Biden 'playing to the left' with Supreme Court reform reeks of 'desperation,' NBC's Chuck Todd says
NBC News' chief political analyst Chuck Todd said recent reports of President Biden supporting reforms to the U.S. Supreme Court are a sign of "desperation."
Todd took part in a panel Tuesday night discussing the second day of the Republican National Convention. The former "Meet the Press" host remarked how the Republican Party seems to be more united under former President Trump while Democrats are struggling under Biden.
He pointed to Biden reportedly caving to progressive candidates by endorsing sweeping reforms of the judicial branch.
"Look at the desperation in the air for Joe Biden right now," Todd said. "All of the sudden, out of nowhere, he's trying to do a Supreme Court reform for another way of playing to the left, because right now his biggest supporters are progressives. Because those that are in swing districts, they want him off [the ticket]."
The Washington Post originally reported Tuesday that Biden is planning to endorse major changes to the Supreme Court, including proposals for legislation to establish term limits for the justices and an enforceable ethics code, as outrage from the left continues following a series of controversial decisions.
Biden has long resisted changes to the high court, but his supporters have relentlessly called for reform following media ethics investigations into Justice Clarence Thomas and decisions by the court majority on issues including abortion and federal regulatory powers.
"I’m going to need your help on the Supreme Court, because I’m about to come out — I don’t want to prematurely announce it — but I’m about to come out with a major initiative on limiting the court … I’ve been working with constitutional scholars for the last three months, and I need some help," Biden said, according to a transcript of a call obtained by the Washington Post.
This report emerged as several members of the Democratic Party have called on Biden to leave the race since his disastrous first debate against Trump back in June. So far, 18 House Democrats and one Senate Democrat have publicly called on Biden to step down, though reports have suggested others have done so privately.