Democrats divided as Biden faces increased pressure to step aside

President Biden's re-election campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon told Morning Joe on MSNBC, "Absolutely the president is in this race."

"I'm not here to say that this hasn't been a tough several weeks for the campaign," she said. "There's no doubt that it has been, and we've definitely seen some slippage in support, but it has been a small movement."

According to Dillon, there are still several "pathways to victory" for Biden.

She also teased an endorsement for Biden "from a very significant national organization."

Her assurance that the president is staying in the 2024 race comes as Congressional Democratic support continues to peel off. On Friday morning a 23rd Democratic lawmakers asked the president to "pass the torch."

On Thursday evening, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., became the second senator to call on Biden to drop out.

A group of Democrat Massachusetts state lawmakers issued a joint statement on Friday calling for President Joe Biden to drop out of the election, Mass Live reported.

The joint statement pays tribute to Biden to “[rising] to the challenge of defeating Donald Trump,” in 2020, and “restor[ing] dignity and honor to the presidency. His administration has accomplished historic legislative achievements for the American people," the outlet reported.

But now “it is time for him to pass the torch to the next generation of Democratic leaders," the local lawmakers wrote. "We are calling for President Biden to step aside so that a different candidate can be nominated at the Democratic [National Convention] in August,” they continued.

The statement is reportedly signed by state Sens. Joanne Comerford, D-Hampshire/Franklin/Worcester, Jamie Eldridge, D-Middlesex/Worcester, Paul Feeney, D-Bristol/Norfolk, Patricia Jehlen, D-2nd Middlesex, John Keenan, D-Norfolk/Plymouth; Jason Lewis, D-5th Middlesex, and Michael Moore, D-2nd Worcester.

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Biden should step aside and resign, undecided voters tells ABC

A panel of five undecided voters on ABC News Thursday night unanimously agreed that President Biden needs to step out of the race because of his age and gaffes.

President Biden needs to go, a panel of undecided voters agreed on Thursday.

Five undecided voters appeared on ABC News to discuss the issues that concerned them ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

One of the biggest topics included their opinions on former President Trump and President Biden as their presumed candidates for November. Though some had issues with Trump, all five had a similar view of Biden. 

"Just a show of hands, do you think Joe Biden should step aside? Show of hands if you think he should," ABC News national correspondent Byron Pitts asked the panel.

After all five raised their hands, he exclaimed, "Wow. You all agree about that."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Lindsay Kornick.

Biden is facing increasing calls to step down

Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., called on President Biden to drop out of the presidential race on Friday, becoming the 23rd Congressional Democrat to do so.

"It is with a heavy heart and much personal reflection that I am therefore calling on Joe Biden to pass the torch to a new generation," he wrote in an op-ed for the Chicago Tribune.

“To manage an exit with all the dignity and decency that has guided his half-century of public service. To cement his legacy as the President who saved our democracy in 2020 and handed it off to trusted hands in 2024 who could carry his legacy forward," he continued.

Casten has represented southwest Chicago since 2019 and his seat is considered safely Democratic.

The Illinois Democrat's call on Biden comes after a second senator urged the president to exit the race on Thursday evening. "While I appreciate his commitment to public service and our country, I believe President Biden should not seek re-election to another term," Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said in a statement.

Biden and his campaign have pushed back on calls to drop and insisted that the president is staying in the race.

Fox News' Remy Numa, Chad Pergram and Kelly Phares contributed to this report.

President Biden's re-election campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon is going on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" at 9:00 a.m. to make the case for the president and vice president.

She will be discussing their "path to victory moving ahead and how President Biden and Vice President Harris will beat Donald Trump," according to the campaign.

They have denied frequent reports that the president is considering whether to exit the presidential race, despite increasing public calls from Democrats for him to do so.

Pressure for Biden to drop out of the race ramped up following his poor debate performance against former President Trump last month. The campaign has pushed back, blaming much of the performance on a cold Biden had. Biden himself has claimed it was just a "bad night."

The White House revealed this week that the President tested positive for COVID-19, causing him to cancel campaign events in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is now recovering in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) reacts during a rally for Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) at St. Mary's Park on June 22, 2024 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., argued that Democrats should stick with President Biden in an hour-long video posted on Instagram.

The "Squad" lawmaker said she has not been convinced by polling and other data that Biden cannot defeat Trump in November, though she emphasized that people who do have concerns over Biden's ability to win shouldn't be dismissed.

