Chuck Schumer Reportedly Open to Democratic Ticket Without Biden

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, Filemon Vela

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has reportedly signaled to donors that he would be willing to support a 2024 Democratic Party ticket without President Joe Biden amid growing calls for the president to drop out of the race.

Axios reported on Wednesday that while Schumer had publicly backed Biden amid calls for his withdrawal, in private, he had been “singing a different tune,” and was “listening to donors’ ideas and suggestions about the best way forward for the party.”

According to Axios, Schumer had been listening to donors’ suggestions even before Biden’s disastrous performance in CNN’s first presidential debate last month, and had also been “receiving feedback from his fellow senators.”

Axios previously reported that Schumer “had signaled to political allies that he was open to options other than President Biden if his debate performance was disastrous.”

Following Biden’s debate performance, and several reports on his alleged “cognitive decline,” a number of Democrats, donors, and media figures urged the president to withdraw from the race.

Hollywood star George Clooney joined the calls for Biden to drop out on Wednesday, writing that while the president was a “close friend,” he did not appear to have the same strength and cognitive ability as he did in 2020.

The White House responded with a statement that appeared to suggest Biden had more stamina than Clooney.