Democrats ‘lose’ if Biden stays in race, Rep Schiff tells donors

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Rep. Schiff expresses doubts as to whether Biden can beat Trump

Anti-Trump lawmaker Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., admitted to having doubts about whether President Biden can beat former President Trump following Biden’s sluggish debate performance.

Top House Democrat and fierce former President Trump critic Rep. Adam Schiff has privately told Democrat donors that he thinks that his party could suffer substantial losses in November if President Biden remains at the top of the ticket, according to a report from The New York Times. 

Schiff, the former chair of the House Intelligence Committee who is now running for a Senate seat in California, reportedly made the comment Saturday at a fundraiser in East Hampton, New York, just hours before the assassination attempt against former President Trump. 

"I think if he is our nominee, I think we lose," the newspaper quoted Schiff as saying, citing a person with access to a transcription of a recording of the fundraiser. "And we may very, very well lose the Senate and lose our chance to take back the House." 

Schiff, when asked by Fox News about the report, declined to comment. 

REP. SCHIFF EXPRESSES DOUBTS AS TO WHETHER BIDEN CAN BEAT TRUMP: ‘DEBATE RIGHTFULLY RAISED QUESTIONS’ 

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., told "Meet The Press" earlier this month that President Biden's debate performance raised questions about his ability to win re-election. (Screenshot/NBC News)

The New York Times also reported, citing two people with direct knowledge of Schiff’s remarks, that Schiff said Biden and his campaign staff have been generally unwilling to listen to the views of outside pollsters and political experts and that they should do so.  

One donor who attended the event told the newspaper that he left feeling dejected and that donors should now focus on supporting downballot candidates under the belief that Biden’s chances of winning are slim. 

HOUSE DEMOCRATS CIRCULATE LETTER TO DELAY BIDEN NOMINATION UNTIL CONVENTION: REPORT 

President Biden stands at his podium during the June 27 presidential debate against former President Trump. (Kevin D. Liles for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Biden has faced pressure to drop out of the presidential race following his widely panned June 27 debate performance, but those calls have subsided after Trump was shot this past weekend. 

Earlier this month, Schiff admitted publicly to having doubts that Biden could beat Trump in a head-to-head race. 

Schiff told NBC News that Biden’s age is the major factor weighing down the presidential race and that he should really consider whether running is the best choice. 

Rep. Adam Schiff reportedly made the comments on Saturday before former President Trump was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)

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"But the performance on the debate stage I think rightfully raised questions among the American people about whether the president has the vigor to defeat Donald Trump," Schiff said at the time. 

Fox News’ Julia Johnson and Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.