The Republican National Convention ended with a lengthy, divisive, and exhausting speech from Donald Trump — now the official GOP 2024 nominee. For Democrats, the dawn brings a reminder that questions around their own presumptive candidate are far from settled.
Shortly after the former president’s speech ended, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) took to Instagram Live for more than an hour to discuss her reasoning for continuing to stand behind President Joe Biden. As rumors continue to swirl regarding whethert the president will exit the race amid concerns about his mental and physical fitness, Ocasio-Cortez made clear she believes there are major risks to switching out the nominee this late in the game.
“If you’re falling out of a coconut tree, God bless you,” she said, referencing the Kamala Harris meme. “If you’re riding with the president, God bless. I’m not an open-convention person. I think that is crazy.”
Ocasio-Cortez made a point of clarifying that her intent wasn’t to attack any specific stance about Biden’s capabilities, but rather communicate what she was hearing behind the scenes as a lawmaker.
She pointed to the logistical challenges of switching out the ticket so close to the election. “I think that people need to understand the reality and the gravity of what these people are proposing […] I do think that people are talking about this without having eyes wide open,” she explained.
“If you think that there is consensus among the people who want Joe Biden to leave, that they will support Kamala, Vice President Harris, you would be mistaken,” she said. “I’m going to be honest for them […] They are interested in removing the whole ticket.”
“If you think that is going to be an easy transition, I’m here to tell you that a huge amount of the donor class and these elites who are pushing for the president not to be the nominee also do not want to see the VP be the nominee,” Ocasio-Cortez expanded.
The congresswoman also called out her colleagues in Congress who continue to hide behind anonymous statements and “going on background” calling on Biden to step aside. “That’s bullshit,” she said. “If you have an opinion, say it with your chest and say it in public.”
Ocasio-Cortez was criticized by some viewers and social media users for suggesting that the concerns around Biden have primarily been brought by the “elites” and the Democratic donor class. Even ahead of Biden’s disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump, polling already showed that large swaths of voters were concerned about his age and ability to serve a second term. Earlier this week, a survey conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 65 percent of Democrats believe Biden should drop out of the race. Other polls and surveys conducted in the aftermath of the debate paint an increasingly concerning picture for the November general election, particularly around Biden’s disadvantage in key swing states.
On Thursday, CNN reported that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has privately counseled Biden that the numbers aren’t adding up for him. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) have also reportedly worked to get Biden to leave the race. Meanwhile, prominent progressives like Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) had advocated for sticking with Biden.
The president is reportedly considering dropping out, and according to NBC News has had discussions about how exactly he would go about leaving the race.
“His choice is to be one of history’s heroes, or to be sure of the fact that there’ll never be a Biden presidential library,” one close friend of the president told Axios on Thursday. “I pray that he does the right thing. He’s headed that way.”
