(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden is facing a critical point in his reelection bid as Democratic calls for him to exit the 2024 race continue to mount despite his efforts to shut them down.
A poor debate performance against Donald Trump reignited questions about Biden’s age and fitness to carry out his campaign and serve another four years. Biden has defiantly insisted he is staying the course, telling lawmakers this week he is not going anywhere.
Biden held his first news conference since the debate Thursday evening — taking multiple questions about his political future.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Jul 19, 2024, 1:32 PM EDT
2 more Democratic House members join calls for Biden to end campaign
Ohio Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman released a statement Friday joining the growing calls from House Democrats to Biden to step aside.
Landsman said that he spent “weeks of consideration and hundreds of conversations with constituents,” before coming to his conclusion.
“It is time for President Biden to step aside and allow us to nominate a new leader who can reliably and consistently make the case against Donald Trump and make the case for the future of America,” he said.
Not too long after Landsman released his statement, Rep. Zo Lofgren of California said Biden needed to step aside.
Lofgren, a longtime ally of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said in a letter to Biden that he provided the president with data “indicating that you in all likelihood will lose the race for President.”
“Simply put, your candidacy is on a trajectory to lose the White House and potentially impact crucial House and Senate races down ballot,” she said.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
‘I look forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week’: Biden
Biden released a statement Friday indicating that he is not ending his campaign anytime soon.
“I look forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week to continue exposing the threat of Donald Trump’s Project 2025 agenda while making the case for my own record and the vision that I have for America: one where we save our democracy, protect our rights and freedoms, and create opportunity for everyone,” the president said.
Biden, who is self-isolating after contracting COVID-19, also criticized Trump’s Thursday night keynote speech at the RNC, saying the former president “focused on his own grievances, with no plan to unite us and no plan to make life better for working people.”
“Last night the American people saw the same Donald Trump they rejected four years ago,” he said.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
3rd Democratic senator calls on Biden to step aside
Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, became the third sitting Democratic senator to call on Biden to end his reelection bid.
Heinrich said in a statement Friday, “this moment in our nation’s history calls for a focus that is bigger than any one person,” citing a possible Trump victory.
“By passing the torch, [Biden] would secure his legacy as one of our nation’s greatest leaders and allow us to unite behind a candidate who can best defeat Donald Trump and safeguard the future of our democracy,” he added.
-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin
4 more Democratic House members call on Biden to step aside
A group of four House Democrats — Reps. Jared Huffman, D-Calif.; Marc Veasey, D-Texas; Chuy Garcia, D-Ill.; and Mark Pocan, D-Wis. — released a joint statement Friday calling on President Biden to step aside and end his campaign.
“Democrats have a deep and talented bench of younger leaders, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, who you have lifted up, empowered, and prepared for this moment,” the group of lawmakers wrote in their letter.
Pocan and Huffman are part of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Pocan recently campaigned with Biden in Wisconsin.
Garcia is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Veasey is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and its first member to call on Biden to step aside.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Jul 18, 2024, 9:16 PM EDT
Pelosi privately says Biden is more receptive to calls to leave candidacy, sources say
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has privately told some House Democrats she believes President Biden is more receptive to hearing calls for him to step aside and that those conversations could push him to make a decision soon, according to two people familiar with the conversations.
Biden, however, has publicly insisted he has already made his decision and it is to stay in the race.
This comes as a slew of top Democratic leaders have come out to publicly ask the President to not run for re-election.
Jul 18, 2024, 9:00 PM EDT
Sen. Jon Tester calls on Biden not to seek another term
Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., called on President Joe Biden not to seek another term in a statement Thursday, saying, “I’ve never been afraid to stand up to him when he is wrong.”
“While I appreciate his commitment to public service and our country, I believe President Biden should not seek re-election to another term,” Tester said.
Jul 18, 2024, 9:00 PM EDT
California Rep. Jim Costa urges Biden to ‘pass the torch’
California Rep. Jim Costa became the 22nd member of Congress on Thursday to publicly call for President Joe Biden to end his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election.
“For the good of the country, I think it is time for the President to pass the torch to the next generation to carry on the legacy he started,” Costa said in a statement.
“Democrats need to unite and deliver their strongest team to the American people in this election,” he said.
Jul 18, 2024, 8:26 PM EDT
Biden campaign targets Project 2025 on final day of RNC
“The manifesto lays out Trump’s plan to ban abortion nationwide, slash Social Security and Medicare, and consolidate power so he can rule as a dictator on day one,” Biden campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa said of Project 2025 in a statement.
“His agenda is destructive, drastic, and draconian – and has no place in America. Now, every voter will hear about Trump’s Project 2025 and show up in droves this November to defeat it,” Moussa said.
The 30-second commercial features a QR code that remains on screen for 22 seconds and redirects to a page on the Biden campaign’s website that scrutinized the presidential transition blueprint.
The spot is overlayed with audio of different news personalities reporting on Project 2025, including its proposals concerning civil servants and climate change.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
Jul 18, 2024, 6:04 PM EDT
‘It’s done. … Money will keep on drying up’, Dem strategist says
The donors who have hit pause on contributing to Biden’s campaign are going to hit pause for some time, a Democratic strategist close to Biden’s inner circle told ABC News Thursday.
“It’s going to be brutal,” they said. “The headlines are only going to get more intense and money will keep on drying up.”
While the three biggest donors to President Biden are still in, and in fact doubling and tripling down, the source claimed it cannot come close to making up for the massive hole.
“It’s done,” the source said about the Biden campaign’s current strategy. “We will not get the elites back on Biden’s side. The panic has taken over and the stampede is under away.”
-ABC News’ Selina Wang
Jul 18, 2024, 5:15 PM EDT
1,400 Black women leaders, allies sign letter in support of Biden-Harris ticket
More than a thousand Black women leaders and allies have signed a letter in support of the Biden-Harris ticket.
In the letter, dated July 17 and addressed to the “Democratic Party leadership,” the signatories say they’re “writing to share our deep concern and dismay at the lack of unity being displayed by some of our elected democrats and Democratic Party leadership, who are not standing firmly and resolutely for the reelection of President Joseph Biden and his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris.”
“The Biden-Harris administration is running on a solid record of historic legislative accomplishments and a commitment to finish their agenda to improve the lives of all Americans, protect our rights, freedoms and democracy,” they continue, in part. “Further, we believe it is unfair and disruptive to judge President Biden for having a bad 90-minute debate performance against a serial liar who wants to destroy our democracy and be a dictator-in-chief.”
“History is a great teacher and has taught us that a divided house will fail,” they write. “As Black women, we are uniquely aware of the very real threat a second Trump term poses to our country and especially to our community. But this is not a moment to give in to fear. Instead, we must unify around our deep belief in our values and our ability to effectively engage voters and win up and down the ballot in 2024.”
They end the letter by saying, “Now is the time for democrats to unite and win.”
Some notable signers included actress Vivica A. Fox, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and LaTosha Brown of Black Voters Matters.
-ABC News’ Sabina Ghebremedhin
Jul 18, 2024, 4:28 PM EDT
Raskin to Biden: ‘There is no shame in taking a well-deserved bow’
Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin sent Biden a four-page letter on July 6 urging him to reconsider his campaign and speak with Democrats about the path forward.
“There is no shame in taking a well-deserved bow to the overflowing appreciation of the crowd when your arm is tired out, and there is real danger for the team in ignoring the statistics,” he wrote in the letter, obtained by ABC News.
“Your situation is tricky because you are both our star pitcher and our Manager. But in democracy, as you have shown us more than any prior president, you are not a Manager acting all alone; you are the co-Manager along with our great team and our great people,” Raskin added.
The letter was first reported by The New York Times on Thursday. Raskin confirmed to ABC News that he sent the letter.
In it, the congressman urged the president to caucus with the team.
“Hear them out. You will make the right decision,” he wrote.
-ABC News’ Rachel Scott and Ben Siegel
Jul 18, 2024, 4:18 PM EDT
Biden more receptive to hearing calls to step aside: Senior administration official
While the president’s inner circle and campaign are adamant that he is just as committed as ever, the president has become more receptive to hearing out callsfor him to exit the race, a senior administration official tells ABC News.
Biden has also asked for polling on how Kamala Harris would do, according to the official.
There is no indication that Biden is changing his mind.
When it comes to money, the big donors in New York and California have let the team know they are not saying no, but have hit the pause button for now, the official said.
The official noted that the president is wiped and exhausted, but the COVID-19 diagnosis gives him a chance to bring people together, have conversations and think while he recovers in Delaware.
