Democrats

February 12, 2025 9:21 AM

With Musk at his side, Trump orders US agencies to plan for ‘large-scale’ staff cuts

President Donald Trump ordered U.S. agencies on Tuesday to work closely with top adviser Elon Musk's effort to shrink the federal workforce by identifying government employees who can be laid off and functions that can be eliminated entirely. With his 4-year-old son by his side or on his shoulders, billionaire Musk stood next to Trump in the Oval Office at the White House before the order was signed, taking questions from reporters and making it clear that he was leading efforts to cut what he ...

November 7, 2024 7:36 PM

With Trump win, Democrats ask anxious questions about their neighbors, country, party leadership

In anxious conversations across the U.S. on Wednesday, many Democrats were struggling to understand what led their neighbors to vote Republican Donald Trump back into the White House. Some feared that Tuesday's presidential election showed that their values – left-leaning, socially liberal – were now firmly a minority among Americans in a divisive campaign. Others were frustrated with the Democratic Party's leadership, who they said had lost touch with much of the electorate who wanted help...

October 18, 2024 10:44 AM

Democrats, Republicans battle over election rules in Harris-Trump contest

The U.S. presidential contest between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump features an array of legal battles over how the votes are cast and counted that are likely to last beyond Election Day on Nov. 5. Here are some of the most significant voting-related disputes that are playing out in the seven competitive swing states that are likely to determine the outcome of the election. Together they control 94 of the 270 Electoral College votes a candidate needs to win: ARIZONA, 11 El...

July 12, 2024 8:47 AM

US President Biden ready to undergo neurological exam if doctors recommend

Amid the mounting pressure from fellow Democrats to end his re-election campaign, US President Joe Biden has indicated willingness to undergo a neurological exam to address concerns about his mental fitness for office, but only if his doctors recommend it. "I am not opposed, if my doctors tell me I should have another neurological exam, I'll do it," he said at a rare solo news conference Thursday at the conclusion of the NATO Summit. He further added, "Every single day I'm surrounded by good do...

July 11, 2024 10:22 AM

U.S. presidential election: Biden faces pressure as Clooney, Pelosi raise new doubts

U.S. President Joe Biden faced fresh doubts on Wednesday about his re-election chances from heavyweights Nancy Pelosi and George Clooney, who may influence other Democratic lawmakers and financial donors, and two Senate Democrats. Biden must decide quickly whether to stay in the 2024 White House race, former House Speaker Pelosi, a longtime Biden ally, said on MSNBC while declining to say definitively that she wanted him to run. Hollywood star Clooney, a Democrat who co-hosted a star-studded�...

July 8, 2024 10:24 AM

Biden seeks boost in Pennsylvania as calls for him to step aside mount

An embattled U.S. President Joe Biden faced escalating pressure from fellow Democrats worried about his candidacy on Sunday, concerns he worked to ease with campaign stops in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. Biden, 81, faces growing calls to end his reelection bid after a halting performance in a June 27 debate with Republican Donald Trump, 78, raised questions about his ability to do the job for another four years. He has vowed to stay in the race, dismissing calls for him to dro...

July 5, 2024 12:13 PM

Biden says ‘I’m not going anywhere’ as calls to quit race grow

President Joe Biden said "I'm not going anywhere" as he faced calls by many Democrats to end his re-election bid, using the Fourth of July celebrations on Thursday to hit back at doubts about his stamina and mental acuity to continue his campaign. The 81-year-old Democrat's shaky showing at a June 27 debate with Republican rival Donald Trump means his every appearance is now closely scrutinized. Many Democratic voters are worried about whether he can keep up a grueling pace of work for the ...

July 3, 2024 11:27 AM

Biden faces growing doubts from Democrats about his 2024 re-election

Some elected Democrats loyal to President Joe Biden raised fresh questions on Tuesday about his 2024 re-election bid, with one calling for him to step aside, a shift after many defended him in the wake of last week's shaky debate performance. Whether Biden continues his 2024 bid for president after his halting debate performance against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is largely his decision, Democrats and political strategists have said. But Biden is under pressure. Some do...

July 1, 2024 10:54 AM

US Election: Top Democrats rule out replacing Biden amid calls for him to quit 2024 race

Top Democrats on Sunday ruled out the possibility of replacing President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee after a feeble debate performance and called on party members to focus instead on the consequences of a second Donald Trump presidency. After days of hand-wringing about Biden's poor night on stage debating Trump, Democratic leaders firmly rejected calls for their party to choose a younger presidential candidatefor the Nov. 5 election. Biden, 81, meanwhile, was huddling with fami...

June 29, 2024 10:02 AM

How Democrats could replace Biden as presidential candidate before November

After President Joe Biden's shaky performance at the debate with former President Donald Trump on Thursday night, some Democrats openly questioned whether he should be replaced as their candidate for the 2024 election. There is a process for doing so, but it would be messy. For answers on how that would work, Reuters spoke to Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank, a Democratic National Committee (DNC) member, and author of the book "Primary Politics" about the...