Top Biden advisers meet with senators as Democratic anxieties about election grow

WASHINGTON — A trio of top advisers to President Joe Biden privately briefed Senate Democrats for just under two hours Thursday as anxieties grow among Democrats about Biden’s diminished standing in the presidential race against Donald Trump.

As public polling averages show that his position has slipped, albeit modestly, many Democrats don’t believe Biden can win — and they worry he may drag down the party’s ticket with him, potentially handing Republicans control of Congress, as well. Democrats went into the meeting seeking answers from Biden’s team about its plan to turn things around.

Biden senior advisers Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti, as well as Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon, presented senators with polling and data their team had collected outlining Biden’s path to victory in November, which they maintain he has, multiple senators told NBC News.

That was the most “heated” part of the meeting, according to two sources with knowledge of discussions, who said Senate Democrats asked tough questions of campaign officials and pressed them over and over again about Biden’s future in the wake of his halting debate performance on June 27.

The briefing was helpful, Democrats said, but it wasn’t enough to move the needle.

“I think President Biden has to take the fight to Donald Trump,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., unconvinced after the polling presentation he received. “And as the Democratic candidate, [Biden] has my support. I still have concerns, because I need more of the data and analytics that show the path to victory in November.”

Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., who remains the first and only senator to publicly call on Biden to exit the race, said that he appreciated that the Biden team was willing