Pollsters predict Democrats will trip Biden closer to NATO summit, as polls tease additional defections

A party pollster told The Post on Thursday that Democrats are waiting for their party to reach the NATO summit this time to force President Biden to complete his re-election bid — as have key lawmakers. Teased that more of his allies will soon come out against the Commander – in chief.

“I believe it is very close to the end,” said John Zogby, pollster and founder of an eponymous advertising and political consulting company.

“(I think) the NATO summit was not so much a test for Biden as it was a holding action,” he said. “You don’t embarrass a world leader in front of world leaders. You will see more and more Congress people coming out and I think the end is very near.”

So far, 11 congressional Democrats have already publicly called on Biden, 81, to stay away from the 2024 race, but others have also signaled their unhappiness with the incumbent’s campaign, particularly Donald Trump’s. After their terrible debate against. 27th June.

“I think everyone will be talking Friday, Saturday and by Sunday you’ll have some idea of ​​what’s going on,” Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) said at a luncheon Thursday morning at the Supreme Biden campaign. Told the journalists while going to the meeting together. Officer.

Manchin, who is later retiring from Congress, was reportedly scheduled to publicly talk about breaking with Biden during an appearance on the Sunday morning crowd affairs program following the controversy, in which Biden often used the words Were visible in lack and weakness.

The strongest advice that Biden’s fate will be sealed at the close of the NATO presidential summit series in the nation’s capital came from former regional chair Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “Democrats were “all in” encouraging him to make this decision because time is short.”

Appearing to ignore Biden’s stated desire earlier in the hour to remain in the race, Pelosi, 84, said “I want him to do whatever he decides to do.” And that’s the way it is. No matter what decision he makes, we move forward. I believe this is really impactful and I hope everyone will get involved.

“Let them deal with this NATO summit,” Pelosi said. “This is a big thing. More than thirty heads of state are present here. He’s the host, and that doesn’t just mean hosting, it means moderating the discussion and setting the agenda. And it is working brilliantly. And I tell everyone, stop whatever you’re thinking. Or tell someone privately, but you don’t have to bring it up until we see how we get on this week.

On Thursday, Politico reported that Pelosi’s response was intended as a “subtle green light” for Democrats — especially in battleground districts — to talk and talk about whether they would like the party to be united. Want to remove Biden from Price’s ticket.

The NATO summit was to conclude with a press conference from Biden, which one Democratic activist called “another make-or-break moment” for the octogenarian.

“I think the narrative needs to change,” this person said. “So either the Dems need to go after Biden or they need to step aside. But we are losing time.”

Field Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was coy about Biden’s position on Thursday, saying that his conference was “engaged in the process of talking to each other” about the issue and pressure received from donors or donors. declined to comment. doors stakeholders

Jefferies also denied that he feared Biden could become a liability to his most likely members.

Meanwhile, some reports Thursday indicated that skepticism about the president has spread among members of his private campaign group — who have quietly begun surveying Vice President Kamala Harris to pit her against Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee. Unused York chances reported.

“He wants out,” a Biden campaign expert told NBC News. “He’ll never get over this.”

“No one involved in the effort thinks they have a way out,” another source said early on.

Zogby suggested that voting for Harris over Trump would serve two independent functions: both “she performs worse, and Biden has a reason to stay in the race,” or, “more than likely, they see that He is being tested to see if he can hand “the reigns of the campaign into his hands.”

Shortly after the controversy, Biden’s deputy campaign manager Rob Flaherty sent a fundraising message criticizing the “bedwetting brigade” of Democrats who want Biden to step down.

He linked polling from the leftist store Knowledge for Exit showing Biden and Harris doing better against Trump than other contenders, such as California Governor Gavin Newsom and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

“The question for me and many of us is: Who is the best person to defeat Donald Trump?” Every other person reported to be in the running for Biden’s re-election told NBC News. “There are a lot of us who are true blue who are questioning our initial views on this.”

Campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez and campaign chair Jennifer O’Malley Dillon argued in a memo sent to their group on Thursday that “there is a clear path forward for us,” the Unutilized New York Times reported.

He added, “There’s also no indication that any other president will perform better versus Trump.”

“Hypothetical polling of alternative candidates will always be unreliable, and polls do not take into account the negative media environment that any Democratic candidate would face. The only Democratic candidate for whom it is already ready is President Biden.

The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to inquiries from The Post.