News, Biden said he would consider withdrawing if he was diagnosed with a medical condition that made it necessary, reports the New York Times. Biden has been getting more pragmatic in offering reasons that would cause him to withdraw after initially ruling it out entirely, notes the newspaper. Hours after the interview dropped, the White House announced that Biden had tested positive for COVID and would be canceling campaign events.

(More President Biden 2024 stories.)