-ABC News’ Mary Bruce
Top Biden aide: Biden ‘preparing to hit the campaign trail again next week’
As President Biden faces mounting calls from prominent Democrats to drop out of the race, a member of his inner circle flatly denied reports that the president is now more open to the idea of ending his campaign.
“Anyone who has talked to Joe Biden in the last 24 hours can tell you that is not true,” the senior White House official, who has spoken to Biden today, told ABC News.
The official said nothing has changed regarding Biden’s candidacy and the campaign, with the exception that COVID is keeping him home.
“He is going to win the nomination and then the party is going to need to unite,” the official said.
The senior official expressed anger and frustration at the criticism Biden is taking from fellow Democrats, acknowledging that the calls for the president to drop out have taken a toll and will likely cause further erosion in the polls.
This official also told ABC News that reports to the contrary are coming out of Congress, and not from those who truly know the mindset of the president.
“He is preparing to hit the campaign trail again next week,” the official said.
-ABC News’ Jonathan Karl
Biden tells BET he would leave 2nd term if forced by ‘medical condition’
President Joe Biden in an interview with BET said he would be open to relinquishing the presidency during his second term if health reasons dictated it, though he dismissed the possibility as unlikely.
“Only if I was told that there was some medical condition that I had, and that’s not the case,” the president said when asked if he would turn over power to Vice President Kamala Harris if he couldn’t complete a second term.
In the pre-taped interview, which aired in full Wednesday night, Biden told BET’s Ed Gordon that he would keep serving as long as the effects of his increasing age don’t impact his ability to do the job.
He also acknowledged he would be willing to evaluate his capabilities on a year-to-year basis.
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Gariella Abdul-Hakim and Fritz Farrow
Pelosi went to Biden with concerns over his candidacy: Source
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi spoke with President Joe Biden a week ago, telling the president that she and other members of the Democratic Party are concerned about him staying in the race, a source confirms to ABC News.
Pelosi told the president that the calls for him to step down from the ticket would grow, sources said.
It is possible that Pelosi could suggest Biden should step down publicly, a source said.
The news about Pelosi’s behind-the-scenes moves comes as associate Rep. Adam Schiff, who is running for Senate, spoke out publicly earlier Wednesday, saying Biden should “pass the torch.”
Biden tests positive for COVID
The president tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday afternoon, the White House said.
Biden is experiencing “mild symptoms,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
Biden was campaigning in Las Vegas and attended one event earlier in the day, according to Jean-Pierre.
“He will be returning to Delaware where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time,” she said.
The White House doctor provided more details, stating Biden had a runny nose, “and non-productive cough, with general malaise.” The president’s temperature was 97.8 degrees and he had taken his first dose of Paxlovid, the doctor said.
-ABC News’ Justin Fishel
DNC Rules Committee co-chair urged Biden campaign to delay nomination: Sources
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the co-chair of the DNC Rules Committee, called Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon on Tuesday to push for the delay of the virtual roll call that would officially nominate Biden, two people with direct knowledge of the call told ABC News.
Walz co-wrote the letter sent this morning to rules committee members, which set the proposal for an early August virtual nomination of Biden. The roll call could previously have been held as early as Sunday.
Walz told O’Malley Dillon that he has been hearing from other governors who want the roll call to be pushed back. The Biden campaign made the concession to push it back, one source said, and even helped to propose the solution.
Walz’s efforts were separate from those of House Minority Leader Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Schumer, the source said.
-ABC News’ Isabella Murray
DNC Rules Committee co-chair urged Biden campaign to delay nomination: Sources
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the co-chair of the DNC Rules Committee, called Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon on Tuesday to push for the delay of the virtual roll call that would officially nominate Biden, two people with direct knowledge of the call told ABC News.
Walz co-wrote the letter sent this morning to rules committee members, which set the proposal for an early August virtual nomination of Biden. The roll call could previously have been held as early as Sunday.
Walz told O’Malley Dillon that he has been hearing from other governors who want the roll call to be pushed back. The Biden campaign made the concession to push it back, one source said, and even helped to propose the solution.
Walz’s efforts were separate from those of House Minority Leader Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Schumer, the source said.
-ABC News’ Isabella Murray
Schumer, Jeffries pushed party to delay official Biden nomination vote: Sources
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries pushed the party to delay its nominating process, multiple sources tell ABC News.
This comes after Schumer met privately with President Biden on Saturday in Rehoboth, Delaware. Following the meeting, Schumer only described it as a “good meeting.”
This is the biggest indication so far that Schumer is keeping an open mind about Biden’s future.
Schumer and Jeffries spoke and both agreed to make the push, according to the sources.
-ABC News’ Rachel Scott and Allison Pecorin
Harris accepts 3rd date option offered by CBS for VP debate
Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday accepted a third date option proposed by CBS News for a vice-presidential debate, a Biden campaign official said.
The new proposed date is for Monday, Aug. 12, according to the Biden campaign.
“Now that the Trump campaign has selected a running mate, we encourage them to agree to a debate between Vice President Harris and Senator Vance,” the campaign official said.
On May 16, CBS News offered two debate date options on either July 23 (the week after the RNC) or Aug. 13 (the week before the DNC), which Harris accepted at the time.
The next day Trump accepted a Fox News proposal for his eventual running mate — who we now know is Vance.
“On behalf of the future Vice President of the United States, who I have not yet chosen, we hereby accept the Fox Vice Presidential Debate, hopefully at Virginia State University, the first Historically Black College or University to host a Debate – Date to be determined,” Trump posted on Truth Social at the time. “I urge Vice President Kamala Harris to agree to this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Fox News’ VP debate offer was for the same dates CBS News originally offered.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Will McDuffie
Rep. Adam Schiff calls on Biden to drop out of the race
Rep. Adam Schiff is calling on President Joe Biden to drop out of the race and “pass the torch.”
“While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch. And in doing so, secure his legacy of leadership by allowing us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election,” Schiff said Wednesday in a statement released by his office.
Schiff is running for California Senate, and he led the first impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
“Joe Biden has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history, and his lifetime of service as a Senator, a Vice President, and now as President has made our country better,” his statement read.
“But our nation is at a crossroads. A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November,” he continued, then calling on the president to “pass the torch.”
“But make no mistake, whoever our party ends up nominating, or if the nomination remains with the president, I will do everything I can to help them succeed. There is only one singular goal: defeating Donald Trump. The stakes are just too high,” he added.
The Los Angeles Times first reported the news.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Jul 13, 2024, 5:53 PM EDT
Biden gets into heated conversation with New Democrat Coalition: Source
A call between Biden and the New Democrat Coalition, a group of center-left congressional Democrats, got heated, a source with knowledge of the conversation told ABC News.
Biden got angry with the group, yelled at one, Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, and then got off the call before other members could confront him about stepping aside, according to the source.
“It was bad,” one member on the call said, according to the source. “No plan.”
When members pressed him on how he would turn the campaign around, Biden just listed policy achievements and insisted his polls look better, the source said.
Biden got off the call before Rep. Mike Quigley, who has called on him to step aside from his campaign, could ask a question, according to the source.
-ABC News’ Rachel Bade
Jul 13, 2024, 5:05 PM EDT
Biden met with Congressional Progressive Caucus
Biden spoke with the Congressional Progressive Caucus members Saturday to discuss his plan moving forward with his campaign.
Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the caucus’ chair, said in a statement that the conversation was “productive and engaging.”
“We spoke frankly to the President about our concerns and asked tough questions about the path forward. We appreciate his willingness to thoughtfully answer and address our Members,” she said in her statement.
Saturday’s meeting came a day after the president met with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s political arm, BOLD PAC, Friday.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow and Lauren Peller
Jul 13, 2024, 1:40 PM EDT
Bernie Sanders reaffirms support for Biden
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders issued a firm backing for Biden’s re-election bid in a guest essay published in the New York Times Saturday.
Sanders, who previously challenged Biden in the 2020 primary, acknowledged his differences with the president on several issues and concerns over Biden’s age. However, he chastised Democrats who have come out calling for Biden to step aside.
“Enough! Mr. Biden may not be the ideal candidate, but he will be the candidate and should be the candidate. And with an effective campaign that speaks to the needs of working families, he will not only defeat Mr. Trump but beat him badly. It’s time for Democrats to stop the bickering and nit-picking.”
Among the Democrats who have called for Biden to end his bid is fellow Vermont Sen. Peter Welch.
