Where is President Biden’s cavalry?

Around Washington, Biden can take comfort in that the total number of Democrats in Congress calling for him to drop out remains small, even as the list keeps growing and a much larger number sound unhappy. Asked about their outreach, the campaign has referred reporters to dozens of Democrats who have backed him since the debate, along with the top leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus and Hispanic Caucus and the AFL-CIO.

But there’s a big difference between a passing signal of support to a reporter when asked, or a box-checking statement a week ago, and an active effort to prop Biden up and persuade or intimidate his expanding legion of skeptics.

Six Democratic members of the House told Semafor they’ve seen little sign of anyone making calls on Biden’s behalf or a clear hub of leadership for those working to keep him the nominee.

Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett told Semafor that there was not “a specific pro-Biden push” in the caucus, but that Democrats were also offering tacit support by not joining in the pile-on against them.

“I think, at the end of the day, you know, not going out against him is standing with him,” she said.

In the upper chamber, Biden’s home state Senator Chris Coons has been steadfast in his support and is making calls on his behalf. He described his outreach as “respectful, broad, consistent” and pointed to senators like California’s Alex Padilla, Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman, and Illinois’ Tammy Duckworth, a campaign co-chair, who have stood by Biden.

But others characterize the operation to rescue Biden as relatively limited in the Senate, which has been a persistent locus of skepticism towards the president.

“The silence is deafening,” one senior aide to a Democratic Senator said. “He has no allies organizing or whipping on his behalf. The Biden forces have fled the Capitol and it is falling.”

Biden’s aides are meeting with members at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee on Thursday to address concerns, which could offer a clearer signal of where things stand.

But the lack of strong pushback since Wednesday was especially notable when Biden rallied the troops to do just that on Monday with a letter to Congress demanding an end to talks of alternative candidates and a TV interview railing against party “elites” out to get him.

Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer have offered rote statements of support, but are in an extended “listening mode” with their caucuses in which they’ve given members freedom to say whatever they want about Biden. Rep. Jim Clyburn, often described as Biden’s most important and influential supporter, said yesterday “We’re ridin’ with Biden” — but he’s also talked about how great Kamala Harris would be as the nominee when asked, or how a “mini-primary” might work if Biden stepped down, rather than flatly reject either scenario.

Similarly, the Congressional Black Caucus is often cited as Biden’s most rock solid base, and he addressed them virtually earlier this week. But beyond a clear statement of support from chair Steven Horsford and high praise from some key House veterans like Maxine Waters and Barbara Lee, it’s not clear how deep their backing runs. If they haven’t enlisted their members in a big show of unity on Biden’s behalf yet, it may be because that unity doesn’t exist.

Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver has sounded torn about Biden’s status in repeated interviews, for example, while Rep. Ritchie Torres has gone from urging Democrats to not attack Biden on Monday to all but calling for him to drop out on Thursday. “The narrative that the President simply had one bad debate performance reflects a continuing pattern of denial and self-delusion,” Torres said on X.

Some Democrats argued the campaign trail, where Democrats have accompanied Biden to events, is the better barometer of support. Biden is set to visit Detroit on Friday after the NATO Summit, which has kept him out of the political arena this week.

“Are you kidding me?” Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens told Semafor when asked about a lack of visible Biden support. “That’s what we’re doing in Michigan tomorrow,” she added.

But there are also some signs that criticism of Biden could grow starting tomorrow. Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado — who has not called on Biden to drop out — told Semafor that other Democrats may be waiting until after the NATO summit to voice complaints for fear of undermining the president in a national security setting, something Pelosi and others have also mentioned.

He also had a theory why there hadn’t been more visible activism on Biden’s behalf around the Capitol.

“I think many senators are listening to their constituents,” he said. “We’ve had, in the last week or so, over 3,000 emails, phone calls in Colorado. These are people that are not donors. These are not elite. They’re not in the Beltway. They’re running 90-10 against the president. So if I really wanted to piss them off, I could come out and say how great this campaign is going. I’m not sure I believe that.”

Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley, one of the few Democrats openly agitating for Biden to end his campaign, said he’d seen no clear effort to keep other Democrats from joining him. He also predicted more members would come out against Biden in the coming days.

“I know the vast majority, I would say, are wildly concerned, want to make a change, and are processing how to do that,” he said.

All of this is just in Congress, of course. A Tuesday report in Playbook that George Clooney spoke to Barack Obama before his brutal op-ed asking Biden to step aside — and received no pushback — raised the prospect that other prominent endorsers may be less than solid. At minimum, they may not be willing to go too far out on a limb while he’s still living interview by interview.

It’s possible Biden muddles along because more aggressive efforts to oust him don’t gain critical mass, or because hesitant members decide he’s too dug in to make it worth the trouble. At minimum, many skeptics seem hesitant to directly challenge him so far. But 13 days from the debate — and with the daily threat of another slip-up — his defenses have never looked weaker against a broader assault. And he should be worried about where his Praetorian Guard’s loyalties ultimately lie.

Biden has some vocal supporters willing to do more aggressive pushback and media appearances against his critics. Sen. Fetterman went on CNN on Wednesday to criticize Pelosi for not directly endorsing his nomination and suggesting the matter was unsettled. “I would say, as far as I know, she’s never run for any office outside of the House and she’s never run for the president, and she’s certainly never won that, as well,” he said.