More Democrats urge Biden to drop out following NATO press conference

Gov. Chris Sununu for a couple of years has been one of former President Trump's most vocal GOP critics.

But New Hampshire's popular Republican governor says that his state "is very much in play for the former president," who next week officially becomes the GOP’s 2024 presidential nominee.

It's been nearly a quarter-century since a Republican carried swing state New Hampshire in a presidential election. You have to go back to then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush in 2000.

But in the wake of two recent polls that indicated a margin-of-error race in New Hampshire and following President Biden's extremely rough debate performance two weeks ago, Republicans are increasingly hopeful they can bring an end to the losing streak.

"It’s going to be a coin toss. It’s really at the end of the day going to be a 50-50 state," Sununu said in a national exclusive interview with Fox News Digital in his hometown in New Hampshire's Seacoast region.

Sununu predicted that Trump "is going to do very, very well in a swing state like New Hampshire."

Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

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President Joe Biden still has time to turn his campaign around and evade being replaced as the nominee despite a damaging two weeks that followed the first presidential debate, Democrat strategists tell Fox News Digital.

Biden faces increased calls to step down as the Democratic nominee following his performance at the first presidential debate, however strategists with knowledge of presidential campaigns say irreversible damage has not been done to his re-election efforts.

"The president has been clear — he’s the elected nominee, and he is not budging from that position unless god himself intervenes," Democrat strategist Mark Penn told Fox News Digital when asked about the state of Biden's campaign.

"Right now, Donald Trump is clearly leading, but it’s nowhere near double digits, so the race remains within the ability of a few percent of switching voters to change the outcome and, as events like the debate show, there’s plenty of game-changing possibilities."

Penn added that "net-net Biden is now the underdog, but this race is far from over."

Jessica Tarlov, Fox News Contributor and Democrat political strategist, also said that Biden has more than enough time to turn his campaign around before November.

"Is there enough time? Of course. Four months is a lifetime in politics. The election is about Trump. Those that will support him and those that won’t. I’m not saying Biden has ground to make up, but Trump remains hugely unpopular and polarizing through all of the president’s troubles," Tarlov said.

Fox News' Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.

MSNBC host Rachel Maddow wondered Thursday if President Biden’s team is giving him inaccurate polling information that's making him certain he is the Democratic Party’s best chance to defeat former President Trump.

During a panel on MSNBC’s "All In with Chris Hayes," network pundits Hayes, Maddow, Joy Reid and Nicolle Wallace discussed Biden's remarks at his NATO summit press conference, with each commentator weighing in on Biden’s continued confidence that he’s the one to beat Trump.

"It makes me worried that the president is being given information about his political standing that may not be based in reality," Maddow said.

Wallace gave a pointed response to the president’s stated commitment to staying in the race, saying that every incumbent president who had equal or worse poll numbers at this stage in the race has lost.

"Two things on the politics: there is no incumbent president with lower approval ratings who won. There are only three with lower ratings than he has right now, and they all lost. Donald Trump, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter," she said.

Wallace added that there is "right now, no poll that shows [Biden] winning."

Fox News' Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.

James Carville, a veteran Democratic campaign strategist, warned Friday that sticking with President Biden is exactly what former President Trump wants.

MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell noted that Carville seeks to have former presidents Obama and Clinton moderate town halls to discern who can replace Biden as the nominee. The host then asked, "Is that the recipe for chaos?"

"You know, it might be chaos. [But] I tell you, what we are doing right now, we’re doing exactly what Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago wants us to do," Carville said, referencing a report that the Trump campaign wants to face Biden.

"If the Democratic Party is hellbent on pleasing Donald Trump, then go ahead and [run Biden]. It’s just that simple," he said.

Carville then slammed "Washington-types" he says quibble with the details about his idea for town halls to find a new candidate, "Well, I don’t care, do something! Don’t just stand there!"