Sanders did not directly mention Welch, who is currently the only senator to openly call on Biden to bow out, in the essay.
Instead, he focused on the dangers of Trump’s policies and rhetoric and played up Biden’s accomplishments in several areas including income inequality.
“This election offers a stark choice on issue after issue. If Mr. Biden and his supporters focus on these issues — and refuse to be divided and distracted — the president will rally working families to his side in the industrial Midwest swing states and elsewhere and win the November election. And let me say this as emphatically as I can: For the sake of our kids and future generations, he must win,” Sanders said.
Jul 12, 2024, 9:46 PM EDT
Congresswoman voices support for Biden after Michigan rally
Rep. Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, said after President Biden’s Detroit rally that Biden “is the only candidate with a proven ability to beat Donald Trump.”
Amid concerns from some who have witnessed the president behind closed doors about his ability to serve four more years, Stevens’ pledge of support comes after she spent the morning with the president on Air Force One, where, she said, “he demonstrated his leadership and wisdom, yet again.”
“Now is the time to stay the course, work hard, ensure we beat Donald Trump, and protect our democracy for generations to come,” she said.
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie
Jul 12, 2024, 8:50 PM EDT
Biden delivers rousing defense of his candidacy at Michigan event
President Biden took the stage in this key battleground state intent on proving his critics wrong.
Before an amped-up crowd of 2,000 in Detroit, a fired-up President Biden railed against Donald Trump in pointed attacks, challenged the press, outlined his first 100 days in office and tried to make clear to his doubters, he isn’t going anywhere.
“Folks, I’m the nominee!” Biden roared as the crowd erupted.
“I’m the nominee as part because 14 million Democrats like you voted for me in the primaries. You made me the nominee. No one else, not the press, not the pundits, not the insiders, not donors. You the voters, you decided, no one else. And I’m not going anywhere,” Biden said.
The president also framed his agenda by announcing his plan for his “first 100 days in office.”
Biden pledged to codify Roe v. Wade, passing an assault weapons ban, passing the John Lewis Voting rights act and to make sure the rich pay their “fair share in taxes.”
-ABC News’ Mary Bruce, Molly Nagle and Will McDuffie
Jul 12, 2024, 8:15 PM EDT
Biden addresses ‘confusing names,’ says Trump gets a ‘free pass’
President Joe Biden came out strong against Donald Trump at his campaign event in Detroit, Michigan Friday.
Addressing his gaffes during the NATO conference Thursday, Biden said, “They’ve been hammering me because I sometimes confuse names. I say, that’s Charlie, instead of Bill.”
On Thursday, Biden referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During his press conference Thursday, Biden referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as Donald Trump.
Drawing attention to Trump’s history of name gaffes Biden said, “Donald Trump has gotten a free pass.”
“I guess they don’t remember that Trump called Nikki Haley Nancy Pelosi,” Biden said.
“Donald, no more free passes,” Biden continued, adding, “Today, we’re going to shine a spotlight on Donald Trump.”
Jul 12, 2024, 7:48 PM EDT
Biden at Michigan campaign event: ‘I am running’
During a campaign event in Michigan Friday night, Biden reiterated his commitment to the race.
“As you’ve probably noticed, there’s been a lot of speculation lately: What’s Joe Biden going to do?” he told the crowd. “Is he going to stay in the race? Is he going to drop out?”
“I am running and we’re going to win,” he continued.
Biden said he’s going to beat Trump again.
“I know him. Donald Trump is a loser,” he said.
Jul 12, 2024, 7:48 PM EDT
Some progressive say they’re sticking with Biden, but do express concerns
Progressive-leaning Democratic voters who attended the Netroots Convention in Baltimore Maryland Friday told ABC News they still plan to vote for Biden in November amid calls for the president to step aside.
First-time voter Emily Kolonder, 19, from New York says she believes Biden is the candidate who best aligns with her views on abortion access and climate change.
“Knowing both candidates’ policies, I will still be voting for Biden. But do I think someone of that age and that mental ability should be able to be President? No. But, when you have these two options, I think he [Biden] is the better of the two candidates,” Kolonder said.
Kolonder said that while she would support a different Democratic candidate if Biden were to pull out of the race. However, she is not confident Kamala Harris can beat Donald Trump.
“I don’t think she can get enough votes. I would personally support her, but I don’t think she can win,” she said.
Davonna Williams, a 30-year-old voter from Kansas City, Missouri said that while she believes in Biden’s abilities as president, she thinks he’s a “hard sell” to disenchanted voters following his most recent gaffes.
“I think what should have happened is that there should have been some planning, like a year, two years out, because we knew this point was coming. We knew it was happening. And I just feel like there was a lack of planning on the Democratic side,” Williams said.
Williams said she worries the calls for Biden to step aside may result in low voter turnout as infighting continues to grow.
“I certainly don’t think it helps. I think if anything, it’ll make folks just say ‘I’m just not going to vote,” she added.
-ABC News’ Briana Stewart and Emily Chang
Jul 12, 2024, 5:57 PM EDT
Biden call with Congressional Hispanic Caucus went ‘off the rails,’ member says
Biden’s talk with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus did not go smoothly, according to multiple sources who had knowledge of the meeting.
One member who was on the call with the president told ABC News it was “frustrating,” saying it went “off the rails” at one point.
The president was an hour late to the call, three sources said.
When it finally started, Bold PAC, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus campaign arm, who organized the virtual meeting said only two members would be allowed to ask questions, but Biden ended up taking three questions.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who strongly implied Biden should resign in a statement released Thursday, and Rep. Gabe Vasquez both tried to ask questions by using the raise-hand feature on Zoom but it kept being taken down, according to a source.
This source blamed campaign staff who the source felt were trying to control the call.
Rep. Mike Levin was not on the list of ‘pre-selected’ members to ask questions, but when Biden opened it up the call to others, Levin told him it was time to step aside and allow someone else to lead the Democratic ticket.
Biden responded at length, according to two sources, with, “That’s why I’m going out and letting people touch me, poke me, ask me questions. I think I know what I’m doing because the truth of the matter is I’m going to say something outrageous: No president in three years has done what we have in three years other than Franklin Roosevelt, because of your help.”
“That’s not hyperbole, that’s a fact. No president. And so, that doesn’t answer the question,” Biden added, according to the sources.
“That was great when you were feeling good, ‘Biden, are you OK now?'” Biden continued, talking in the third person, the sources said. “That’s what’s underlying. That’s what people are worried about. ‘I’ve got a grandfather who’s 85 years old, and he can’t walk.’ It’s a legitimate concern for people, but that’s why I think it’s important I get out and show people everything from how well I move to how much I know and that I’m still in good charge.”
Biden tried to take another question and then the meeting ended abruptly, according to one person on the call and another person who was briefed after the 30-minute call.
Two congressional members who were on the call, however, described a more cordial call.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar D-Tex said in a post on X “It was a great conversation.”
“I am focused on what we need to do to win in November. Donald Trump is an existential threat, especially to our Latino communities. And I remain proud to be #RidingWithBidenHarris2024,” she said in her post.
Sen. Alex Padilla said in a post on X that “POTUS engaged with us on strategy and demonstrated once again that he is clear-eyed on the path forward to defeating Trump and MAGA extremism.”
“He’s had our communities’ backs over the last three years and we’ll have his this November,” the senator said in his post.
-ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Mariam Khan and MaryAlice Parks
Jul 12, 2024, 6:12 PM EDT
Biden to Detroit crowd ‘I promise you, I’m OK’
Speaking to supporters at a grill in Detroit before his rally Friday evening, Biden tried to allay fears about his age.
“For the longest time I was too young, because I was the second youngest man ever elected to the United States Senate, and anyway, and now I’m too old, but I know hopefully with a little bit of age comes a little bit of wisdom,” he said.
He made the contrast with Donald Trump stating, “And hopefully that in this in this moment, I think the alternative is not much of an alternative. And I do think ethics matter. I do think decency matters.”
Biden ended by assuring the crowd, “I promise you, I’m okay. Thank you.”
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Fritz Farrow
Jul 12, 2024, 4:55 PM EDT
Whitmer won’t attend Biden Detroit rally
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will not attend Biden’s campaign event in Detroit on Friday, her spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.
Whitmer, who is the Biden campaign co-chair, is in Sun Valley, Idaho, for the annual Sun Valley Conference, an exclusive, private retreat of tech and media power players.
