Sen. Christopher S. Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, said Sunday that President Biden’s first television interview since his dismal debate performance did not assuage deep concerns about his age and mental acuity, and that the president must do more to convince voters that he can run and win reelection.
“Voters have questions,” Murphy said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
He added, “Personally, I like Joe Biden, and I don’t know if Friday night’s interview was enough to answer that question. This week is going to be absolutely critical. I think the president needs to do more.”
Mr. Murphy said he would urge Mr. Biden to “hold town halls, hold press conferences and show the nation that he’s still the old Joe Biden.”
He avoided giving a direct answer to whether Mr Biden should step down, saying, “I know there are a lot of voters who need to be convinced that Thursday night’s debate performance was a bad night.”
Mr. Murphy’s carefully calibrated remarks were some of the first public warning bells from Senate Democrats who have largely remained silent since the debate a week ago but are increasingly concerned about Mr. Biden’s ability to serve as the party’s nominee. It came as the minority leader, Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, was scheduled to convene top House Democrats on Sunday to discuss Mr. Biden’s candidacy, and as a handful of his ranks have already publicly called on the president to resign.
Murphy’s comments show where many Senate Democrats stand as they head back to Washington for a crucial week. They want to give Biden a little more room to prove himself, or to recuse himself from the race before he explicitly asks them to do so. But they also know that for now, there may be no way to prove to voters that he is not old enough to defeat former President Donald J. Trump.
Mr. Murphy said he still thinks Mr. Biden can beat Mr. Trump, but added that “the president has to answer the questions that voters have.” Mr. Murphy repeatedly argued during the interview that Mr. Biden has to prove himself “this week” in “unscripted” conversations with voters.
“They need to see more from the president, and hopefully they will see it this week,” he said.
The senator’s message also seemed aimed at warning the president and those around him that the challenging stance on substantive questions about Biden’s candidacy cannot continue. The president denied that several Democrats had called on him to step down, and declared that only divine intervention could persuade him to withdraw from the race.
“There are still questions,” Mr. Murphy said. “Time is running out.”
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island last week publicly expressed concerns about the campaign’s candor about Mr Biden’s condition, but stopped short of calling for him to step down. And Senator Peter Welch of Vermont warned that a crushing defeat for the Democratic nominee in November would lead to “a violent backlash” for House and Senate Democrats.
Virginia Democratic Senator Mark Warner is also convening a group of Democratic senators this week to discuss the way forward and concerns about Mr. Biden remaining on the ballot. Warner has privately expressed distress over the president’s debate performance and doubts whether he can remain in the race and win reelection.