"The details are, we are on track to lose an election to a major criminal who is going to destroy the western alliance, the constitution and everything in between. So we ought to act like it," he argued.

Fox News' Alexander Hall contributed to this report.

Comedian Jon Stewart said Biden wouldn't qualify for a job as simple as a Home Depot cashier based on his debate performance last month on this week's episode of "The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart."

Stewart, along with guests, Jon Favreau and Tommy Vietor of Pod Save America and CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers, analyzed the future of Biden's presidency and the party's response to previous crises.

"Bill Clinton on the eve of it all, it came out he had had an affair, I can't remember- Jennifer Flowers I think it was, and then it was the Paula Jones situation and then there was the Monica Lewinsky situation and Democrats did fall in line," Stewart said Thursday. "I mean people made- 'Oh, this is terrible and I'm disappointed with the president,' but ultimately the Democrats did fall in line."

Sellers noted that Republicans fell in line after former President Trump said he was resolved to stay in the race in 2016, adding that the party doesn't "fall in love," they "fall in line."

But, Stewart said the two instances are different because the problem is Biden's mental state and personal health.

"I think that you are soft selling the more fundamental aspect of people viewing somebody who, I'll be perfectly honest with you, I don't know of a job interview that you could have gone on and delivered the performance that was delivered by Joe Biden and gotten a job," he said. "I'm not talking about the presidency, I'm talking about, like, cashier at Home Depot, like a job that you would not think, ‘Okay, that is the hardest job in the entire world.’"

Fox News' Kendall Tietz contributed to this report.

A high-anticipated Thursday night news conference failed to provide produce the clarity many voters looking for as to President Biden’s ability to campaign and lead the country, a Washington Post op-ed said.

The newspaper editorial board said Biden "managed to discourse knowledgeably on the questions" but still managed to make some mistakes.

"And yet there were moments in which Mr. Biden veered toward the same kind of embarrassing mistakes he had made during the June 27 debate with former president Donald Trump, including a cringeworthy reference to Vice President Harris as 'Vice President Trump,'" the board said in a Friday opinion piece.

Biden also  mixed up the names of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Russian antagonist President Vladimir Putin and claimed that five other presidents had worse poll numbers than his in an election year, without mentioning that most lost their reelection bids.

"Mr. Biden’s mixed reviews prolong the Democratic Party’s predicament, as evidenced by disparate statements from elected officials after the news conference," the op-ed states. "Some declared that he should leave the race, while others said the time had come to close ranks behind him. With time running out before the Democratic National Convention opens Aug. 19, Mr. Biden and his inner circle of advisers seem to be playing for time."

"Indeed, based on his comments Thursday, Mr. Biden seems to be somewhat oblivious to the political furor surrounding him and in denial about his frailty, personally and politically," the piece continued.

President Joe Biden speaks at Renaissance High School on Friday, during a campaign event in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Biden enthusiastically pledged to stay in the presidential race amid cheers from supporters in Detroit on Friday.

His remarks stand in contrast to some Democrats who are calling for the 81-year-old to exit the race.

"Don't you quit" and "Four more years" came from the crowd during the campaign event.

Despite the pessimism that exist within the Democratic Party about Biden's candidacy, the odds of Biden dropping out remain slim, judging by his speech.

"Folks I'm the nominee. I'm the nominee," he said Friday. "In part because 14 million Democrats like you voted for me in the primaries. You made me the nominee. No one else."

So far, 19 Democrats have urged Biden to drop out, following his disastrous debate performance against former President Trump last month.

President Biden came out swinging against former President Donald Trump during his Detroit rally on Friday, while resisting calls for him to exit the presidential race.

Biden noted that he won Michigan in 2020 and pledged to win it again.

"I know him, Donald Trump is a loser," said Biden.

He the addressed the growing calls for him to exit the race amid concerns over his mental and physical capability.