She’s had that travel planned for several weeks, the spokesperson said. Biden officially announced his Michigan rally this week.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, who is running for the state’s open Senate seat, will also skip the rally, according to her spokesperson.
“The congresswoman had previous commitments outside Michigan today,” a spokesperson told ABC News.
-ABC News’ Isabella Murray
Jul 12, 2024, 2:45 PM EDT
19th House Democrat calls on Biden to bow out of race
California House Democratic Rep. Mike Levin released a statement Friday calling on Biden to stand aside and not run for reelection.
“It is time to move forward. With a new leader. Together,” he said.
Levin is the 19th House Democrat to call on Biden to leave the race.
Levin said he has been vocal about his views with his colleagues and has heard from “several hundred” of his constituents who expressed worry about the election.
“We must prevail against the incalculable threat Donald Trump poses to the American institutions of freedom and democracy,” he said.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Jul 12, 2024, 4:17 PM EDT
2 Iowa Democratic House candidates join call for Biden to step aside
Two Democrats looking to flip red seats in Iowa said Friday that Biden needed to end his reelection bid.
Sarah Corkery, who is running for the state’s 2nd District seat which represents 22 counties in the state including Cedar Rapids, told the Des Moines Register that “now is the time for him to pass the baton to Vice President Kamala Harris.
“She will continue the fight to keep our democracy alive,” Corkery told the paper.
Fellow Democrat Christina Bohannan, who is vying to flip the state’s 1st Congressional District, which includes Iowa City, echoed the call for Biden to bow out.
Bohannan said in a statement posted on X that she’s heard from a lot of voters who are concerned about Biden’s viability.
The district is being heavily targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which lists it among 33 Republican-held or open seats it considers in play this November.
“It is time for President Biden to withdraw from this campaign and pass the torch to a new generation of leadership,” Bohannan said.
-ABC News’ Isabella Murray
Jul 12, 2024, 2:21 PM EDT
Biden to speak with progressive, moderate Democrats this weekend: Sources
President Biden is expected to speak with members of the New Democrat Coalition, a large group of self-styled moderates in the House, over the weekend, multiple Democratic sources told ABC News.
The group includes several Democrats who have called for him to withdraw from the race, including Reps. Adam Smith, Pat Ryan, Mikie Sherrill, Mike Quigley, and Jim Himes.
It’s not clear how many of those members will join the call. But it could be an opportunity for some of them to make their case directly to Biden.
The president plans to also meet with members of the Progressive Caucus on Saturday, according to sources.
-ABC News’ Ben Siegel and Rachel Scott
Jul 12, 2024, 12:29 PM EDT
Biden to speak with Congressional Hispanic Caucus: Sources
Biden will be speaking with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Friday, two sources familiar with the planning told ABC News.
The meeting was technically set up through the BOLD PAC, which supports Hispanic and progressive candidates and includes members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, according to sources.
-ABC News’ Rachel Scott
Jul 12, 2024, 11:00 AM EDT
Ron Klain says Biden news conference a ‘more typical’ performance than debate
Ron Klain, a senior adviser to Biden and former White House chief of staff joined MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Friday to discuss Biden’s high-stakes news conference.
Klain framed the debate as a “bad night” and said the preparations were better than the real-time showing. Klain also said that what Americans saw on Thursday is more representative of Biden’s abilities.
“Last night, the press conference we saw … was much more typical to what we saw in the debate preparations,” Klain said, adding: “And I think that the president showed showed what he’s capable of last night in this press conference, and voters see it every day as he governs and leads the country and campaigns around the country.”
-ABC News’ Gabrielle Abdul-Hakim
Jul 12, 2024, 11:03 AM EDT
Jeffries, Schumer privately sympathetic to view that Biden on path to lose to Trump, source says
According to a senior Democratic source, at the Biden campaign briefing on Thursday with Democratic senators, only three senators spoke up to say Biden should stay in the race. The senators also asked for Anita Dunn (a senior adviser to Biden) to be at the briefing and she did not come.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are both sympathetic to the view Biden is on a path to lose to Trump and it would be best if he moved on, the source said. But, the source said, “This is a private play, not a public one.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has also spoken to Barack Obama about this — although it is important to say, they talk regularly.
-ABC News’ Jonathan Karl
Jul 12, 2024, 10:45 AM EDT
Another House Democrat calls on Biden to step aside as candidate
“Joe Biden saved our country once, and I’m joining the growing number of people in my district and across the country to ask him to do it again,” Colorado Rep. Brittany Pettersen said in a statement.
The congresswoman urged Biden to “pass the torch” to “one of our many capable Democratic leaders so we have the best chance to defeat Donald Trump.”
There are now 18 congressional Democrats calling on Biden to step aside as the party’s candidate.
Jul 12, 2024, 10:36 AM EDT
Hakeem Jeffries met with Biden on Thursday to discuss the path forward
The House Democratic leader, in a letter to colleagues on Friday, said he met with President Biden privately on Thursday evening.
“Over the past several days, House Democrats have engaged in a thoughtful and extensive discussion about the future of our country, during a time when freedom, democracy and the economic well-being of everyday Americans are on the line,” Jeffries wrote. “Our discourse has been candid, clear-eyed and comprehensive.”
“In my conversation with President Biden, I directly expressed the full breadth of insight, heartfelt perspectives and conclusions about the path forward that the Caucus has shared in our recent time together,” Jeffries added.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
9:23 AM EDT
Clyburn ‘all in’ for Biden but notes there’s still time before convention for president to change his mind
“I am all in. I’m ridin’ with Biden no which direction he goes, no matter what method he takes. I’m with Joe Biden,” Rep. Jim Clyburn said on NBC News in his first post-press conference interview.
“And if he were to change his mind … I would be all in for the vice president,” Clyburn said.
The congressman, whose endorsement was key to saving Biden’s primary campaign in 2020, said Biden has “earned” the right to make his own determination on his political future.
“I am going to give him that much respect,” Clyburn said. “If he decides to change his mind later on, then we would respond to that. We have until the 19th of August to open our convention and so I would hope we spend our time now focusing on the record that we would lay out for the American people, remind the American people what is in store if Project 2025 were to become the law in any form. That is where our focus ought to be.”
1:21 AM EDT
President to visit Detroit following heavily scrutinized press conference
In his first public event since taking questions from reporters in an open presser on Thursday night, President Joe Biden is heading to the Motor City.
Biden will head to Detroit, Michigan, for campaign-related activities on Friday.
After a day of events, Biden will then travel to the Dover, Delaware, airport as he makes his way to his home in Rehoboth Beach.
11:22 PM EDT
Fmr. Rep. Harman says ‘chaos’ in the party ‘plays right into Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump’s playbooks’
Former Democratic House Rep. Jane Harman called President Biden’s press conference Thursday night a “solid” performance.
“I thought Biden’s performance tonight was solid. Yes, there was one gaffe and there was a gaffe earlier today. I don’t think it’s been a secret for 40 years that he is gaffe prone, so I wouldn’t judge him that way. I thought his answers on China and on Ukraine were nuanced and thoughtful and proved what experience he has and what a nuanced mind he has,” Harman told ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis. “Having said that, I’m not going to pretend that the poll numbers are great, and I’m not going to pretend that some of the concerns are invalid, but … I think we have to be pretty practical here.”
Harman then pointed out Biden’s desire to stay in the race, his record, which she called “excellent,” and the uncertainty of what would happen with the Democrats if he left the race.
“Chaos plays right into Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump’s playbooks. And let’s not forget, there could be malign influence going on here,” she told Davis. “And a lot of the information out there could be domestically driven, or it could be foreign, malign influence.”
Regardless, Harman said she thinks Democrats will have a “private conversation soon.”
“I’m guessing Nancy Pelosi will be in the room, and she’s a highly respected vote counter,” Harman continued. “I give her a lot of credit. I served with her for a long time, and we’re still in active touch. And we’ll see; I mean, he said if he can’t win, he will leave the race. If he can’t win, he has to be persuaded of that. But if he can’t win, who can win? This is not a conversation about Biden leaving. It’s a conversation about the Democratic ticket winning.”
10:54 PM EDT
First Dem. Rep. to call for Biden to step aside unchanged in opinion after presser
Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, the first sitting House member to call for President Biden to step aside, told ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis that following Thursday’s press conference, his opinion hasn’t changed.
