House Democrats on Friday declined to join those in their party calling on President Biden to step down as the party’s presidential nominee, but some lawmakers left the door open with their silence or noncommittal comments.

Mr. Biden stunned voters, media and members of his party when he struggled during the Thursday night debate to provide coherent responses as he faced off against former President Donald Trump.

Top House Democrats, like former Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, current Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Rep. James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, said that Mr. Biden can remain the Democratic nominee for president — even as they critiqued his showing.

“He had a poor performance,” Mr. Clyburn said. But he said he is confident Mr. Biden can serve another four years, urging the president to “stay the course” and Democrats suggesting replacing him as the nominee to “chill out.”

Mr. Jeffries called the president an “extraordinary leader” but notably offered a tepid endorsement when asked if Mr. Biden is the most effective person to communicate the party’s vision.

“I’m going to reserve comment about anything relative to where we are at this moment, other than to say, I stand behind the ticket. I stand behind the Senate Democratic majority,” he said. “And of course, we’re going to do everything that we need to do as House Democrats to win.”

SEE ALSO: Biden admits bad showing in debate: ‘I don’t debate as well as I used to’

Mr. Jeffries’ cautiousness may reflect concerns he heard from other House Democrats, many of whom were not yet ready to enthusiastically support Mr. Biden as the party’s standard bearer.

“I got to figure out where my district is. I want to talk to a lot of people,” Rep. Julia Brownley, California Democrat, said. “I think he’s been a very good president. I think he can still be a good president. But we’ve got to win the next election.”

“I don’t think it’s a good night. So we’ll see,” Rep. Ami Bera, California Democrat, said. “Let’s just see how the next couple of weeks unfold.”

Several other usually talkative Democrats notably declined to answer reporters’ questions about whether Mr. Biden is still fit to serve as the party’s nominee, including Reps. Adam Schiff and Sara Jacobs of California, Dan Goldman of New York and Susan Wild of Pennsylvania.

While many House Democrats said they supported keeping Mr. Biden as the party’s nominee, some did so with notable critiques about his performance and an urgency for him to take steps to rebound from it.

“Was I pleased with the performance? No. I’m not going to lie. But do I think that all of a sudden we’re going to all jump ship?” Rep. Gregory Meeks, New York Democrat, said. “No, that’s not it. I think that what we’ve got to do and what he has to do is talk directly to the American people.”

SEE ALSO: Biden campaign says he’s not dropping out

Mr. Meeks said Mr. Biden should hold town hall meetings or other forums in which he can engage with voters in a way that will show who he is and that the missteps he had during the debate are not part of that.

“I know Joe Biden. I’ve sat across the room from Joe Biden in some very important meetings,” Mr. Meeks, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, said. “And I know that he’s all there and he has the ability to do that. He did not do that last night. But I do know that he has that ability.”

Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver, Missouri Democrat, said that while Mr. Biden was not as aggressive as he wanted him to be, he “told the truth” at the debate.

“The die is not cast based on a debate and recovery is always possible,” Mr. Cleaver said when asked if Mr. Biden would be a drag on the bottom of the Democratic ticket.

Others were more nonchalant with their critiques.

“He had a bad night. I don’t think we need to overreact to it,” said Rep. Matt Cartwright, a Pennsylvania Democrat who Republicans are targeting this cycle.

A fellow Pennsylvania Democrat, Rep. Madeleine Dean, also dismissed the debate as “one lousy night.” While “it didn’t show well for President Biden,” she said she would not talk about replacing him atop the ticket.

Mr. Cartwright said Mr. Biden needs to deliver more performances like his recent State of the Union addresses, which were “full of vigor and come combative,” to recover from the debate.

“I had a terrible debate in 2022. My opponent wiped the floor with me. And I rebounded from it,” said Mr. Cartwright, who ultimately beat Republican Jim Bognet by just over 2 points.

The Biden campaign has already pledged that Mr. Biden will return to the debate stage in September, according to CNN, and tamped down talk about an alternative nominee.

“No,” a campaign spokesperson told The Washington Times in response to questions about whether Mr. Biden will be replaced on the Democratic ticket.

Rep. Joyce Beatty, who is standing by the president following the first critical debate, told reporters she would advise him not to do it if the second debate is set up without an audience like the first.

“I think it’s very difficult. It’s like I’m sitting here talking to you and looking at you — if I was looking at that wall, it brings a different energy,” the Ohio Democrat said.

“I thought it was an odd process cutting people’s mics off and you’re watching them still trying to lipsync what they’re saying,” Ms. Beatty added.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, who dismissed Mr. Biden’s poor performance as “just one event,” agreed Mr. Biden shouldn’t debate Mr. Trump again with the same set of ground rules but said that’s ultimately the president’s decision.

The Mississippi Democrat said the presidents’ advisors probably should have spent less time drilling “content” details into Mr. Biden and prepared him more to deliver the “style” and “substance” the American people are looking for.

“It was not a good debate, but it’s not the end,” Mr. Thompson said. “And I think that once we get to look at the total person and his policies, it’s just a one-off.”

Some Democrats didn’t hesitate to reiterate their support for Mr. Biden on Friday.

“Absolutely,” Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro said when asked if Mr. Biden is still fit to serve as the nominee. “Joe Biden is the candidate. He’s going to win.”

• Alex Miller contributed to this story.

• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.

• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.