"Folks I'm the nominee. I'm the nominee," he said. "In part because 14 million Democrats like you voted for me in the primaries. You made me the nominee. No one else."

President Biden was speaking to voters in Detroit on Friday in an effort to shore up support and make former President Trump "a loser again."

He started by referring Detroit's place in music history, saying "Motown is Joetown" before bashing Trump.

"Donald trump riding around in his golf cart filling out his scorecard before hitting the ball," he said to cheers from the crowd.

The crowd began chanting "We got Joe's back" and Lock him up," referring to Trump.

And I'm going to beat him again.

This White House handout photo shows President Obama and Vice President Biden in the Oval Office of the White House during the President's Daily Economic Briefing on July 30, 2009. (Pete Souza/AFP via Getty Images)

Criticism from ex-Obama staffers toward President Biden, including calls for him to exit the 2024 presidential race, serve as a stark reminder of the well-known tensions between the former White House duo that go back nearly two decades.

The often testy relationship between Biden and Obama reportedly began shortly after the latter's election to the Senate in 2004, when both men served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Obama, according to The New York Times, wasn't fond of Biden's often-long-winded speeches to the point where, on one occasion, he passed a note to a colleague reading, "Shoot. Me. Now."

The pair eventually found themselves facing off for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, where Biden, while announcing his campaign, controversially referred to Obama as "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."

The intense repercussions from the comment led to an apology from Biden, and Obama telling reporters, "I have no problem with Joe Biden." 

Biden eventually dropped out of the race after a dismal showing in the Iowa caucuses, but was subsequently picked by Obama to be his running mate. The two ultimately defeated Republican nominees John McCain and Sarah Palin.

The first few months of their administration reportedly saw frequent disagreements between the two, including a clash over Obama publicly diminishing Biden while speaking to reporters — which he later agreed with an upset Biden to avoid doing — and eye rolls from the former while the latter spoke during meetings.

Fox News Digital's Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.

The Biden campaign is taking a victory lap after his NATO press conference on Thursday, claiming the president not only met expectations but exceeded them.

A Biden campaign official told Fox News Digital that his performance was what voters were looking for, while praising the president's responses to questions on foreign policy, including the Russia-Ukraine War, China and other foreign affairs topics.

The performance proved that Biden can handle former President Trump, the campaign believes.

Biden, according to the campaign, articulately laid out the economic progress under his watch and discussed complex foreign policy issues in a way that Trump is unable to do.

He was also hit with questions from reporters who pressed him on whether he would step aside amid mounting pressure from members within his own party following his disastrous debate performance last month.

Fox News Digital's Andrew Mark Miller and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

President Biden's solo press conference Thursday evening at the NATO summit attracted an estimated 24.2 million people, according to Nielsen data.

The conference was available on eight television networks, including Fox News, all of which carried the press conference live from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. ET

It came after the NATO Summit in Washington and as questions about Biden mental and physical acuity continue to hound him.

The largest viewership was in the 55 and older demographic, where 19.2 million viewers watched live. Among adults 18-34, the number was just over 1 million, while 3.6 million adults ages 35 to 54 tuned in.

In comparison, Biden’s debate against former President Donald Trump in June drew over 51.3 million total viewers across all broadcast and cable networks.

U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Il., said he called on President Biden to make the "heroic choice" and exit the presidential race to "pass the baton to the next generation."

Speaking with "Your World" host Neil Cavuto on Friday, Schneider, said a new generation of leaders are ready to move the country forward.

"And in the Democratic Party, we have a lot of leaders ready to take the mantle and move us forward," he said. "I think the president has a chance to unite the party, unite the country."

Schneider is one of more than a dozen Democrats calling for Biden to quit his bid for a second term as question swirl over his mental and physical acuity.

"I was the first of the Illinois delegation four years ago to endorse Joe Biden," he said. "I thought he would be a great president, and he proved me right."

Schneider added that Biden press conference on Thursday didn't convince him to stand by the president.

