Connect with us

Politics

News conference gives Biden a lifeline and Democrats a dilemma

Published

on

News conference gives Biden a lifeline and Democrats a dilemma

Many Democrats are now in a perverse position in which seemingly good news for Biden — a decent news conference Thursday and a good poll Friday — feels like bad news for the prospects of winning the election.

“He did as well as he could do last night and, on the foreign policy stuff, was very strong,” David Axelrod, who served as political advisor to former President Obama, said in an interview Friday. “But anything that encourages him to believe that his situation is anything other than grave, relative to this election, isn’t necessarily good news.”

Early reviews of Biden’s Thursday news conference were mixed. Voters who watched the entire 59 minutes, particularly supporters, saw a veteran of foreign affairs who could speak with authority about wars in Gaza and Ukraine, with a bit of rambling in between. But many more people likely saw viral clips of him calling former President Trump his vice president — instead of Kamala Harris — and in the hours before, introducing Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky as Russian President Vladimir Putin, the man who invaded his country.

“My gosh, when he does a press conference where he mistakes Zelensky for Putin and Trump for Kamala Harris and everyone goes, ‘Great job’? I mean, blech,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said.

Smith, one of the highest-ranking Democrats to ask Biden to withdraw, said he continues to have great respect for the president and his tenure, but is increasingly worried that people around him have “fought dirty” and “aggressively” to prevent a serious conversation because they are more invested in his personal fate than keeping former President Trump out of the White House.

Advertisement

“The bar for what’s considered good for Joe Biden has been lowered considerably for roughly 20% of the country, and that is the 20% who are dyed-in-the-wool Joe Biden fans, come hell or high water,” he said. “The bar hasn’t been lowered at all for the other 80% of the country.”

Biden sounded again in Thursday’s news conference like a man determined to stay in the race, even as the number of Democrats in Congress calling for him to pull out grew to about 20 and polls continued to show majorities in both parties want him to step aside.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York told House Democrats in a letter Friday that he had met privately with Biden after the news conference to relay their concerns, a sign that pressure on Biden has not abated. Biden, hoping to hold off more defections, joined two virtual meetings Friday with members of the Hispanic and Asia-Pacific congressional caucuses.

“The cohort of members who are pretty close to breaking” and asking Biden to step aside “is pretty significant,” said Rep. Jared Huffman, a San Rafael Democrat.

Huffman called for a “course correction” after the debate performance two weeks ago, which he said he has yet to see, but stopped short of directly urging Biden to pull out.

Advertisement

“Denying that we have a problem, kind of wishing it away, is not the answer,” he said. “Pretending that we can just keep doing more of the same is not the answer. If we really believe that this is the most critical election of our lifetimes, and we’ve got to win it, we need to be more circumspect and sober.”

Rep. Mike Levin of San Juan Capistrano became the latest Democratic lawmaker to join the group on Friday.

“In private and on the text chains, there’s a real sense of despair” about Democrats’ chances, said Rep. Scott Peters, a San Diego Democrat who urged Biden to drop out Thursday night after seeing the Cook Political Report on Tuesday downgrade Biden’s chances of winning six battleground states, including Arizona and Nevada.

“It’s hard for Californians to understand that, but in the swing states, people are actually thinking about voting for Trump,” he added.

In the aftermath of his calamitous debate performance, Biden said it would take “Lord Almighty” to keep him from running for reelection.

Advertisement

On Thursday he amended that, saying he would leave only if his advisors told him “there’s no way you can win.”

Then, in a dramatic stage whisper, he added: “There’s no one saying that. No poll says that.”

Friday provided some validation for that case. A new Marist poll conducted for NPR and PBS showed him leading Trump 50% to 48% among registered voters nationally. But other polls have shown Trump with bigger leads, nationally and by wider margins in important swing states. And Biden barely won the electoral college vote in 2020 despite winning the popular vote by 4 percentage points.

Biden dismissed polls as inaccurate Thursday but Axelrod and others argued that they can’t be dismissed, especially when political experts and others who have looked at a range of data, including focus groups, see a much darker picture amid a backdrop where concerns about Biden’s age have “metastasized” to the point where Trump is no longer the central issue of the race.

“The test can’t be ‘Can he win?’ The test has to be ‘What is the probability he will win?’ and the probability isn’t good,” Axelrod said. “I think the people around him know the truth.”

Advertisement

Smith made a similar argument, asking whether a basketball team would want a 30% free-throw shooter at the line with the game at stake instead of a 90% shooter.

It remains up to Biden, however, and not everyone believes his problems are irredeemable or that the path to a potential replacement would be any easier. His allies tried to send the message that his worst problems are behind him.

“Sometimes presidents have bad debates and I promise you he’ll have a better second debate,” Ron Klain, Biden’s former chief of staff, said Friday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Biden’s favorite cable news show.

Yet even if Biden withstands the high-level pressure to drop out long enough to preclude a replacement, he will have to grind it out, said Mary Anne Marsh, a Democratic strategist.

