Senate Democrats Are Trying So Hard To Look United Behind Joe Biden

WASHI NGTON — Senate Democrats met Tuesday for the first time si nce President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance last month, and they emerged with a clear consensus: there is no consensus on whether they think Biden is still their best shot at defeating Donald Trump.

O ne after another, Democrats trickled out of their private hour-and-a-half lunch and either dashed away from reporters or stopped briefly to emphasize how strongly they agree on the need to beat Trump in November . But things got shaky anytime they were asked about their faith in the other guy, their guy, Biden.

“You know, consensus is a moveable feast,” Se n. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said. “There was certainly consensus on this critical point that we need to defeat Donald Trump.”

Most Democrats were tight-lipped about their internal disagreements about Biden bei ng the best nominee to take on Trump, if they said anything at all. But a handful lifted the curtain a bit more.

“ We got a ways to go,” Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said. “But you know, we’re not going to negotiate in public.”

Asked to clarify what he meant by “a ways to go,” the Vermont Democrat only said, “I don’t have my thoughts put in an orderly process that meets your editorial standards.”

While Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) reiterated his support for Biden, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told reporters it “remains to be seen” if Biden is still his party’s best presidential nominee.

Senate Democrats, unlike some Democrats in the House , have not yet broken ranks to call on the 81-year-old president to drop out of the race. But several senators expressed concerns on Monday about whether Biden is the best candidate to lead their ticket in November.