"it's not about a single press conference or a debate or a campaign event. It's about where are we going and who's best positioned to lead us," he said. "The president's done a great job bringing us to where we are. I think he has a chance."

"But a capstone on his legacy, a legacy that he could be proud of and I believe will leave him as one of the greatest presidents in our nation's history," he added. "But it's time for the next generation to step up, and we have the leaders to decide."

President Biden continues to have support from Democratic delegates, despite a growing number of elected Democrats calling on him to step aside ahead of the 2024 election amid concern over his age and mental acuity.

Fox News Digital spoke to a handful of Democratic delegates who remain largely supportive of Biden and intend to cast their votes in support of him at the party's convention next month.

Some also dismissed talk of Vice President Kamala Harris as Biden's replacement, insisting that she and the president are an unbreakable team.

"I think he did an awesome job last night. I really do," said Joanne Chesley, a pledged Biden delegate from North Carolina. "His clarity and his spontaneity … just well-informed responses. I was super impressed."

S did say that she wished that Biden had realized that his age was going to be a potential issue in this election much earlier.

"I have gone from that kind of feeling, wishing that he had, you know, made that decision to say ‘no' [to] we've got a person who really, really cares about this country," she said. "Despite those occasional flirtations with him stepping aside, I, like I said, come back to looking at what's best for our country right now. We're in a very difficult time in our history."

Fox News Digital's Kyle Morris contributed to this report.

President Joe Biden (L) and former U.S. President Barack Obama (R) embrace on stage during a rally. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)

President Biden and former President Barack Obama speak often and have a close relationship, the White House said Friday.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about the Biden-Obama relationship Friday on Air Force One and whether the pair have talked since last month's presidential debate.

"So I can't speak to it any interaction of late, of recent in like the last couple of days, what I can say, look, obviously the this president was the vice president to the former president for eight years," Jean-Pierre said. "They have a respectful, very close relationship, and the president is, you know, very proud to have that relationship. So I can't speak to a conversation of late of recent. And I know,, they, they, they speak often."

Her remarks came after former President Trump said that Obama and Biden "hate each other" and that Obama prefers Vice President Kamala Harris.

"OBAMA NEVER RESPECTED BIDEN, THOUGHT HE WAS DUMB, AND A TOTAL LIGHTWEIGHT," Trump wrote in all caps on Truth Social. "WILL BE AN INTERESTING COUPLE OF WEEKS. OBAMA WANTS HIM OUT, WANTS V.P. HARRIS IN!"

Former Rep. Michael Barnes, D-Md., of the The Center for National Policy Board, holds a discussion on "Reconstruction Opportunity Zones in Afghanistan and Pakistan" with Rep. Christopher Van Hollen, D-Md., on Monday, July 20, 2009, at the CNP offices. (Bill Clark/Roll Call/Getty Images)

A former Democratic lawmaker who led a failed effort to unseat President Jimmy Carter at the party's 1980 convention said he expects that President Biden will likely be ousted before next month’s DNC in Chicago.

Former Rep. Mike Barnes, D-Md., told the New York Post Biden could be out in a matter of days.

“I don’t think this is going to go to the Democratic convention in the current posture,” he told The Post in an interview Friday. “I think, I think, Biden will be out probably within the next days.”

The 1980 Democratic convention, held at New York's Madison Square Garden, saw Carter stave off a challenge from Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass.

Biden has resisted calls to exit the presidential race following his debate performance heavily-criticized debate performance last month and has insisted that he will be the Democratic nominee.

“I think if he goes to the convention wanting the nomination, and all of his troops are working the delegates, he’ll be nominated,” Barnes said.

Delegates are expected to nominate Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in a virtual roll call sometime before the Aug. 7 deadline to make the Ohio ballot.

Barnes said that concerns about Biden’s age were well-founded.

“I’m 80 years old. I’m in pretty decent shape. I swam a mile yesterday. I played golf the day before, and I’m planning to go to the gym later today for an hour and a half.