However, Ocasio-Cortez argued Democrats simply don't have the time to prepare a national campaign to win the White House with anyone other than Biden.

"When I think about the case, in terms of supporting a Joe Biden presidency or being okay with Joe Biden continuing to be the nominee, I'm looking at a watch. I'm looking at a clock and I'm looking at a calendar. And I think that if, personally, people want to have this conversation six months ago, eight months ago, a year ago, it's a very different landscape." 

She chastised Democrats who have given anonymous quotes to reporters to undermine Biden or pressure him to drop out. 

"That's bulls---t. Like, if you have an opinion, say it with your chest and say it in public," Ocasio-Cortez said. 

The New York congresswoman also said there is no consensus that Vice President Kamala Harris would be the Democratic nominee if Biden steps aside. She said those pushing for Biden to withdraw "are interested in removing the whole ticket." 

Maria Shriver (C), former first lady of California, and Kate Cox (R), abortion rights advocate, sit in first lady Jill Biden’s guest box during U.S. President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address during a joint meeting of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol on March 07, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Maria Shriver, the former first lady of California and a member of the Kennedy family, said Thursday that her "heart is breaking" for President Biden over reports that hey may drop out of the 2024 election. 

"If the rumors are true, let’s be compassionate. A good man who has devoted his life to serving his country. Regardless of your party, this is a human moment. This is as tough as it gets," Shriver wrote on social media.

Her post quoted a report by Axios that top Democrats now believe Biden will exit the 2024 race amid rising pressure from his party. 

"The top leaders of his party, his friends and key donors believe he can't win, can't change public perceptions of his age and acuity, and can't deliver congressional majorities," Axios reported. "The president is being told that if he stays in, former President Trump could win in a landslide and wipe away Biden's legacy and Democrats' hopes in November."

Shriver is a friend of the Biden family and was first lady Jill Biden's guest at the State of the Union address earlier this year. 

A well-connected advisor and fundraising coordinator for President Biden's campaign is reportedly warning that donations are at risk of drying up, according to reports. 

Film producer and Democratic insider Jeffrey Katzenberg reportedly spoke with Biden in a private meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Wednesday. 

During the meeting, Katzenberg allegedly told the president that major donors were likely to cut funding due to concerns about the campaign's viability, according to a report from Semafor.

Following the report, Katzenberg released a statement saying the characterization was inaccurate and that the two had "talked about everything from the convention to new ads."

"And by the way, we will raise the money we need to run a winning campaign," he added.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for clarification on the nature of the conversation.

Internal debate over plans to re-nominate Biden as the 2024 presidential nominee is threatening to rupture the Democratic Party.

Democratic lawmakers and candidates across the country fear that Biden's plummeting support since his disastrous performance at the first presidential debate will have ramifications for down-ballot elections.

Party leaders have been considering plans to nominate Biden as soon as next week, ostensibly due to concerns that the Aug. 17 date for the Democratic National Convention comes after Ohio's ballot deadline.

Fox News Digital's Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this update.

Vice President Kamala Harris holds a campaign event that is her seventh visit to North Carolina this year and 15th trip to the state since taking office in Fayetteville NC, United States on July 18, 2024 (Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A majority of Democrats say that Vice President Kamala Harris would do a good job if promoted to the presidency should President Biden drop out of the 2024 election.

A new poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 6 in 10 Democrats believe Kamala Harris would do a good job in the top slot. About 2 in 10 Democrats don’t believe she would, and another 2 in 10 say they don’t know enough to say.

Since Biden’s debate debacle on June 27, many Democrats have privately and even openly looked to Harris to step in and succeed Biden as the party’s presidential nominee, believing she has a better chance against GOP nominee Donald Trump. For her part, Harris has remained completely loyal to Biden, being one of his toughest defenders in the aftermath of the disastrous debate performance.

Black adults were more likely than Americans overall to say Harris would do well.

Americans outside the Democratic Party were more skeptical of how Harris would perform in the Oval Office. Only about 3 in 10 Americans say Harris would be a good president. Nearly half said Harris would not do a good job, and 2 in 10 say they don't know enough to have an opinion. 

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

Democratic Party insiders are telling reporters that President Biden will make a "major announcement" about the future of his presidential campaign in the coming days, as soon as this weekend, according to The Hill.

Biden faces intense pressure to drop out of the 2024 election. Congressional Democratic leaders including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. and House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. have reportedly told Biden directly that a majority of lawmakers in the party don't believe he can defeat Trump in November.

