Biden to meet with union leaders amid effort to solidify base following debate

President Biden will meet with national union leaders on Wednesday, huddling with some of his top supporters as part of a week-long effort to solidify his base in the face of calls from some Democrats for him to drop out of the 2024 race.

Biden will visit the AFL-CIO’s Executive Council meeting in Washington, D.C., to meet with leaders in attendance and discuss the stakes of November’s election, his campaign said. Biden will deliver brief remarks and answer questions from union leaders.

Those in attendance will be national presidents of 60 unions representing more than 12 million workers, the campaign said. Biden frequently touts himself as the most pro-union president in history.

An official called it “the latest example of President Biden rallying the Biden-Harris coalition this week around the stakes of this election.”

Biden has sought to lock down the support of key voting blocs that helped propel him into the White House in 2020 throughout the week as he faces growing calls from elected Democrats to step aside as the party’s nominee.

Seven House Democrats have publicly urged Biden to stand down as the nominee. Several Democrats in the House and Senate have said Biden must do more to show he can aggressively campaign and make the case for a second term.

But the overwhelming majority of Democratic lawmakers have rallied behind Biden as the president has made clear he has no plans to step aside. The White House has touted its support from the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, as well as lawmakers like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), to argue it has broad support.

The president this week spent Sunday campaigning in Pennsylvania. He called into “Morning Joe” on MSNBC on Monday morning for an unscripted interview and spoke virtually with the Congressional Black Caucus that night. Biden on Tuesday attended the opening of the NATO summit and met virtually with Democratic mayors.

“The President will continue to do the work and speak directly to his coalition in the days, weeks, and months ahead,” his campaign said, noting he would be in Michigan on Friday and travel to Texas and Nevada next week.