Trump Assassination Attempt Overshadows Biden's Stepping Aside Calls

Late Saturday afternoon, President Biden met with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in a quasi-clandestine meeting at Rehoboth Beach, Del.

An increasing number of House and Senate Democrats were becoming uncomfortable with Mr. Biden as the potential Democratic presidential nominee this fall. Schumer traveled to Rehoboth to discuss with the president the concerns of Democratic senators regarding his continued candidacy. After Biden's lieutenants met with Democratic senators on Capitol Hill on Thursday afternoon, the number of senators who wanted him out of the race likely grew.

Schumer's meeting with President Biden was not unexpected, as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had already met with the president on Thursday night. Both men served as messengers from their respective caucuses, conveying concerns from rank-and-file members about Biden's campaign.

At 6:05 pm ET Saturday, the announcement that Schumer met with the president was received by reporters.

Schumer's visit to communicate with the President of the United States conveyed a message from fellow Democrats.

Schumer stated that he met with President Biden this afternoon in Delaware and the meeting was productive.

Such news would have rattled the political landscape.

But not on this Saturday night.

At 6:11 pm et, a gunman attempted to assassinate former President Trump, only five minutes after the Schumer statement.

Any conversation about President Biden and schisms inside the Democratic Party would wait.

The shooting gave President Biden more time to hold the ball and drain the clock.

On Saturday, the political world was abuzz with anticipation as to whether more Democrats would urge President Biden to step aside from his re-election bid. During the afternoon, Mr. Biden held two conference calls - one with the House Progressive Caucus and the other with the House "New Dems" Coalition. At that point, 19 Democrats had publicly called for the president to withdraw from the race. Of those, 13 were members of the New Dems. However, sources close to the situation told Fox that the call did little to boost the confidence of skittish members. It is believed that the number of Democrats calling for the president to drop out of the race may have increased to 50 later that night or on Sunday morning.

In the words of late British Prime Minister Harold MacMillan, "politics" are primarily driven by "events."

Over the weekend, a seismic political event halted any attempts by Democrats to challenge the president's re-election.

The inertia to sideline Mr. Biden which built for weeks suddenly froze.

And it helped President Biden stay put.

"One senior House Democrat told Fox that the president has dug in and that they cannot have a circular firing squad."

The Trump shooting brought Republicans closer together, despite recent fractures in the party over Mr. Biden.

Recently, the Democrats have been known for their unity, but the president's poor debate in late June threatened that alliance.

"One senior House Democratic aide stated, "The armor has been exposed, and now Republicans are employing their unity against us.""

That’s why Democrats are freaking out. Again.

Democrats are concerned about their chances in House and Senate contests in battleground districts and states after the former President Trump's survival and iconic photo after the shooting boosted his standing with voters, according to Fox.

The political viability of President Biden is once again being discussed intensely, as a letter from some Congressional Democrats to the DNC to delay the virtual roll call on August 7 started the conversation. Schumer and Jeffries also spoke and requested that the DNC postpone the nomination.

The ongoing Republican convention in Milwaukee is providing a welcome distraction for Democrats, who are grappling with internal divisions and a lack of progress in their efforts to remove President Biden from the ticket. The investigation into the shooting and the introduction of Sen. JD Vance as Trump's running mate have dominated the news cycle, while discussions about Project 2025 have likely helped to mask the party's ongoing struggles.

The event temporarily silenced public calls to remove the president, but it did not resolve the Democrats' concerns.

The shroud of secrecy may continue when Democrats return to Capitol Hill next week, as everyone will focus on a scheduled hearing with Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on Monday, a hearing planned by the House Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday, and a pre-scheduled hearing with FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is expected to introduce his bipartisan committee to probe the assassination attempt. As more information emerges, lawmakers will react in various ways. This is the first time Congress has been back in Washington since the shooting.

Certainly, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to a Joint Meeting of Congress on Wednesday will not cause any controversy.

Any political maneuver to remove President Biden from the ticket is likely to be complicated and may be obscured by other events.

Despite not being explicitly stated, it is likely that efforts are being made behind the scenes. Due to the involvement of the sitting President of the United States, this will eventually resurface in the news.

And that will be an event unto itself.