“He had so many hopes and plans for things he wanted to do,” first lady Jill Biden told Democratic donors in Nantucket this weekend while her husband was overseas. “But every time you came back, he had to deal with the problems of the moment.” It’s a sentiment widely shared in the West Wing and among Biden’s Democratic allies, many of whom see the past year — starting with the resurgence of Covid-19 after Biden declared “freedom from the virus” followed by the messy and deadly US withdrawal from Afghanistan — as one crisis after another. A number of decisions — including easing some tariffs on China and tackling student loan debt — have been delayed but are likely to expire in the coming weeks after months of deliberations, internal wrangling and, some officials say, delays from Biden. to decide. White House officials point to lower gas prices, progress on drug pricing reform and a competitiveness bill aimed at tackling China as possible upcoming wins, though it remains unclear what political benefit Democrats can gain before In November. Meanwhile, as Republicans look poised to win a majority in the House, Biden’s legal team continues to prepare for what they expect will be an onslaught of oversight investigations from a newly powerful GOP. Biden was in high spirits when he returned to the White House shortly before midnight this weekend, lashing out at a reporter who asked him if he regretted punching Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “Why don’t you guys talk about things that matter? I’m happy to answer a question that matters,” he said, holding his hand over his eyes to shield them from a bright light. It was the latest in a series of tentative answers Biden has given lately to questions about his decisions or policy position. He told a reporter standing on the beach in Rehoboth, Delaware, that he sounded “like a Republican politician” for asking about economic experts predicting a recession. And he pointedly dismissed a question in Saudi Arabia about whether he could be sure that an incident like the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi would not happen again. “God loves you, what a stupid question,” said the President. On the day he left for the Middle East, Biden was leaving a celebratory congressional barbecue on the South Lawn when a reporter asked what his message was to Democrats who don’t want him to run again. “They want me to run,” Biden said, walking toward him. “Read the polls. Read the polls, Jack. You guys are all the same. This poll showed that 92% of Democrats, if I ran, would vote for me.” Biden’s familiarity with the New York Times/Siena College poll released last week was hardly a surprise, even though he once claimed he didn’t believe the poll about his approval ratings. The survey showed that nearly two-thirds of Democratic primary voters would prefer a candidate other than Biden in 2024, though it also showed a close race between him and former President Donald Trump in a potential rematch. Concerns among Democrats about Biden’s leadership — and, increasingly, his age — have grown more acute in recent weeks. Runaway inflation has caused some Democrats to distance themselves from the White House, which has struggled to contain voter anger. “I’ve said for a while that I thought he and the administration were too slow to react to this,” Sen. Maggie Hassan, a vulnerable New Hampshire Democrat up for re-election this fall, told CNN’s Manu Raju this week. Asked if he would support Biden in 2024, Hasan said: “If he runs, I will support him.” Rep. Elisa Slotkin, a Democrat from a competitive Michigan district, said inflation and the economy “should be the beginning of every press conference in the White House and every other relevant department and agency.” He said efforts by some senior Democrats to play down or play down the end of inflation have not been well received by voters. “I’m from Michigan,” he told CNN’s Brianna Keilar. “We’re kind of clear about what’s going on and I think people can feel and see the spin, and I don’t think they like it.” Jared Bernstein, the White House’s top economic adviser, said in an interview with CNN on Sunday that the drop in natural gas prices last month was an achievement worth touting. “If we’re going to talk about the damage these high energy prices do to family budgets, I think we need to talk about the benefits when those prices come down a little bit,” he told Dana Bash on “State of the Union.” But he acknowledged that the drop of about 47 cents a gallon from a month ago wasn’t likely to register for many Americans. “The President is adamant that he’s not calling mission accomplished on any of this. We’re talking about a decline that is completely inadequate when it comes to providing the relief that family budgets need.”
Democratic frustration with White House on abortion and guns
It’s not just inflation where Biden is taking a beating from his fellow Democrats. His cautious response to the Supreme Court ruling that struck down the nation’s right to abortion has been criticized by progressives, who have been frustrated that the President and the White House have ruled out options such as trying to expand the high court or allowing abortions to be performed on federal property. Some Democratic activists were also outraged when it was revealed that Biden had plans to nominate an anti-abortion Republican as a federal judge in Kentucky, which sources described as a possible deal with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who represents the state. Last week, the White House said it had scrapped the plan, citing opposition from Kentucky’s other Republican senator, Rand Paul. Biden signed an executive order before he went abroad aimed at protecting access to abortion. But many of his allies have pushed him to do more, including declaring a public health emergency — a step some officials view with skepticism. “I think there’s more we can and should be doing right now, especially where women in states like mine are in crisis,” Democratic Rep. Lizzie Fletcher of Texas told CNN’s Poppy Harlow last week. And on guns, Biden is under pressure to do more. While a signing ceremony last week for the first piece of major gun legislation in decades was a moment for celebration, it was briefly interrupted when a father whose son was killed in the 2018 Parkland mass shooting protested. “We have to do more than this,” shouted Manuel Oliver. “I’ve been trying to tell you for years!” On abortion, guns and other issues — including taming inflation — Biden and his aides point out that their options for executive action are limited and suggest that some proposals from fellow Democrats won’t hold up court. Biden said this week he was ready to take executive action to address climate change after Manchin torpedoed another attempt to pass new clean energy spending, along with tax hikes on the wealthy, citing inflation concerns. It was a discouraging, but for some administrators not entirely surprising, result. Attempts to court West Virginia, including a rare invitation to Biden’s Delaware home for breakfast last fall, have previously led to similar disappointments. This time, administration officials left the negotiations to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer — and many felt their skepticism was confirmed after Manchin’s announcement last week. Still, it was a seemingly decisive blow to the sweeping legislative ambitions Biden undertook hoping to achieve. While Manchin says he’s open to another look once new inflation numbers are released next month, the window to pass even a watered-down version of the President’s agenda is closing fast. Even Biden, who describes himself as a “born optimist,” told reporters in Saudi Arabia that he had “no idea” whether Manchin was negotiating in good faith. As he returned to a quiet White House late Saturday night, Biden offered as much optimism as he could muster when asked if inflation would begin to ease. “I hope so,” he told reporters gathered in the dark.
