The top two Democrats in Congress — Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) — urged President Biden to run for reelection in a new joint interview with CNN on Thursday.
“I hope that he does seek reelection,” Pelosi told CNN’s Jamie Gangel. “He’s a person with great vision for our country. He’s been involved for a long time, so he has great knowledge of the issues, and the challenges we face.”
“I mean, look at what he’s accomplished,” Schumer added. “He’s done an excellent, excellent job. And if he runs, I’m going to support him all the way.”
In the wake of Democrats’ better-than-expected performance in the midterm elections, calls for the 80-year-old president to step aside have quieted.
Despite losing the House, Democrats largely managed to hold off the anticipated “red wave” in the midterms and added a seat to their Senate majority — the best midterm performance for a first-term president since former President George W. Bush.
Biden has yet to officially announce a 2024 bid, but he has repeatedly said he plans to run again. With former President Trump already in the race, there is a possibility of a Biden-Trump rematch.
Trump launched his campaign just one week after the midterm elections, despite many Republicans blaming him for the party’s lackluster performance.
“The American people have gotten wise to him,” Schumer said of Trump. “Took a little while, but they did.”
However, a recent poll from CNN showed that majorities in both parties do not want Biden or Trump to be their respective nominees in 2024. Sixty-two percent of Republicans said they wanted the GOP to nominate someone other than Trump, and 59 percent of Democrats said the same of Biden.