For President Biden, who is embroiled in the battles of political life, even going to church is politics these days.
Speaking at a Black church service in Philadelphia on Sunday morning, Mr. Biden sought to reassure voters who helped him win the White House in 2020 that he can still beat former President Donald J. Trump.
“Joy comes in the morning,” Biden told a crowd of several hundred at the Mount Airy Church of Christ, a city political hub often visited by Democrats. “You guys have never given up on me once in my life, and as your president, I have tried to live out my faith.”
Before Biden spoke, Rachel Hooks, a member of the church, offered a prayer, fearless about the doubts surrounding his candidacy.
“God, touch his mind and his body. God, uplift him and his soul. Bless him and guide him,” Fuchs said, echoing a similar plea for mental and physical strength for members of law enforcement.
During his speech, Biden spoke from notes rather than the audio teleprompter that is used as a standard public speech, making his remarks incoherent and difficult to hear at times.
“I know it's tempting to go on longer than necessary here,” the president said, wrapping up his speech in about seven minutes, the brevity of which was remarkable given that he has been under intense press and public scrutiny for signs of physical and mental decline.
But Biden, a lifelong Catholic, faced an unprecedented political crisis as he visited a supportive faith community on familiar soil.
Democrats across the ideological spectrum have called for Biden to drop out of the race, concerned about his age and quick thinking. Some donors are wary of pouring money into his reelection bid. Democratic activists and officeholders worry that the president's poor performance in the debates has upended the Biden campaign's main strategy of making the 2024 election a referendum on Trump.
In a virtual meeting convened by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the House Minority Leader, Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, and at least one other senior Democratic official, Biden indicated he believes it is time for him to withdraw from the race, according to a person briefed on the ongoing meeting and speaking on condition of anonymity.
But Biden remains steadfast, telling ABC News after a defiant speech in Madison, Wisconsin on Friday that only “Almighty God” could force him to resign — a stance that appeared to be shared by many at the church service on Sunday.
“Let him know we are with him, hallelujah,” a woman yelled from the audience as Biden appeared onstage and a choir sang.
Black voters are a key part of Biden's base, but polls have shown they are less enthusiastic about him as a candidate. Still, they rate the president's job performance higher than other groups and are less likely to say he should drop out, according to a post-debate New York Times/Siena College poll.
Biden has been trying to rally support, including during a visit to Philadelphia on Sunday, where he has spoken from the pulpit about policies he has enacted that benefit black Americans, highlighting his record of lowering unemployment for black workers, expanding access to health insurance, passing gun control laws and forgiving some student loan debt.
Pennsylvania is one of the states Biden almost certainly must win again to hang on to the White House, and its largest city, Philadelphia, is one of Biden's favorite campaign stops. But Trump is leading in the state in many polls, currently trailing the president by about 3 percentage points, according to a New York Times average of polls.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a top Biden surrogate, campaigned for the president in battleground western Pennsylvania and Bucks County on Friday and Saturday. Also at the church were Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat seeking reelection, and Philadelphia Mayor Sherrelle Parker.
Biden was scheduled to speak at a National Education Association meeting in Philadelphia on Sunday but pulled out last week after powerful education union employees went on strike.
“President Biden is a staunch supporter of unions and will not cross the picket line,” Biden campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said in a statement.
Instead, he turned to black churches with ties to the civil rights movement — the type of community and welcome group of voters the president has turned to many times during his political career.
Biden is scheduled to travel to Harrisburg on Sunday afternoon for a community organizing event with labor union members.
Biden has stuck to delivering prepared remarks primarily from a teleprompter because he frequently gets lost in thought during debates and sometimes struggles to speak clearly without one.
He faltered during two radio interviews this week, even as aides fed questions to the hosts — a violation of standard journalistic ethics — and gave some confusing answers in an interview with ABC News on Friday.
Even Biden's allies say the campaign should allow him to make more public appearances without using a teleprompter to demonstrate his intelligence.
“They don't need scripted speeches,” said former Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Biden supporter. “He needs to show people he can answer on the spot, he can answer the tough questions, he's with the voters. Get out there and interact with your peers.”
After the service, Biden met with worshippers, shaking hands and posing for selfies for more than 30 minutes.
The president's campaign will face a tough test this week when members of Congress return to Washington after the Independence Day holiday. Their willingness to publicly endorse Biden could determine whether he stays in the race.
Biden can only hope for a welcome as friendly and positive as the one he received in Philadelphia on Sunday, where the president was introduced with a powerful sermon by Bishop J. Lewis Felton before speaking.
“If Joseph could get out of the pit,” Felton preached, referring to an early Biblical character who was abandoned by his brothers, “if Jesus could get out of the pit, President Biden can get back in.”
Luke Broadwater contributed reporting.