“I thought the president did a good job. I think he clearly is the most qualified person to handle our international relations. But the question before us — is he the most qualified person to turn around the undecided and the independents who have refused to join him over the past year and now complicated by the setback when we needed a surge that he had during the debate,” Doggett said. “Every time there’s a slip, a Vice President Trump instead of Harris, a Putin instead of Zelensky, people will focus on something that might not have even been noticed at past times. And to the extent over the coming months that all the attention is on whether he is fit and able to do this job instead of on Trump’s lies, we will be set back.”
Doggett, directing his comments to Biden, said the polls don’t support a top-of-the-ticket win.
“And, Mr. President, just as you deal with the reality of conflict around the world, deal with the reality of the numbers here. And when you look at those numbers, we don’t see a path forward for a Democratic Congress and a White House that is occupied by someone of President Biden’s skill, but is instead occupied by a criminal and his gang.”
10:37 PM EDT
Biden campaign staffers fired up by press conference: Source
A source familiar with the thinking at the Biden campaign Thursday night told ABC News that following the president’s presser in front of the media, staffers were reminded why they moved to Wilmington, Delaware, to work on his campaign. They believe no one will fight harder for the American people than Biden. Those at the campaign believe the press conference showed off Biden’s deep policy experience, going above and beyond expectations, the source expressed.
Jul 11, 2024, 10:26 PM EDT
‘One’s a prosecutor, and the other’s a felon’: Biden corrects calling VP Harris ‘Trump’
President Joe Biden addressed saying “Vice President Trump” instead of “Vice President Harris” at his post-NATO press conference in a post on X late Thursday night.
“By the way: Yes, I know the difference,” read the post on the president’s account. “One’s a prosecutor, and the other’s a felon.”
Jul 11, 2024, 10:26 PM EDT
Rep. Eric Sorensen joins chorus of Dems calling for Biden to ‘step aside’
Adding to the list of Democratic representatives calling for Biden to exit the presidential race, Rep. Eric Sorensen of Illinois released a statement following the NATO press conference Thursday.
“In 2020, Joe Biden ran for President with the purpose of putting country over party. Today, I am asking him to do that again,” Sorensen said.
“I am hopeful President Biden will step aside in his campaign for President,” he said.
Rep. Sorensen becomes the 17th House Democrat to call for Biden to step aside and the third to do so following the NATO press conference.
Jul 11, 2024, 9:39 PM EDT
Post-press conference, House Dem Rep. Scott Peters calls on Biden to step aside
Not long after the conclusion of President Joe Biden’s first solo press conference in eight months, California’s House Dem Rep. Scott Peters is calling for Biden to leave the race.
After praising the president for “saving us from a second term of a Trump Presidency in 2020 and for leading with his huge heart and a steady hand in challenging times,” Peters said he does not believe that Biden’s record would “translate into similar success in his reelection campaign.”
Peters said the Democrats were already down in the polls before the debate, and Biden’s performance during the event, “raised real concern among elected leaders, supporters, and voters that the President will not be able to wage a winning campaign. This was not a blip. And while the Biden campaign claims the post-debate national polls remain relatively unchanged, polling in the swing states has worsened alarmingly.
“Today I ask President Biden to withdraw from the presidential campaign,” Peters continued. “The stakes are high, and we are on a losing course. My conscience requires me to speak up and put loyalty to the country and to democracy ahead of my great affection for, and loyalty to, the President and those around him.”
Jul 11, 2024, 9:08 PM EDT
Democratic Rep. Jim Himes calls on Biden to ‘step away’ after NATO press conference
Following Biden’s press conference, Connecticut Democratic Rep. Jim Himes released a statement calling on Biden to “step away from the presidential campaign.”
Himes serves as the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
“The 2024 election will define the future of American democracy, and we must put forth the strongest candidate possible to confront the threat posed by Trump’s MAGA authoritarianism,” Himes said.
Jul 11, 2024, 9:06 PM EDT
Biden ends 50-minute q and a with a shot at Trump
Biden ended his unscripted q and a portion of his news conference, which lasted 50 minutes, taking a question about a Truth Social post made by Trump during the press conference.
The former president mocked Biden’s age and memory for a gaffe early on where he said Vice President Trump instead of Harris.
When asked how he would combat that criticism, Biden smiled and said “Listen to him,” before walking off the stage.
Later, Biden’s campaign posted a screenshot of Trump’s post on X and with the statement “By the way: Yes, I know the difference. One’s a prosecutor, and the other’s a felon.”
Jul 11, 2024, 9:04 PM EDT
Biden: No poll says there’s ‘no way’ he can win
Toward the end of the presser, when asked if he would reconsider staying in the race if his team showed him data that showed Vice President Kamala Harris would fare better against Trump, Biden said: “No, unless they came back and said, There is no way you could win.”
He continued in a whisper, “No one’s saying that. No poll says that.”
Jul 11, 2024, 8:33 PM EDT
Biden cedes ‘others could beat Trump’ but believes he’s most qualified
“I think I am the best qualified to win,” Biden said as his news conference neared an end. “But there are other people who could beat Trump, too.”
“But it would be hard to start from scratch,” he quickly added. “We talk about money raised. We are not doing bad. We’ve got about $220 million in the bank. We are doing well.”
Jul 11, 2024, 8:31 PM EDT
Biden on cognitive test: ‘No matter what I did, not everyone is going to be satisfied’
Asked if he is going to take a cognitive test before the election amid questions about his mental fitness in the wake of the debate, Biden said that if his doctor told him he needed to, he would.
Biden said he has taken three “significant” neurological exams during his presidency, most recently in February.
“They say I am in good shape,” he said, reiterating that he is tested “every single day” on his neurological capacity in his job.
The president added, “No matter what I did, not everyone is going to be satisfied.”
Jul 11, 2024, 8:29 PM EDT
Biden: ‘I’ve gotta finish this job’
Biden said he is going to make the case to the American people that there are things his administration needs to finish, and the dangers posed by a Trump presidency.
“Do you think our democracy is under siege based on this [Supreme] Court? Do you think democracy is under siege based on Project 2025? Do you think he means what he says when he says he is going to do away with the civil service and eliminate the Department Education?”
“I mean, we’ve never been here before … I’ve gotta finish this job because there’s so much at stake,” he said.
Jul 11, 2024, 8:21 PM EDT
Biden on Israel-Hamas conflict ‘It’s time to end this war’
Biden addressed his administration’s response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and reiterated that he wants a cease-fire and ultimately a two-state solution.
The president touted his multiple talks with the Israeli government and Arab leaders but acknowledged that more work needs to be done.
“I have been disappointed that some of the things that I have put forward have not succeeded, like the port in Cyprus. I was hoping that would be more successful,” he said.
Biden reiterated that he has pushed Israeli leaders not to make the same mistake America did in its hunt for Osama bin Laden and occupy a territory.
“Don’t think that’s what you should be doing. We will help you find the bad guys,” he said.
Jul 11, 2024, 8:19 PM EDT
Biden pressed on past comment he saw himself as ‘bridge’ to next generation of leaders
A reporter noted Biden made a statement during his 2020 campaign that he wanted to be a “bridge” candidate to help usher in a younger generation of Democratic leaders.
“I wanted to know –what changed?” she asked.
“What changed was the gravity of the situation I inherited, in terms of the economy, our foreign policy and domestic division,” Biden responded.
“What I realized was my long time in the Senate equipped me to have the wisdom to how to deal with Congress and get things done,” he continued. “We got more major legislation passed that no one thought would happen and I want to get that finished.”
Jul 11, 2024, 8:16 PM EDT
Biden on strategy to interrupt partnership between China and Russia
Asked what his strategy is to interrupt the partnership between China and Russia and if he would be able to negotiate with Xi and Putin, Biden said he has “spent more time with Xi Jinping than any world leader has.”
“We have to make it clear and China has to understand that if they are supplying Russia with information and capacity, along with working with North Korea and others to help Russia, that they are not going to benefit economically as a consequence of that by getting the kind of investment they are looking for,” he said.
Biden added that after the Chinese “spy balloon” incident the U.S. and Chinese militaries have “direct access” to one other and “we contact one another.”
Jul 11, 2024, 8:08 PM EDT
Biden ready to deal with Putin, Xi ‘now and three years from now’
Biden was asked if he will be able to deal with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping in two or three years from now, should he be reelected.
“I’m ready to deal with them now and three years from now,” he said.
He said he is dealing with Xi right now and that he has “no good reason” to speak with Putin right now.
“There isn’t any world leader I’m not prepared to deal with,” Biden said.
