AOC breaks silence on Biden support as Democrats crumble after fallout from heated debate

By Jon Michael Raasch, Capitol Hill political reporter, for Dailymail.Com

00:54 09 Jul 2024, updated 00:58 09 Jul 2024

Progressive Party leader Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has broken her silence on whether Joe Biden should run again in 2024.

After Biden’s disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump on June 27, questions swirled about the 81-year-old’s physical and mental health — and whether he should withdraw from the race.

So far, only a small cohort of Democratic lawmakers have called on the president to withdraw from the race, while many others have thrown their support behind Biden.

The team leader confirmed on Monday that she was in agreement with the president’s leadership.

“I’ve talked to (Biden) a lot,” AOC revealed. “The deal is done. Joe Biden is our nominee.”

AOC said she spoke to Biden over the weekend and he made it clear to her that he was not withdrawing from the race.

“He made it clear then and he’s made it clear since he’s been in this race,” she continued.

“He’s in this race and I support him,” the team leader said.

The most popular progressive lawmaker’s full-throated support comes at a crucial time as Democrats oppose the president’s re-election campaign.

AOC’s support for Biden was echoed by Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat, who said she also currently supports Joe.

“I think it’s important that we make sure our candidate is the strongest, and right now, Biden is our candidate.”

“Until that changes, I think it’s best that we have these conversations in private,” she continued.

However, his view of Biden after the debate was not entirely rosy.

“I think it would be hard not to be concerned,” she added. “I think it was not a good debate performance.”

“And I think that was very difficult for all of us to watch.”

The first elected Democrat to break ranks with Biden was Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett.

On July 2, five days after Biden’s disastrous performance in the CNN debate, Doggett released a statement calling on the president to withdraw from the race.

Doggett, a veteran Democrat who has served since 1995, wrote that Biden had pledged to be a “transitional” candidate, saying the president had kept his promise and should end his candidacy.

A day later, on July 3, Representative Raúl Grijalva of Arizona told the New York Times that he, too, thought Joe Biden should drop out of the race.

“If he is a candidate, I will support him, but I think it is an opportunity to look elsewhere,” Grijalva said.

A number of other influential lawmakers also expressed concerns about Biden’s ability during a call Sunday among members of Congress.

Democratic Reps. Mark Takano of California, Jerry Nadler and Joe Morelle of New York, and Adam Smith of Washington all expressed at the conference their desire to see Biden step down.

On Monday, Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, publicly said on CNN that he wanted Biden to drop out of the race.

“We have a good message,” Smith said of Democrats’ political positioning.

“The president has shown that he is not able to convey that message effectively,” he added, noting that concerns had been raised before the debate.