Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said he was “very concerned” about President Joe Biden’s chances in November, but downplayed Democratic defections and said he would support Biden going forward.
Asked if he thought Biden should step aside as the Democratic nominee, Durbin maintained his support.
“I think he’s got a strong campaign and a strong message at this point. And I believe he’s going to move forward, and I’m going to support him,” he said.
Speaking to reporters, Durbin was asked to react to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s comments earlier this morning, voicing support for whatever Biden decides to do.
Durbin said he didn’t see the comments, but responded, “The honest answer is he’s our candidate for president. He is clear that he is going to continue in that position. I think our highest priority is defeating Donald Trump.
Durbin also bristled at press coverage of Democrats’ lingering divisions over their presidential nominee.
“You know, the fact of the matter is, it’s the number one story and it’s been around for 10 or 12 days. “The truth is, the American people, many of them, don’t understand why we’re pausing and focusing on this instead of the issues that matter to their families,” he said.
Pressing the seven House Democrats who have so far called on Biden to step down, Durbin asked, “Seven of how many?” He replied.
Colorado Senate last night. Asked by Michael Bennett on CNN that Biden could lose to Donald Trump in a “landslide,” Durbin replied, “That’s Michael’s decision — I believe we run the right campaign and do what we need to do. We’ve accomplished that under this president, and we’ll see him re-elected.”
Durbin urged Biden to “run an aggressive campaign and get his message out to the people” and echoed his criticism of the media. “He certainly tried, but he appears to be at least 12 or 14 days away and have other issues,” Durbin said.