Jul 11, 2024, 8:01 PM EDT
‘I’m not hearing my European allies say ‘Joe don’t run,” Biden says
The president responded to a question about whether European allies should prepare for U.S. disengagement if Trump wins by contending that he has their support in the U.S. election.
“I’m not hearing my European allies coming up to me and saying, ‘Joe, don’t run,'” he said. “What I hear them saying is, ‘You’ve got to win. Don’t let this guy — it would be a disaster.'”
Biden pointed out Trump has an “affinity to people who are authoritarian.”
“That worries Europe. That worries Poland,” he said.
Jul 11, 2024, 7:56 PM EDT
Biden says he needs to ‘pace’ himself when asked about schedule
Biden said he needs to “pace himself” when pressed on how he is up to the 24/7 nature of the presidency — while taking a crack at Trump’s schedule compared to his own.
“Where has Trump been? Riding on his golf cart and filling out his scorecard?” Biden said. “He has done virtually nothing. I’ve had roughly 20 major events, some with thousands of people showing up.”
Biden said he has always had an inclination to “keep going” but “I just have to pace myself a little more.”
“In the next debate, I’m not going to be traveling in 15 time zones the week before,” he said.
Jul 11, 2024, 7:50 PM EDT
Biden touts Harris is ‘qualified to be president’
Biden addressed his previous statements that Vice President Kamala Harris “would be ready on Day One.”
The president touted Harris’ work with women’s reproductive health issues and her time in the Senate.
“I wouldn’t have picked her unless I thought she was qualified to be president. From the very beginning, I made no bones about that. She is qualified to be president. That’s why I picked her,” he said.
Jul 11, 2024, 7:46 PM EDT
Biden addresses calling Zelenskyy ‘Putin’ gaffe
Biden was asked to address his gaffe earlier Thursday in which he introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a meeting about the Ukraine Compact at the NATO summit as Russia’s President Putin, and if other world leaders needing to step in and make excuses is “damaging” to America’s standing in the world.
“Do you see any damage by me leading this conference?” Biden responded. “Have you seen a more successful conference? I was talking about Putin and at the very end I said, I’m sorry, Zelenskyy.”
“I thought it was the most successful conference I’ve attended in a long time,” he later said.
Jul 11, 2024, 7:44 PM EDT
Biden: ‘I’m not in this for my legacy’
One reporter asked the president, “Have you spent time thinking about what it would mean for your legacy, which you’ve worked decades to build, if you stay in the race, despite the concerns that voters say they have, and you lose to someone who yourself have argued is unfit to return to the Oval Office?”
Biden replied, “I’m not in this for my legacy. I’m in this to complete the job I started.”
Jul 11, 2024, 7:43 PM EDT
Biden says he will ‘keep moving’ despite criticisms
Biden began his question and answer session by responding to a question about the growing calls for him to step aside from his campaign.
The president said there was “a long way to go in this campaign.”
“So, I am just going to keep moving, keep moving, because look, I’ve got more work to do, more work to finish,” he said.
Jul 11, 2024, 7:40 PM EDT
Biden mixes up Trump and Harris when asked about his VP’s viability
Asked about what concerns he had about Vice President Kamala Harris’ ability to beat Donald Trump, if she were ever to appear on the top of the ticket, Biden confused her with Donald Trump.
“Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if I didn’t think she was not qualified to be president. So I’ll start there,” Biden said.
“The fact is that the consideration is that I think I’m the most well-qualified person to run for president. I beat him once and I will beat him again,” he added.
Jul 11, 2024, 7:36 PM EDT
Biden says ‘future’ of America’s foreign policy up to the people
“Now, the future of American policy is up to the American people,” Biden said. “This is much more than a political question. It’s more than that. It’s a national security issue. Don’t reduce this to the usual testament that people talk about, issues of being a political campaign.”
“It is far too important,” he continued. “It’s about the world we live in for decades to come. Every American must ask himself or herself. Is the world safer with NATO? Are you safer? Is your family safer?”
Jul 11, 2024, 7:35 PM EDT
Biden, giving remarks on NATO, makes reference to Trump
With the NATO banner and American flags displayed behind him, Biden recounted this week’s NATO summit in Washington and touted the strength of the alliance in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
While he didn’t use Donald Trump’s name, he invoked him during the remarks.
“Meanwhile, my predecessor, has made it clear he has no commitment to NATO,” Biden said. “He has made it clear that he would feel no obligation to honor Article Five. He’s already told Putin, I quote, ‘Do whatever the hell you want.'”
“In fact, the day after Putin invaded Ukraine, here’s what he said: It was genius. It was wonderful. Some of you have forgotten that, but that’s exactly what he said. Well, I made it clear, a strong nato is essential to American I believe the obligation of Article Five is sacred,” Biden added.
Jul 11, 2024, 7:28 PM EDT
Biden takes the stage
Biden is at the podium to answer reporter questions in his first solo press conference since November 2023, a critical moment for him as he faces growing Democratic pressure to step aside from his campaign.
Jul 11, 2024, 7:23 PM EDT
Top officials in the room for Biden’s press conference
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Council spokesman John Kirby are in the room as are Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and National security adviser Jake Sullivan.
This is Biden’s first solo press conference since the APEC Summit in California eight months ago.
Jul 11, 2024, 6:42 PM EDT
Biden soon to take reporter questions in high-stakes moment
Biden, facing a political crisis as Democrats question the viability of his campaign, is minutes away from holding his first solo press conference of the year — and since the debate two weeks ago.
It’s an opportunity for Biden to change the narrative after his poor performance that night triggered a drumbeat of concerns in his own party that he might be too weakened to win against Donald Trump this November.
But any stumbles in the unscripted setting will only add fuel to the fire, despite Biden’s repeated attempts to rebuff his critics and his insistence that he is staying in the race.
Jul 11, 2024, 6:20 PM EDT
‘It would be a big mistake to underestimate the president,’ German chancellor says
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz addressed Biden’s viability and future during an interview Thursday on the PBS NewsHour, saying, “it would be a big mistake to underestimate the president.”
“I just can tell you from my perspective, as someone that is speaking with Biden, he is very focused and he is very, intensely doing what the president of the United States has to do for leading [NATO],” Scholz said.
Scholz said that had not seen moments in his most recent interactions with Biden that indicated the president is not up for another four years.
-ABC News’ Benjamin Siegel and Will Gretsky
Jul 11, 2024, 6:28 PM EDT
Biden introduces Zelenskyy as Putin at NATO summit
Biden introduced Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as President Putin at a meeting about the Ukraine Compact at the NATO summit Thursday evening.
Biden quickly corrected himself, saying that he was “so focused on beating Putin.”
Zelenskyy laughed off the gaffe.
“I’m better,” Zelenskyy said.
“You are a hell of a lot better,” Biden replied.
The exchange came shortly before Biden was scheduled to hold his first solo news conference since the presidential debate.
President Joe Biden accidentally called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by the name of his rival, President Vladimir Putin, when introducing him at the NATO summit.
-ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart
Jul 11, 2024, 5:26 PM EDT
14th House Democrat pushes Biden to step aside, questions ‘fitness to do the job’
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., has become the 14th House Democrat to call for Biden to end his campaign and even questioned if he should remain in office.
Gluesenkamp Perez, who flipped a district in 2022, said in her statement Thursday she had spoken with constituents in the last two weeks and they expressed worry about Biden’s age and health.
“Like most people, I represent in Southwest Washington, I doubt the President’s judgment about his health, his fitness to do the job, and whether he is the one making important decisions about our country, rather than [an] unelected advisors,” she said.
“The crisis of confidence in the President’s leadership needs to come to an end,” the congresswoman added.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Jul 11, 2024, 5:03 PM EDT
Senate Democrats describe ‘tense’ meeting with Biden campaign officials
Senate Democrats met with top Biden campaign officials behind closed doors Thursday for about two hours trying to lay out the path to victory for the president.
One senator said the meeting was ‘tense’ at times.
A number of senators expressed concerns about the president being shielded by his advisers, two sources with knowledge of the meeting told ABC News.
Some senators stated they were being put in “difficult,” “impossible” or “untenable” positions by having to defend the president to constituents back home after the debate, especially for those senators in tough races, according to the sources.
No Biden campaign polling was shared with senators but instead Biden’s advisers laid out a strategy, including showcasing the president’s record, going after Trump, campaigning on a second-term agenda and building out the coalition of voters, sources said.
One senator who spoke to ABC News said, “I needed to see hard data that showed a path to success in November and we did not get that.”
“I continue to have concerns that only Joe Biden can address, not his campaign staff,” the senator said.