“The challenge is the next 115 days; every day is a test that Joe Biden has to pass,” Marsh said. “But for the debate performance, we would have looked at a press conference like last night, calling Harris Trump, we would have laughed it off.”

Advertisement

Politics

Video: Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows

Published

on

Video: Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows

new video loaded: Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows

transcript

transcript

Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows

Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota abandoned his re-election bid to focus on handling a scandal over fraud in social service programs that grew under his administration.

“I’ve decided to step out of this race, and I’ll let others worry about the election while I focus on the work that’s in front of me for the next year.” “All right, so this is Quality Learing Center — meant to say Quality ‘Learning’ Center.” “Right now we have around 56 kids enrolled. If the children are not here, we mark absence.”

Advertisement
Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota abandoned his re-election bid to focus on handling a scandal over fraud in social service programs that grew under his administration.

By Shawn Paik

January 6, 2026

Continue Reading

Politics

Pelosi heir-apparent calls Trump’s Venezuela move a ‘lawless coup,’ urges impeachment, slams Netanyahu

Published

on

Pelosi heir-apparent calls Trump’s Venezuela move a ‘lawless coup,’ urges impeachment, slams Netanyahu

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A San Francisco Democrat demanded the impeachment of President Donald Trump, accusing him of carrying out a “coup” against Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro.

California state Sen. Scott Wiener, seen as the likely congressional successor to Rep. Nancy Pelosi, also took a swipe at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Wiener has frequently drawn national attention for his progressive positions, including his legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom designating California as a “refuge” for transgender children and remarks at a San Francisco Pride Month event referring to California children as “our kids.”

In a lengthy public statement following the Trump administration’s arrest and extradition of Maduro to New York, Wiener said the move shows the president only cares about “enriching his public donors” and “cares nothing for the human or economic cost of conquering another country.”

Advertisement

KAMALA HARRIS BLASTS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S CAPTURE OF VENEZUELA’S MADURO AS ‘UNLAWFUL AND UNWISE’

California State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, speaks at a rally. (John Sciulli/Getty Images)

“This lawless coup is an invitation for China to invade Taiwan, for Russia to escalate its conquest in Ukraine, and for Netanyahu to expand the destruction of Gaza and annex the West Bank,” said Wiener, who originally hails from South Jersey.

He suggested that the Maduro operation was meant to distract from purportedly slumping poll numbers, the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents, and to essentially seize another country’s oil reserves.

“Trump is a total failure,” Wiener said. “By engaging in this reckless act, Trump is also making the entire world less safe … Trump is making clear yet again that, under this regime, there are no rules, there are no laws, there are no norms – there is only whatever Trump thinks is best for himself and his cronies at a given moment in time.”

Advertisement

GREENE HITS TRUMP OVER VENEZUELA STRIKES, ARGUES ACTION ‘DOESN’T SERVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’

In response, the White House said the administration’s actions against Maduro were “lawfully executed” and included a federal arrest warrant.”

“While Democrats take twisted stands in support of indicted drug smugglers, President Trump will always stand with victims and families who can finally receive closure thanks to this historic action,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.

Supporters of the operation have pushed back on claims of “regime change” – an accusation Wiener also made – pointing to actions by Maduro-aligned courts that barred top opposition leader María Corina Machado from running, even as publicly reported results indicated her proxy, Edmundo González Urrutia, won the vote.

“Trump’s illegal invasion of Venezuela isn’t about drugs, and it isn’t about helping the people of Venezuela or restoring Venezuelan democracy,” Wiener added. “Yes, Maduro is awful, but that’s not what the invasion is about. It’s all about oil and Trump’s collapsing support at home.”

Advertisement

EX-ESPN STAR KEITH OLBERMANN CALLS FOR IMPEACHMENT OF TRUMP OVER VENEZUELA STRIKES THAT CAPTURED MADURO

Around the country, a handful of other Democrats referenced impeachment or impeachable offenses, but did not go as far as Wiener in demanding such proceedings.

Rep. April McClain-Delaney, D-Md., who represents otherwise conservative “Mountain Maryland” in the state’s panhandle, said Monday that Democrats should “imminently consider impeachment proceedings,” according to TIME.

McClain-Delaney said Trump acted without constitutionally-prescribed congressional authorization and wrongly voiced “intention to ‘run’ the country.”

SCHUMER BLASTED TRUMP FOR FAILING TO OUST MADURO — NOW WARNS ARREST COULD LEAD TO ‘ENDLESS WAR’

Advertisement

One frequent Trump foil, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., cited in a statement that she has called for Trump’s impeachment in the past; blaming Republicans for letting the president “escape accountability.”

“Today, many Democrats have understandably questioned whether impeachment is possible again under the current political reality. I am reconsidering that view,” Waters said. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“What we are witnessing is an unprecedented escalation of an unlawful invasion, the detention of foreign leaders, and a president openly asserting power far beyond what the Constitution allows,” she said, while appearing to agree with Trump that Maduro was involved in drug trafficking and “collaborat[ion] with… terrorists.”

