Democratic Leaders Swarmed TV Trying to Project Calm About Biden. But Conversations Are ‘Ongoing.’

While fellow party leaders deflected on Biden’s age, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries called for all hands on deck to recover from Thursday’s debate.

Hakeem Jeffries
J. Scott Applewhite/AP

With the Democratic Party in disarray after Thursday’s debate raised questions about President Joe Biden’s mental fitness, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries shifted responsibility to the party to find a path forward.

“So the moment that we’re in right now is a comeback moment, and it’s going to require all of us to lean in, articulate a forward-looking message as to why the Democratic platform is best equipped to deal with the challenges facing the American people,” Jeffries said on MSNBC’s “The Weekend.”

During an all-out Sunday media blitz, the party’s all-stars dotted the major networks: Rep. Jim Clyburn, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Sens. Raphael Warnock, Chris Coons and John Fetterman ignored questions of Biden’s age to attack former President Donald Trump. They committed to Biden — “We have a man who has the competence and the character to lead this great nation,” said Warnock — and called the debate “one bad night.”