Biden told to drop out in "haywire" meeting with Hispanic Democrats

President Biden's meeting with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Friday didn't go as planned, with one lawmaker even urging him to drop his re-election bid, according to two sources briefed on the matter.

Why it matters: It's a rare instance of a lawmaker actually telling the president in a direct encounter that he should exit the 2024 presidential race.

• One lawmaker who was told about the meeting described it as going "haywire."

What happened: Biden held a Zoom meeting with Hispanic Caucus members on Friday through the group's political arm, BOLD PAC.

• Reps. Lou Correa (D-Calif.) and Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), which one source described as "pre-selected." Sanchez, the BOLD PAC chair, then tried to "lightly" end the meeting, the source said.
• But Biden offered to take more questions and called on Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) who told him it is time for somebody else to lead the party, according to both sources. Levin later put out a statement making that position public.
• One of the sources told Axios that, after Biden responded to Levin's question, the meeting was ended.

The intrigue: Several swing-district members — including Reps. Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) — used the raise hand function but had it "repeatedly" lowered, one of the sources said.

Zoom out: Biden is engaged in an outreach campaign to try to cut off the steady flow of public statements from congressional Democrats calling on him to end his campaign.

• In addition to BOLD PAC, he also met with the political arm of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus on Friday.
• So far, 19 House Democrats and Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) have urged Biden to withdraw his candidacy, including nearly half a dozen after his NATO press conference on Thursday night.

What they're saying: "More than grateful that President Biden took time to talk to our caucus. He spoke frankly to us, he answered hard questions, and most importantly, he showed up," Correa said in a statement to Axios.

• "He knows how important our community is. It was a productive conversation that covered many important issues."
• Spokespeople for BOLD PAC and the Biden campaign did not immediately offer comment on this story.

What's next: Biden's talks with lawmakers will continue into the weekend, with the president scheduled to meet with the Progressive Caucus and the center-left New Democrat Coalition on Saturday.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details.

https://www.axios.com/2024/07/12/biden-mike-levin-hispanic-caucus-meeting