Wiener’s upcoming primary is considered the deciding election in the D+36 district, while a handful of other lesser-known candidates have reportedly either filed FEC paperwork or declared their candidacy, including San Francisco Councilwoman Connie Chan.

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Politics

California Congressman Doug LaMalfa dies, further narrowing GOP margin in Congress

Published

on

California Congressman Doug LaMalfa dies, further narrowing GOP margin in Congress

California Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) has died, GOP leadership and President Trump confirmed Tuesday morning.

“Jacquie and I are devastated about the sudden loss of our friend, Congressman Doug LaMalfa. Doug was a loving father and husband, and staunch advocate for his constituents and rural America,” said Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the House majority whip, in a post on X. “Our prayers are with Doug’s wife, Jill, and their children.”

LaMalfa, 65, was a fourth-generation rice farmer from Oroville and staunch Trump supporter who had represented his Northern California district for the past 12 years. His seat was one of several that was in jeopardy under the state’s redrawn districts approved by voters with Proposition 50.

Emergency personnel responded to a 911 call from LaMalfa’s residence at 6:50 p.m. Monday, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. The congressman was taken to the Enloe Medical Center in Chico, where he died while undergoing emergency surgery, authorities said.

An autopsy to determine the cause of death is planned, according to the sheriff’s office.

Advertisement

LaMalfa’s district — which stretches from the northern outskirts of Sacramento, through Redding at the northern end of the Central Valley and Alturas in the state’s northeast corner — is largely rural, and constituents have long said they felt underrepresented in liberal California.

LaMalfa put much of his focus on boosting federal water supplies to farmers, and seeking to reduce environmental restrictions on logging and extraction of other natural resources.

One LaMalfa’s final acts in the U.S. House was to successfully push for the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools Act, a long-standing financial aid program for schools surrounded by untaxed federal forest land, whose budgets could not depend upon property taxes, as most public schools do. Despite broad bipartisan support, Congress let it lapse in 2023.

In an interview with The Times as he was walking onto the House floor in mid-December, LaMalfa said he was frustrated with Congress’s inability to pass even a popular bill like that reauthorization.

The Secure Rural Schools Act, he said, was a victim of a Congress in which “it’s still an eternal fight over anything fiscal.” It is “annoying,” LaMalfa said, “how hard it is to get basic things done around here.”

Advertisement

In a statement posted on X, California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff said he considered LaMalfa “a friend and partner” and that the congressman was “deeply committed to his community and constituents, working to make life better for those he represented.”

“Doug’s life was one of great service and he will be deeply missed,” Schiff wrote.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in a statement called LaMalfa a “devoted public servant who deeply loved his country, his state, and the communities he represented.”

“While we often approached issues from different perspectives, he fought every day for the people of California with conviction and care,” Newsom said.

Flags at the California State Capitol in Sacramento will be flown at half-staff in honor of the congressman, according to the governor.

Advertisement

Before his death, LaMalfa was facing a difficult reelection bid to hold his seat. After voters approved Proposition 50 in November — aimed at giving California Democrats more seats in Congress — LaMalfa was drawn into a new district that heavily favored his likely opponent, State Sen. Mike McGuire, a Democrat who represents the state’s northwest coast.

LaMalfa’s death puts the Republican majority in Congress in further jeopardy, with a margin of just two votes to secure passage of any bill along party lines after the resignation of Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Monday evening.

Adding to the party’s troubles, Rep. Jim Baird, a Republican from Indiana, was hospitalized on Tuesday for a car crash described by the White House as serious. While Baird is said to be stable, the Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson from Louisiana, will not be able to rely on his attendance. And he has one additional caucus member – Thomas Massie of Kentucky – who has made a habit of voting against the president, bringing their margin for error down effectively to zero.

President Trump, addressing a gathering of GOP House members at the Kennedy Center, addressed the news at the start of his remarks, expressing “tremendous sorrow at the loss of a great member” and stating his speech would be made in LaMalfa’s honor.

“He was the leader of the Western caucus – a fierce champion on California water issues. He was great on water. ‘Release the water!’ he’d scream out. And a true defender of American children.”

Advertisement

“You know, he voted with me 100% of the time,” Trump added.

A native of Oroville, LaMalfa attended Butte College and then earned an ag-business degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He served in the California Assembly from 2002 to 2008 and the California State Senate from 2010 to 2012. Staunchly conservative, he was an early supporter of Proposition 209, which ended affirmative action in California, and he also pushed for passage of the Protection of Marriage Act, Proposition 22, which banned same-sex marriage in California.

While representing California’s 1st District, LaMalfa focused largely on issues affecting rural California and other western states. In 2025, Congressman he was elected as Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, which focuses on legislation affected rural areas.

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending