Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said some of his concerns were “deepened” on Thursday, and he needs to see more from President Biden and his campaign to address the concerns about his candidacy in the November election against former President Trump.
“I need to see more analytics and data that show a path to victory,” he told reporters after the special meeting with top Biden campaign advisers on Thursday.
According to Blumenthal, “Some of my concerns are allayed. Some others have been deepened,” after the discussion at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) with senior Biden advisers Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti, and campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon.
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Sen. Blumenthal said he still has concerns after the meeting with Biden’s advisers, and some of them had “deepened.” (Getty Images)
He explained that Biden’s solo press conference on Thursday evening at the conclusion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit will be “important” and “potentially a turning point.”
“But it has to be more than one, more than just one press conference in a week,” he added.
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President Biden has said he is staying in the race. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
The event will notably be Biden’s first such solo news conference of 2024.
“Joe Biden has to continue effectively and aggressively meeting the concerns of the American people,” Blumenthal said.
The senator emphasized that Biden must do press conferences and interviews, similar to those he is “doing right now.”
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Blumenthal wants to see more data about Biden’s path to victory. (Yuriy Dyachyshyn/AFP via Getty Images)
While he noted the concerns he still has, Blumenthal said, “as of now, he is the Democratic nominee. He has my support.”
The Democratic senator also made a point to note that Biden must revive his campaign himself. “It can’t be done for him, his advisers or staff can’t do it for him,” he said of the changes the president needs to make.
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Sen. Peter Welch was the first Democratic senator to call on Biden to drop out of the race. (Getty Images)
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., who became the first Democratic senator to call on Biden to exit the race on Wednesday, attended the meeting at the DSCC as well. “This was an opportunity for the campaign to come and tell us where they’re at and for senators to ask questions [and] make comments,” he said afterward.
When reporters asked if he now felt differently about Biden’s candidacy after hearing from the advisers, he said, “I’m where I’m at, you know.” He said in a Washington Post op-ed on Wednesday that he didn’t believe Biden was the best Democratic candidate to beat Trump.
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Sen. Bernie Sanders said the Biden campaign needs to be “stronger.” (Getty Images)
Also following the discussion, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said, “The Biden campaign has got to be stronger and clear, not only in defending their own record, but in creating an agenda for the future, especially for the needs of the working class of this country.”
A smiling Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., was asked by Fox News Digital if he was happy after the meeting. He responded that he is a “happy person” in general.
Fox News’ Anne Marie Riha contributed to this report.