-ABC News’ Rachel Scott and Allison Pecorin
Jul 11, 4:47 PM EDT
Senate Democrats describe ‘tense’ meeting with Biden campaign officials
Senate Democrats met with top Biden campaign officials behind closed doors Thursday for about two hours trying to lay out the path to victory for the president.
One senator said the meeting was ‘tense’ at times.
A number of senators expressed concerns about the president being shielded by his advisers, two sources with knowledge of the meeting told ABC News.
Some senators stated they were being put in “difficult,” “impossible” or “untenable” positions by having to defend the president to constituents back home after the debate, especially for those senators in tough races, according to the sources.
No Biden campaign polling was shared with senators but instead Biden’s advisers laid out a strategy, including showcasing the president’s record, going after Trump, campaigning on a second-term agenda and building out the coalition of voters, sources said.
One senator who spoke to ABC News said, “I needed to see hard data that showed a path to success in November and we did not get that.”
“I continue to have concerns that only Joe Biden can address, not his campaign staff,” the senator said.
-ABC News’ Rachel Scott and Allison Pecorin
Jul 11, 4:40 PM EDT
13th House Democrat calls on Biden to bow out
Arizona Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton became the 13th House member to openly call on Biden to leave the race Thursday.
Stanton touted Biden’s years of work in his statement but said the president’s “most defining legacy, though, is as a fierce defender of American democracy.
“The Democratic Party must have a nominee who can effectively make the case against Trump, and have the confidence of the American people to handle the rigors of the hardest job on the planet for the next four years,” Stanton said.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Jul 11, 4:17 PM EDT
12th House Democrat joins calls for Biden to step aside
Democratic Rep. Ed Case of Hawaii became the latest House member to call on the president to cease his reelection run.
Case released a statement Thursday saying, “Difficult times and realities require difficult decisions.”
“This has nothing to do with his character and record. If it did, there would be no decision to make,” he said. “This is solely about the future, about the President’s ability to continue in the most difficult job in the world for another four-year term.”
-ABC News’ John Parkinson
Jul 11, 3:38 PM EDT
Macron says he’s ‘happy’ to have Biden as president
A foreign pool reporter at the third working session at the NATO summit taking place in Washington asked French President Emmanuel Macron what his impression of Biden was.
“I don’t understand your question about President Biden. He is my counterpart, he is the President of the United States, and we are happy to have him as the president of the United States,” Macron replied.
Macron spent ample time with Biden just a month ago during his visit to France.
-ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart
Jul 11, 3:34 PM EDT
Wisconsin radio station admits it edited Biden interview at request of campaign
The Wisconsin radio station that hosted Biden last week for an interview edited the conversation at the request of the campaign, cutting out two of Biden’s soundbites, the station said in a statement Thursday.
“On Monday, July 8th, it was reported to Civic Media management that immediately after the phone interview was recorded, the Biden campaign called and asked for two edits to the recording before it aired. Civic Media management immediately undertook an investigation and determined that the production team at the time viewed the edits as non-substantive and broadcast and published the interview with two short segments removed,” Civic Media said.
Specifically a line from the interview “… and in addition to that, I have more Blacks in my administration than any other president, all other presidents combined, and in major positions, Cabinet positions,” was removed.
A piece of dialogue referencing Donald Trump’s call for the death penalty for the Central Park Five, “I don’t know if they even call for their hanging or not, but he—but they said […] convicted of murder,” was also removed.
The station acknowledged that the moves fell short of “journalistic interview standards,” but the station said it stands by host Earl Ingram, who conducted the interview.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin, Will McDuffie, Fritz Farrow and Gabriella Abdul-Hakim
Jul 11, 1:57 PM EDT
Jeffries refuses to comment on Biden’s candidacy, says House Democrats’ conversations ongoing
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries remained tight-lipped on Biden’s candidacy as he continued to take the temperature of the House Democratic caucus.
“Throughout this week, as House Democrats, we have engaged in a process of talking to each other. Those conversations have been candid, comprehensive, and clear eyed and they continue until that process concluded,” Jeffries said during a news conference Thursday.
“House Democrats, Senate Democrats and President Biden are unified on the affirmative agenda that we have for the American people,” the New York congressman added.
Jeffries responded “no” when asked if Biden is a liability for vulnerable House Democrats.
Jul 11, 12:56 PM EDT
More House Democrats signal doubt on Biden
New York Rep. Ritchie Torres posted a statement on X Thursday expressing more doubts about Biden’s viability on the presidential ticket.
Torres, who represents the Bronx, said the president “simply had one bad debate performance reflects a continuing pattern of denial and self-delusion
“The notion that the President is going to be saved by this interview or that press conference misses the forest for trees,” he said.
Ohio Rep. Greg Landsman said he is inching “close and closer” to calling on Biden to step aside in an interview Thursday on CNN.
“It’s becoming increasingly likely that this is, this may be just too high of a hill for him to climb,” he said.
Landsman said Biden’s letter to congressional Democrats on Monday did not help.
“The question is about the future of the country,” he added.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Jul 11, 12:55 PM EDT
Biden campaign lays out path forward in new internal memo
The Biden campaign is laying out what it sees as its path forward to Joe Biden winning reelection in a new memo shared internally with campaign staff on Thursday by Jen O’Malley Dillon and Julie Chavez Rodriguez, a source familiar with the campaign told ABC News.
The memo, first reported by the AP, acknowledges anxieties but claims they still have “multiple pathways to 270 electoral votes.”
The memo was revealed after Democrats had demanded Biden and his campaign show how it planned to win despite Biden’s poor poll numbers.
The campaign said it will focus on winning the “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, and believes that the “sunbelt states are not out of reach.”
The memo states the race remains a margin-of-error race in key battleground states, despite calls for Biden to step down citing internal data.
-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow and Will McDuffie
Jul 11, 12:31 PM EDT
Senators discuss upcoming briefing by top Biden campaign officials
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt. spoke with ABC News Thursday morning about Thursday’s scheduled lunch between Democratic senators and top Biden campaign officials.
Welch, who is, so far, the only Democratic senator to call for Biden to step aside, said the path forward involved the president persuading voters, not advisers persuading senators.
“It’s a show me not tell me issue. I think for Americans it’s not so much about individual senators or members of Congress,” Welch said. “It’s really about the challenge of everyday campaign.”
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., told ABC News he’s putting a bit more weight into Thursday’s meeting with the Biden officials.
“We are very interested to hear how they make their case,” he said.
-ABC News’ Rachel Scott and Allison Pecorin
Jul 11, 11:29 AM EDT
10th House Democrat calls on Biden to step aside
Michigan Rep. Hillary Scholten has added her name to the growing list of House Democrats who are calling on Biden to end his presidential election bid.
The congresswoman said in a statement posted on X Thursday that it “is essential that we have the strongest possible candidate leading the top of the ticket — not just to win, but to govern.”
“The people of Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District elected me to represent them with integrity. They elected a Congresswoman they trust to speak the truth, even when it’s hard. They voted for someone who would put America’s future first and stand up for what is right. That’s what I am doing now,” Scholten, who represents Grand Rapids, said.
She is the 10th sitting House Democrat to call for Biden to step aside.
Scholten noted that if Biden stayed in the race, she would “respect his decision,” and still vote for him.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Jul 11, 10:07 AM EDT
Biden press conference slides back an hour
The White House announced Thursday morning that the much-anticipated Biden’s press conference will now start at 6:30 p.m. local time in Washington, instead of the previous 5:30 p.m. start time.
Biden has a busy day of meetings tied to the NATO summit ahead of the press conference, including a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The presser will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, and is his first solo press conference in eight months.
Jul 10, 9:39 PM EDT
White House confirms time Biden will speak to media Thursday
President Joe Biden will take questions from the media on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. ET, his first press conference since the controversy over his candidacy erupted following his debate performance.
Biden has had fewer pressers with the media than his predecessors and the last time he took questions solo was back in November 2023.
The upcoming press briefing is being held at the Washington Convention Center, where Biden will spend a third day at the 2024 NATO Summit.
Jul 10, 2024, 7:35 PM EDT
First senator joins growing calls for Biden to drop out
Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont called for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race in a Washington Post op-ed published Wednesday evening.
Welch is the first Senate Democrat to officially call for Biden to step aside.
“I understand why President Biden wants to run. He saved us from Donald Trump once and wants to do it again. But he needs to reassess whether he is the best candidate to do so. In my view, he is not,” Welch wrote.
