Tennessee's U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen weighs in on Biden after private House Democrats meeting
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After House Democrats met privately Tuesday morning to discuss President Joe Biden’s reelection bid, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, the only remaining Democrat in Tennessee’s Congressional delegation, said their priority is to defeat former president Donald Trump.
Biden has drawn scrutiny after a dismal debate performance last month during which he froze or trailed off at times, which again raised questions about his ability to defeat Trump in November, and cognitive ability to finish out a second term.
Biden, 81, has stringently declined to withdraw from the race, sending a letter to House Democrats on Monday reiterating that he is "firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump."
But in an extraordinary moment in the weeks leading up to the Democratic National Convention, some Democrats are continuing to seriously question Biden's physical and mental ability to do the job. As of Tuesday afternoon, seven House Democrats had called for Biden to step aside so the party can select a different nominee to face Trump in November.
More: Seventh House Democrat calls on Joe Biden to exit 2024 race after debate: Live updates
House Democrats, including Cohen, met privately at DNC headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday morning to discuss whether Biden should remain the party’s nominee. Multiple members reportedly called for Biden to step down during the meeting.
Asked while leaving the two-hour meeting if his colleagues are on the same page on the matter, Cohen said “no.”
“We’re not even in the same book,” he said, according to a video posted by a Daily Mail reporter.
Dems exiting their meeting on Biden saying not only are they not on the same page, ‘we are not even in the same book’ pic.twitter.com/n2QEeJinzE
— Jon Michael Raasch (@JMRaasch) July 9, 2024
Reached by text Tuesday afternoon, Cohen said that the priority is to defeat former President Donald Trump.
“We are all aware that the real issue is the threat to democracy that Donald Trump poses and we will all be together to defeat him,” Cohen wrote. “Hopefully America will too, for America is at risk.”
Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at vivian@tennessean.com or on X at @Vivian_E_Jones.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Steve Cohen weighs in on Biden after private House Democrats meeting
