Biden campaign insists he’s ‘in this race’ despite mounting Democrat calls to resign

Democratic donors seem to be forming a coordinated front against President Biden, seeking to push him out of office, according to multiple reports.

While the Democratic Party has ostensibly planned to push through Biden as their candidate as soon as next week, a last minute coalition of leaders, donors, and lawmakers seem to have made a concerted effort to pressure Biden out of his commitment to run for re-election.

"I think it’s going to end very shortly," a megadonor close to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told the Financial Times.

Megadonor opponents to Biden's re-election campaign have threatened to withhold donations to the party until the president ends his efforts and allows a new candidate to take his place.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Timothy Nerozzi.

A Trump economist is sounding the alarm on Biden’s potential tax rates if the president is re-elected in November.

During an appearance on "Mornings with Maria" Thursday, Heritage Foundation economist Steve Moore called the tax rates under Biden "scary" as his trillion-dollar budget for 2025 includes $5.5 trillion in new taxes. 

"I mean, look at the capital gains tax rate. That would almost double under Biden," Moore warned.

As part of the budget proposal, Biden called for a 25% minimum tax rate on households worth more than $100 million, raising the capital-gains tax rate, quadrupling the corporate stock buyback tax to 4%, raising the corporate tax rate to 28%, increasing the Medicare tax paid by wealthy Americans, implementing a global minimum tax on multinational corporations and closing the carried interest loophole used by private equity and hedge fund managers.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Alicia Warren.

The political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, BOLD PAC, endorsed President Biden’s reelection bid on Friday amid mounting pressure from Democrats for the president to drop out of the race.

First reported in The Hill, BOLD PAC Chairwoman Rep. Linda Sánchez, D-Calif., said Friday, "President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have delivered for the Latino community and CHC BOLD PAC is proud to endorse them for re-election."

"From historic investments in our infrastructure system to expanding access to affordable health care, they have championed policies that lifted up our families and communities,” she said.

Sánchez argued that the Biden administration has shown commitment to the Latino community and argued that former President Trump winning another term would be “disastrous” to Latinos.

“It is clear that Latino voters will decide the margin of victory in competitive races up and down the ballot this cycle, from California and New Mexico to Arizona, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Nebraska,” she said. “BOLD PAC is investing in targeted outreach and strategic campaigns so that Latino voters mobilize for Democrats up and down the ballot this cycle and power President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to victory.”

Most Massachusetts Democrats do not want President Biden running at the top of the 2024 ticket, while GOP voters remain loyal to Trump, a new state poll finds.

A Suffolk University/Boston Globe survey found that about 64% of likely Massachusetts Democratic voters said that they would prefer a candidate other than Biden to represent the party on the 2024 ballot against former President Donald Trump. Additionally, only 29% of Democratic voters said that they are satisfied with Biden being their party's nominee.

In contrast, about 69% of likely Republican Massachusetts voters are happy with Trump as the GOP nominee.

Despite most Democrats preferring Biden be replaced as the nominee, the president still holds a wide lead over Trump in a hypothetical general matchup in the state, 47% to 29%.

The survey was conducted among likely Massachusetts voters from July 16 to 18 with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

Members of President Joe Biden’s family have discussed what an exit from his campaign might look like, NBC News is reporting according to two people familiar with the discussions. 

"The overall tone of the conversations has been that any exit plan — should Biden decide to take that step, as some of his closest allies increasingly believe he will — should put the party in the best position to beat former President Donald Trump while also being worthy of the more than five decades he has served the country in elected office, these people said," according to the report.

NBC says that Biden’s family members have "specifically discussed how he would want to end his re-election bid on his own timing and with a carefully calculated plan in place."

According to the outlet, "considerations about the impact of the campaign on his health, his family and the stability of the country are among those at the forefront of the discussions, the people familiar with the discussions said."

White House spokesman Andrew Bates denied such discussions are taking place.

"That is not happening, period," he told the outlet. "The individuals making those claims are not speaking for his family or his team — and they will be proven wrong. Keep the faith."

President Joe Biden's COVID-19 diagnosis is keeping him locked away during one of the most crucial moments of his re-election campaign.

Nearly two-dozen congressional Democrats have called on Biden to drop out of the 2024 race after the first presidential debate sparked concerns over his fitness and mental competency. As his re-election efforts struggle to stay afloat, Biden tested positive for coronavirus Wednesday after a campaign event in in Nevada.

The president has since been isolating at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, with no public events scheduled.

While Biden is laying low, Vice President Kamala Harris has been actively hitting the campaign trial on behalf of the Biden-Harris campaign. Harris will receive briefings and conduct internal, closed press meetings with staff on Friday, according to the vice president's public schedule.

Harris' husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, has also been active on the campaign trail and will speak at various campaign events across Arizona on Friday.

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.

The Biden campaign on Thursday slammed former President Trump's RNC convention speech and vowed to continue on and win the election.

"Tonight, Donald Trump rambled on for well over an hour and failed to mention Project 2025 even once," President Biden said in a statement via campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon. 

"He failed to mention how he had inflicted pain and cruelty on the women of America by overturning Roe v Wade. He failed to mention his plan to take over the civil service and to pardon the January 6th insurrectionists. He sought to find problems with America, not to provide solutions. But after all, it was Donald Trump who destroyed our economy, ripped away rights, and failed middle class families. Now he pursues the presidency with an even more extreme vision for where he wants to take this country. Trump’s Project 2025 agenda is the single biggest attack on our personal freedoms and way of life ever proposed in modern American history."

“I am running on a different vision. I am running for an America where we defend democracy, not diminish it. Where we restore our rights and protect our freedoms, not take them away. One where we create opportunities for everyone, while making the super wealthy finally pay their fair share. That is the future I believe in and I know it is the future that millions of my fellow Americans believe in too. The stakes have never been higher. The choice has never been more clear. I am more determined than ever to defeat Donald Trump and his Project 2025 agenda in November.”

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.

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.

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, 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.

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.

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., 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.