Pelosi Warns Biden: 'Time Is Running Short'

Tuesday may have been a good day for President Biden in terms of shifting momentum in his favor, but a new spate of stories illustrates the Biden problems that remain:

• Pelosi hesitation: Speaking to MSNBC's Morning Joe on Wednesday, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said "it's up to the president to decide if he is going to run," adding, "We're all encouraging him to to make that decision because time is running short." Axios notes that Pelosi dodged a question about whether she personally wants Biden to run. The president has been adamant this week that he's staying in the race, but Pelosi's comments suggest the matter is anything but settled, notes the Wall Street Journal.
• Clooney's out: Actor George Clooney—a big fundraiser for the president—is the latest to write an op-ed imploring Biden to step aside. "We are not going to win in November with this president," he writes, adding that it's not just his opinion but "the opinion of every senator and congress member and governor" he has spoken with privately. Read it in the New York Times.

• Democratic senator: Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado declared Tuesday that with Biden in the race, "Trump is on track, I think, to win this election, and maybe win it by a landslide, and take with him the Senate and the House," reports CNN. In so doing, he becomes the first Democratic senator to say Biden can't win in November. He stopped short of calling on Biden to withdraw but referred to the situation as a "moral question about the future of our country."
• Six states: The Cook Political Report has shifted six states toward Donald Trump based on post-debate polling. The outlet moved Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia from "toss up" to "lean Republican," per the Hill. It also downgraded Minnesota and New Hampshire from "likely Democratic" to "lean Democratic," and it did the same for Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District.
• Analysis: "Biden was losing pre-debate," writes Cook editor Amy Walter. "Now, he's losing by a bit more." Cook analyst Dave Wasserman tweets: "The notion that the presidential is a Toss Up was a stretch even before the debate. Today, Trump has a clear advantage over Biden and a much more plausible path to 270 Electoral votes."
• New York, too? Cook still has New York as "solid" for Democrats, but a report at Politico casts doubt on that: "Elected officials, union leaders, and political consultants are panicking over polls showing a steady erosion of Biden's support in a state he won by 23 points four years ago." One poll has Trump behind by only 8 points statewide, while two have him tied in at least one swing district. "I truly believe we're a battleground state now," says Democratic Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine.

(More President Biden 2024 stories.)