Major party donors share those concerns and have threatened to withhold funds from the Biden campaign should the president continue as the Democratic nominee. 

Some party members have already crafted a transition plan to help Vice President Kamala Harris take over if Biden should drop out, including those who worked on former President Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaign, The Hill reported. 

White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates denied that Biden has any intention of dropping out. 

"False," he said in a one-word statement on The Hill's reporting. 

Ex-MSNBC host Keith Olbermann called for CNN to fire one of their most prominent political commentators for juxtaposing former President Trump and President Biden in a way that put the Republican in a positive light.

In the weeks following Biden’s widely criticized performance in the presidential debate, the president’s supporters have feuded with his critics who are calling for him to step down in lieu of another candidate.

In the past week, Trump narrowly avoided death by an attempted assassin while Biden caught COVID-19, a pair of events CNN’s Van Jones addressed Wednesday night. 

"Today is a terrible day. If you pull back and look at this thing: strength versus weakness. A bullet couldn‘t stop Trump. A virus just stopped Biden," the former Obama adviser said.

Olbermann shared the clip on X, tagged CNN in the post and wrote, "HEY @CNN Fire this a--hole/moron/ Trumpsucker @VanJones68 TONIGHT. Your remaining 837 viewers will accept no less."

Fox News Digital's Alexander Hall contributed to this update.

Former President Trump shakes hands with Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance at the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 16, 2024. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)

Showing no public signs that President Biden will withdraw from the 2024 election, the Biden campaign swiped at former President Trump and his running mate Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, as the GOP convention wrapped up.

"Over the course of the last four days, Republicans have offered their vision for the country. And now it’s never been more clear that Americans will face a stark choice, a contrasting vision for this country," Biden principal deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks emphasized.

"The Biden-Harris ticket who’s focused on uniting the country, creating opportunity for everyone, and lowering costs or the Trump-Vance one – with a harmful agenda of taking away Americans’ rights, hurting the middle class, and making life more expensive – all while benefiting the ultra-rich and greedy corporations benefit," Fulks argued.

Trump's convention address comes less than two months after he was convicted of 34 felony counts in the first criminal trial of a former or current president in the nation's history. But the Supreme Court ruled on the issue of presidential immunity – a question stemming from charges brought against Trump by Special Counsel Jack Smith. The high court ruled that a president is immune from "official acts." Trump is using that Supreme Court precedent in an effort to overturn the verdict and appeal. 

A judge delayed Trump's possible sentencing until September. 

Fox News Digital's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this update.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., is questioned about the candidacy of President Joe Biden after the senate luncheons in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., called on President Biden to exit the presidential race on Thursday night with the blessing of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., making him the second Senate Democrat to do so. 

"Montanans have put their trust in me to do what is right, and it is a responsibility I take seriously. I have worked with President Biden when it has made Montana stronger, and I’ve never been afraid to stand up to him when he is wrong," he said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "And while I appreciate his commitment to public service and our country, I believe President Biden should not seek re-election to another term."

Tester told Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., about his plan ahead of time. Schumer then told him to do what he thought was best, a source with knowledge of the situation told Fox News Digital. 

The Montana senator is in one of the most competitive races in 2024 as he attempts to keep his seat in a state that has voted twice in favor of former President Trump. 

Tester's race is rated a "Toss Up" by non-partisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report. It is accompanied in the category by three other competitive races in Ohio, Nevada, and Michigan. 

He will face off against the Republican Senate candidate in Montana, former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, in November. 

Fox News Digital's Julia Johnson contributed to this update.

People close to President Biden are "furious" that a pressure campaign calling for him to step aside is picking up speed, according to reports. 

Biden is self-isolating in Rehoboth, Delaware, after testing positive for COVID-19. 

"Lots of anger toward some donors for talking of $ drying up if he doesn’t quit, toward what they see as muted support from Pres. Obama, and toward Dem leaders who one source says are ‘hiding’ behind statements," CBS News reporter Robert Costa posted on X. "If they want him out, they’ll have to push, source adds."

Costa added that Biden feels "disrespected" but that no one has figured out "an effective way to quiet this drift of nervous Democrats away from Biden and know many Dems want Biden to just break at some point soon."

Multiple Democrats have come out in recent weeks to call for Biden to exit the race amid questions about his health. 

Sources told Fox News that Biden's COVID-19 diagnosis has forced him to slow down for a period of reflection. 

Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this update.