Biden struggles to hold Democrats together amid criticism from Fetterman, voters over Israel-Hamas war
President Biden is struggling to hold the Democratic Party coalition together as voters in battleground states become increasingly divided over the Israel-Hamas war.
Biden has faced intense pressure from his left flank over the U.S. alliance with Israel as it conducts war with Hamas. Biden vowed in a CNN interview Wednesday that the U.S. government would withhold weapons from Israel if it goes forward with its invasion of Rafah, Hamas' last stronghold in Gaza.
"It’s starting to seem as if he is supporting the wrong side," a Democratic voter from Pennsylvania, Dovid Jacobowitz, told NBC News.
"It’s a step in the right direction," Young Democrats of Arizona President Ricardo Serna told NBC of the weapons leverage.
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"But there needs to be a much more permanent solution to this if we don’t want Donald Trump to be re-elected in November," he continued. "And I fear that unless that happens, we’re going to be seeing another Donald Trump presidency."
Biden's announcement was viewed as betrayal by some Democrats, however, including Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman.
"Hard disagree and deeply disappointing," Fetterman said in response to Biden's claims that he would potentially halt shipments.
Other lawmakers backed Biden's announcement. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said the administration's policy was an "important turning point in this war," according to NBC News.
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Biden is also facing increased criticism from young voters, some of whom are signaling frustration with the administration's stance on the Israel-Hamas war.
Another Democratic voter in Pennsylvania, David Jacobson, told NBC News that the president was making a mistake in his policy on Israel.
"I thought that Biden’s withholding of military aid to Israel is a serious and appalling misstep," Jacobson said. "It seems that Biden is probably reacting to political pressures from the left-wing of the Democratic Party with an election looming, and it is seriously unfortunate that he would feel the need to publicly compromise on Israel’s security in order to feel more secure about his electability."
Another young voter, 20-year-old Alex Toren, said that the stakes were too high in the election not to support Biden despite his disagreement with the president over Israel.
"But the truth is, Trump would be worse," Toren told NBC News. "There is likely, in my opinion, nothing that could happen between now and November that would make me not vote for the president or not go to the polls in November."
The Biden campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.