What he didn’t see was what was happening at that exact moment on a Sunday afternoon conference call with senior Democratic lawmakers concerned about the state of Biden’s campaign: Several expressed dismay and said Biden should stop seeking reelection, further amplifying calls from party leaders for a change of course.
In the 72 hours since Biden campaigned in two key battleground states and returned to Washington, it has become increasingly clear just how different things are for the Democratic standard-bearer than for many in his party.
Whereas they see polls predicting political disaster, he sees a close race; where they see a rapidly aging man due for a cognitive test, he sees no problem that a exertion of energy and force can’t solve; where they see a 90-minute debate that demonstrated the acuity of his mental powers, he sees it as simply a “bad night” nursing a jet-lagged cold.
Everyone in the party acknowledges that whether to seek reelection is Biden’s decision, and his alone. But a self-described natural optimist, Biden is trying to convince an increasingly pessimistic party that more Democrats fear that if things don’t change, Republicans will win big, propelling Donald Trump to the White House.
But in the eyes of a president who often favors an underdog mentality, he appears to be posing as Joe Biden against the world (or at least parts of his party).
Biden has held several rallies in recent days aimed at showing he still has enthusiastic support from party members. But they stand in stark contrast to the somber atmosphere outside and pose a challenge for skeptics who point to intangible indicators like worrying polls, mounting defections and withheld donations.
Critics might worry that Biden is living in a Biden bubble, shielding himself from the worst news, but he has chosen to focus on the positive. He maintains that his conversations with leading Democratic figures have been reassuring: “They’re telling me to keep on running.”
When presented with counter-information in an ABC News interview and in exchanges with reporters that Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey (D) had expressed concerns and that Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) was trying to bring together concerned senators to discuss withdrawal, he dismissed the counter-information, saying he had not spoken to either Healey or Warner personally.
By Monday, Biden further underscored his view that he was the party’s best option to defeat Trump for a second time. He wrote a lengthy letter to Democratic lawmakers stating bluntly that “I am firmly committed to remaining in this race and fighting to the end.” He joined a conference call with major donors and said, “The Democratic Party has made up its mind. I am the Democratic nominee.”
He also told the hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that he has grown frustrated with chattering people and that “elites really annoy me,” and that he had been on a fact-finding mission in the days before the campaign to determine whether his instincts about continuing the campaign were correct. He said the enthusiastic crowds he saw showed that they were.
“I wanted to make sure I was right. The average voter out there still wants Joe Biden,” he said, “and I’m sure they do. I’m not going anywhere.”
On Sunday, as political talk shows were abuzz with speculation about whether and when Biden would withdraw from the race, he walked into Philadelphia’s Mount Airy Church of God in Christ to find a raucous congregation shouting his name. He heard the pastor remark about the president sitting next to a 91-year-old bishop (“Don’t let anybody tell you your age. You’re a young man”), compare him to his Biblical namesake who defied odds (“Never underestimate Joseph!”) and vigorously advocate for his campaign.
“If Joseph could get out of the hole! If Jesus could get out of the hole! President Biden is coming back!” exclaimed Pastor Lewis Felton. “He’s a comeback kid. He’s a fighter. He’s a champion. He’s a winner. Hallelujah!”
The president swayed to the music, raised his hands above his head and listened to a member of the congregation pray, “God, touch his mind and his body. God, uplift him and his spirit. Bless him and guide him.”
Two days earlier, Biden had said he needed divine intervention to change his mind about running: “If the almighty God came down and said, ‘Joe, get out of the running,’ I would get out of the running.” But in a message delivered from his church pulpit, God had other intentions.
“God knew President Biden needed love,” Felton said, “and He sent him here today so that we could show him that.”
The congregation rose to their feet, clapping and cheering, while the president sat smiling and beating his chest.
After the service, Biden addressed the congregation, posed for selfies and spoke about his loan forgiveness program before visiting his campaign office to greet volunteers, who he said were turning out in large numbers.
“I want Dark Brandon back,” one woman said, referring to a meme that portrayed Biden as a superhero and spawned an image used on campaign merchandise.
“Dirk Brandon is coming back,” the president said.
By Sunday afternoon, the president had arrived at a courtyard filled with several hundred supporters, who were listening to music, playing cornhole and eating barbecue. The president gave a short, at times rambling, speech before handing the microphone to Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania), one of the president’s most vocal supporters in recent days.
“I’m going to point the finger at the only person who kicked Trump’s ass in this election,” Fetterman said, pointing at the president. “He humiliated Trump. He beat him. And he had to lie about it.”
Biden spoke for six minutes, but continued speaking at length for nearly an hour afterward.
He kissed several attendees on the forehead, grabbed their shoulders and spoke to them one-on-one. At one point he took off his jacket and took a swig of what appeared to be an orange Gatorade. A growing number of Democrats are questioning whether he should continue in the race, but his rope-line assertion sends the opposite message.
While Biden has appeared at ease over the past few days, buoyed by cheering crowds and the more intimate interactions he was known for earlier in his career, there are signs of trouble that portend future fights.
His sometimes halting speech continues. He received warm cheers from the crowd at a middle school gym in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday, but in interviews he said many voters had come to see him because they were concerned about his health and wanted him to step down.
Church members were ecstatic, praying for him, locking arms with him and chanting, “Four more years!”, yet many of the pews were empty.
But while Democratic lawmakers were airing their concerns in a private call with House leadership on Sunday, the president’s mind was elsewhere, focused on a much lighter topic.
“Ladies, if you’ll allow me, I’ll find out if they have any ice cream,” he said. “You know, it’s really boring when you have a president who’s known for two things: Ray-Ban sunglasses and chocolate chip ice cream, right?”