Good morning for Joe: Early offensive put Biden on solid ground ahead of huge week

President Joe Biden went on the offensive Monday to calm fears about his candidacy ahead of a busy week in Washington, D.C.

As leaders of the free world are set to meet in Washington for the NATO summit this week starting on Tuesday, Biden got to work with those weary in his party ahead of a packed schedule. Biden is fending off calls to step down as the Democratic nominee following his lackluster debate performance last month.

Here’s what happened on Monday with the future of Biden’s campaign.

Calling into Morning Joe

On Monday morning, Biden called into MSNBC’s Morning Joe to reiterate his commitment to staying in the presidential race. He spoke with the hosts for about 18 minutes.

“Any of these guys that don’t think I should run, run against me. Announce for president. Challenge me at the convention,” Biden said on the show.

While on the air, he also touched on lies former President Donald Trump said during the debate to push back on the narrative he was the only one with a bad debate night.

Some who watched the interview critiqued one moment in which Biden read from a piece of paper with quotes from the debate, prompting some to speculate the interview was scripted. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that “he was reading some quotes from the debate” and affirmed Biden did not read from a script during the interview.

Writing a letter to congressional Democrats

Biden also sent a letter to congressional Democrats, some of whom have called for him to step down as the party’s nominee and others who have reaffirmed their support for Biden at the top of the ticket.

“The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now,” Biden wrote. “It’s time for it to end. We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump.”

At least nine sitting House Democrats have called for him to step down so far, including Reps. Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Jerry Nadler (D-NY).

“Mr. President, your legacy is set. We owe you the greatest debt of gratitude,” Quigley told MSNBC. “The only thing that you can do now to cement that for all time and prevent utter catastrophe is to step down and let someone else do this.”

“I have had extensive conversations with the leadership of the party, elected officials, rank and file members, and most importantly, Democratic voters over these past 10 days or so,” Biden wrote in the letter. “I have heard the concerns that people have — their good faith fears and worries about what is at stake in this election. I am not blind to them.”

Black and Hispanic caucuses, ‘Squad’ come to his defense

After a week of turmoil, key parts of the Democratic coalition came back into town and to the president’s defense Monday.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus came to Biden’s support. Biden also met with members of the CBC on Monday evening to reiterate his intention to stay in the race and thank them for their support.

“You’ve had my back. And I promise I’m going to continue to have yours,” Biden told CBC members on the call.

“We stand with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. For the last year and a half, the Biden-Harris Administration partnered with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ initiative to take CHC on the Road. Through that initiative we have worked to empower Latino communities across the country,” Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Nanette Barragan (D-CA) and Deputy Caucus Chairman Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) said in a joint statement.

Some members of the “Squad,” a group of young progressive House Democrats, came to his side, while others have stayed silent on the issue. Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) have voiced their support, while Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Cori Bush (D-MO), and Maxwell Frost (D-FL) have yet to comment on the matter.

“Squad” members have been particularly tough on Biden in recent months as they have been the primary movers of the wedge splitting the party about how much support to show Israel in its war with Hamas.

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Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) released a statement Monday to explain the diverse set of views on the matter. She also said the Congressional Progressive Caucus would be meeting with Biden this week.

“It is true that Democrats are having many conversations among our members and our constituents as we consider the best path forward to protect our Democrats. As CPC Chair, I am listening carefully to the thoughts of our members from all over the country — in swing and safe states and districts — as we work to ensure we defeat Donald Trump and win the House and Senate,” Jayapal said.