Biden’s future in question as Democratic governors meet with president behind closed doors

Democratic governors from across the country traveled to the White House Wednesday night to meet with President Biden after his widely criticized performance in last week’s debate.

The goal of the meeting was to shore up support among top party leaders and prevent a loss of confidence in Biden’s candidacy.

Democratic governors planning to attend in person included Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who heads the Democratic Governors Association, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, among others.

After the meeting, only Governors Walz, Hochul and Moore spoke to reporters.

Gov. Walz said he and his colleagues had a “great conversation” with President Biden.

Walz said his fellow governors are not worried about lingering doubts about Biden’s cognitive abilities, but about “the threat of a Trump presidency.” That threat, he added, “is not theoretical for governors.”

Walz praised the Biden administration for its handling of COVID and its “investments in infrastructure and the middle class.”

Walz said neither governor denied that Thursday, the night of the debate, was a “poor performance.”

“But that has no impact on what I believe,” Walz said.

Governor Moore called the meeting with Biden “honest” and “frank.”

“The president has always supported us. We will continue to support him as well, because the results we have seen under this administration are undeniable in all of our states,” Moore said.

Moore framed the presidential race as a binary choice: “between someone who has consistently been there for us in our states and for the citizens of our states and, frankly, someone whose vision for the future of this country is downright dangerous.”

Governor Hochul said President Biden is “in it to win.”

“We all supported him because the stakes couldn’t be higher,” Hochul said, citing the fight against tyranny on the eve of Independence Day.

The press conference lasted about five and a half minutes.