U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse – who made national news by saying he was horrified by President Biden’s recent debate performance – said Wednesday that Biden is doing the right thing by assessing whether to continue his campaign.
“I think it’s the responsible thing for him to do,” Whitehouse told reporters after an unrelated news conference at the Statehouse in Providence. “I think that we need to see a winning strategy emerge that Democrats can have confidence in. That may very well involve the president continuing.”
Whitehouse was reacting to a New York Times report describing how Biden is considering whether to stay in or drop out of the race with Republican Donald Trump – the first indication that he is wrestling with the question.
Whitehouse said Biden’s conversation on the topic “needs to be had” with his family, his campaign team, top congressional Democrats and that other interested parties should be “cooling their jets” as talks continue through the weekend.
Biden is slated to talk with Democratic governors later Wednesday.
Asked why the president has not pursued a series of public events to respond to doubts about his ability, Whitehouse said, “I suspect it’s because this is a significant question for him and for his administration and for his campaign. And before they go charging out, they need to have the conversation that they are having now. I think this is a helpful reboot.”
Asked if he believes Biden is up to the task of restoring confidence for elected Democrats panicked by his debate performance, Whitehouse said, “That is what this conversation will produce. I can’t look ahead and predict that.”
Whitehouse said he will not be advising Biden on which path to pursue.
“I think what’s important for all of us,” he said, “is that the conversations that are going on result in a unified party and a winning campaign to keep a true menace and criminal out of the White House.”