“I deliver this assessment with sadness. Vermont loves Joe Biden. President Biden and Vice President Harris received a larger vote percentage here than in any other state. But regular Vermonters are worried that he can’t win this time, and they’re terrified of another Trump presidency,” he said.
Jul 10, 2024, 6:47 PM EDT
Ninth Democrat calls for Biden to withdraw from the race
U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., became the ninth Democrat to call on Biden to end his reelection bid.
Blumenauer, a senior member of the House Ways and Means and Budget committees, commended the president for his accomplishments, claiming in a statement released Wednesday that Biden “will be recorded in history as the most successful president in the last 50 years.”
However, the congressmen added that, in his mind, “We will all be better served if the president steps aside as the Democratic nominee and manages a transition under his terms.”
“The next six months will be critical in the implementation of President Biden’s landmark accomplishments that will define his legacy for generations to come. He should devote his energy and undivided attention to issues of war and peace, the climate crisis, and rebuilding and renewing America,” Blumenauer said, in part.
Jul 10, 2024, 6:39 PM EDT
AFL-CIO calls on Democrats to unite behind Biden
The AFL-CIO for the second time in a week put out a statement in support of President Joe Biden after unanimously voting to reaffirm their support for the Biden-Harris ticket, saying that they are the “most pro-union administration in our lifetimes.”
The union, which endorsed the Biden-Harris campaign in June 2023, urged Democrats to support Biden saying, “The labor movement is united behind President Biden and Vice President Harris. We urge his party and the American people to join us.”
“The message from today’s meeting couldn’t have been clearer: Right now, it’s time to come together around a vision of a country where everyone has a fair shot with a living wage, affordable health care, retirement security, and time to do the things we love like spending time with family and friends and pursuing our interests and passions. These are fundamental to, as the president reiterated to our meeting, building the economy from the bottom up and the middle out, not the top down,” the AFL-CIO Executive Council said in a statement.
Jul 10, 5:46 PM EDT
Newsom says he won’t challenge Harris, reiterates support for Biden
California Gov. Gavin Newsom was again asked about the future of President Biden’s campaign and whether he’d challenge Vice President Kamala Harris if she took the ticket during a news conference on the ongoing wildfires Wednesday.
Newsom stood by comments he made in 2023 when he said he would not run against Harris.
The governor reiterated that he is still backing Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee.
“I think I’ve had 100 media outlets asking the same question, and I think that I’ve amply answered my support for the president and the support I saw on the ground was demonstrable,” he said.
Newsom said he didn’t read the full comments that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave on MSNBC where she said, “It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run.”
He also said he had not read George Clooney’s New York Times op-ed that called on Biden to bow out.
Jul 10,4:48 PM EDT
Morale ‘very low’ at White House as staff frustrated by Clooney op-ed: Source
Morale “is very low in the building,” a person who works regularly with senior level White House staff told ABC News Wednesday.
Some in President Joe Biden’s inner circle, including senior adviser Anita Dunn and chief of staff Jeff Zients, are said to be very frustrated and upset by George Clooney’s op-ed in the New York Times in which he calls on Biden to step aside, the source said.
The donor class is also deeply divided, a Democratic adviser told ABC News.
Although small donations continue to pour in and the very largest donors are doubling down, the huge swath of donors in the middle are holding back, according to the adviser. That group of donors, which gives anywhere from five to eight figures, are on pause, which is very damaging since they’re a major part of the donor ecosystem, the adviser said.
This adviser adds that the hand-wringing in the meantime has been very harmful to the campaign.
Another Democratic fundraiser says while a strong performance at the solo press conference Thursday could help the situation, many donors believe the crisis around Biden just won’t go away.
The doubts raised by members of Congress, the comments from Nancy Pelosi, and the op-ed from George Clooney are all fueling a flurry of discussions among donors about what to do if Biden drops out.
-ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Selina Wang
Jul 10, 3:33 PM EDT
Biden to hold one-on-one interview with NBC’s Lester Holt
President Joe Biden will hold a one-on-one interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt Monday, the network announced.
This will mark the second TV interview Biden has held since last month’s presidential debate.
Holt will interview Biden earlier in the day while he’s in Austin, Texas, and the full interview will air at 9 p.m. ET, the network announced.
Jul 10, 3:24 PM EDT
Republican presses top officials on Biden’s mental fitness
In back-to-back House Financial Services Committee hearings with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, both regular, annual hearings on their agency’s policies, Republican Mike Lawler of New York redirected from questions about inflation and tariffs on Russia to ask each official about their personal interactions with the president.
Yellen said she wouldn’t describe the content of her meetings with the president or say when she last met with him because it was “private,” but she called Biden “extremely effective.”
“The president is extremely effective in the meetings that I’ve been in with him, that includes many international meetings that are multi hour, like his meetings with President Xi [Jinping of China],” she said.
“Madam secretary, have there been any discussions among Cabinet secretaries about invoking the 25th Amendment?” Lawler asked.
“No,” Yellen said resolutely. The 25th Amendment states that the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet can together remove power from the president if he or she is incapacitated.
Powell, asked by Lawler if he’s “noticed any mental or cognitive decline” in meetings with the president, said “no.”
But Powell noted that he’d only interacted with the president twice in the last two years — once for a meeting and once to shake his hand at a state dinner, which Powell said was normal for presidents and Federal Reserve chairs, given the independence of the agency.
-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett
Jul 10, 3:23 PM EDT
Concern over Biden’s future grows among Democratic senators
Multiple Senate Democrats spoke candidly with ABC News about concerns they have about Biden’s viability and said they want to continue discussions about the best path forward.
Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he is worried about “an existential threat to the country if Donald Trump wins,” and added “every day is critical” as Biden weighs his path forward.
“I have confidence in Joe Biden doing what’s right for America. What he believes is right for America is to defeat Donald Trump and he’ll be a pretty good judge of whether that will be possible,” Blumenthal said. “We can all advise him we can raise concerns ultimately the decision is his and I am going to continue to raise concerns but I do think we need to ultimately unify because the existential threat here is Donald Trump.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, associated himself with the comments of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi made on MSNBC Wednesday, in which she appeared to leave the door open for the president to step aside.
“I thought Speaker Pelosi nailed it pretty well this morning,” Whitehouse told ABC News. He repeatedly avoided answering additional questions about whether Biden should resign before reiterating his support for Pelosi’s comments.
Although Sen. Dick Durbin told ABC News Durbin he was “very concerned” about Biden’s chances, he added that he’s always known the race would be close.
“I believe we wage the right campaign and make a point of what we’ve achieved under this president we will see him reelected,” Durbin said.
Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who expressed worries about Biden’s future during a closed-door meeting among Senate Democrats Tuesday, told ABC News he was hearing legitimate concerns from voters.
“My job is to listen to them my job is to go to hearings like this to fight for lower drug prices to fight for Ohio workers,” Brown said.
-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin and Rachel Scott
Jul 10, 2:07 PM EDT
8th House Democrat calls on Biden to step aside
New York Rep. Pat Ryan, a moderate Democrat, is now calling on Biden to step aside as the Democratic nominee.
“Trump is an existential threat to American democracy; it is our duty to put forward the strongest candidate against him,” Ryan wrote on X. “Joe Biden is a patriot but is no longer the best candidate to defeat Trump. For the good of our country, I am asking Joe Biden to step aside — to deliver on his promise to be a bridge to a new generation of leaders.”
Ryan is the eighth House Democrat to publicly call on Biden to step aside.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Jul 10, 2:03 PM EDT
Biden gives a fist pump when asked about Pelosi’s comments
Despite her remarks, Biden suggested he still has Pelosi’s support to continue his reelection campaign.
“Is Nancy Pelosi still behind you?” Biden was asked after taking a family photo with NATO leaders.
The president didn’t say anything, but flexed his arm and fist in the air.
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez
Jul 10, 1:58 PM EDT
Debate over future of Biden’s candidacy continues
After a day of closed-door Democratic meetings where lawmakers appeared to be absorbing the sober reality that Biden would stay as the party’s presumptive nominee, new comments on Wednesday stirred fresh debate on Biden’s viability and path forward.
First, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was noncommittal on whether she wanted Biden to continue to run despite Biden insisting repeatedly that he had decided to stay in the race.
“It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run,” Pelosi said on MSNBC. “We’re all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short.”
Then, George Clooney, in a stinging New York Times op-ed, said Biden should step aside.
“It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal’ Biden of 2010,” Clooney wrote. “He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.”
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