“But it would be crazy for me to think about running for President of the United States and being president from now until January 20, 2029,” he added. “Yeah. I mean, this is, this is crazy.”

The Biden campaign received a jump in donations following the president's Thursday night press conference at a NATO Summit.

"Since last night, we're seeing strong support across our coalition. But most importantly, we're seeing with our grassroots base," Campaign Communications Director Michael Tyler said. "We have close to 40,000 donations last night alone. Donations exploded during the president's press conference. In fact, we had seven times, our average during the press conference."

Tyler didn't say how much in campaign contributions was received but the outpouring comes amid concerns that Biden fundraising pool is quickly drying up.

Major donors have decided to withhold contributions until Biden drops out of the race.

"This is a massive, massive problem," one Democratic official told Politico. "Right now, we should be scaling up, doubling and tripling our goals as we head into the fall. But we’re cratering."

The sources said grassroots fundraising is also being impacted by Biden's disastrous debate performance against former President Trump.

Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

First lady Jill Biden’s former press secretary blasted the White House  communications team, saying they live in an "alternate universe" after a senior official praised President Biden's performance durign a Thursday NATO press conference.

"There are two different versions of reality in my party right now, Michael LaRosa, who served as first lady Jill Biden's press secretary, wrote on X in response to a post from Republican communicator Sarah Matthews criticizing the White House's Senior Deputy Press Secretary, Andrew Bates.

"The below is an alternate universe that MOST of us Dems are NOT actually living in," he wrote. "Being coherent in his FIRST ‘big boy press conference’ of 2024 is not exactly the bar most of us are looking for.... but clearly it's the bar for Biden set by his own staff ... and that is pretty ‘f---ing’ terrifying."

Matthews had criticized Bates for a post on X he made following Biden’s highly anticipated NATO press conference where the senior staffer said, "To answer the question on everyone’s minds: No, Joe Biden does not have a doctorate in foreign affairs. He’s just that f---ing good."

Fox News Digital's Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

President Joe Biden (R) and Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump, participate in the CNN Presidential Debate at the CNN Studios on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Former President Trump on Friday urged President Biden to take a cognitive test to prove he's up to the task of being the commander-in-chief.

Trump also said he would accompany Biden and also take the test.

"For the first time we’ll be a team, and do it for the good of the Country," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "And from now on, all Presidential candidates should be mandated to take a Cognitive Test and Aptitude Test, regardless of their age!!!"

Biden is resisting calls from Democrats to exit his presidential run amid questions and concerns about his physical and mental acuity. Trump has been one of his loudest critics.

Former President Donald Trump speaks during his campaign rally at the Trump National Doral Golf Club on July 09 in Doral, Florida. Trump continues to campaign ahead of the Republican National Convention which begins on July 15. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The Biden campaign hit back at former President Trump on Friday with a video montage showing Trumps' own mishaps on the campaign trail.

The nearly two-minute video showed Trump saying Biden defeated former President Barack Obama, and getting the names of several lawmakers confused.

"Here is a montage of a feeble Trump confusing names over and over and over again," the Biden-Harris X account posted.

One clip shows Trump referring to Apple CEO Tim Cook and "Tim Apple" and the name of Paradise, California, which was devastated by wildfires in 2018 as "Pleasure."

He also appeared to confuse former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley and mistakenly called Sioux City, Iowa, Sioux Falls.

Trump has repeatedly argued that Biden isn't physically and mentally up tot the task of being president.

Biden has so far pushed back against a chorus of calls from within the Democratic Party for him to step aside and end his 2024 re-election campaign.

Donald Trump's presidential campaign and allies see President Biden 's highly anticipated and much-scrutinized Thursday news conference as a win for the former president.

"It appears Biden did enough to convince his apologists that he should remain on the ballot, but he also reinforced what the American people know. Their lives are being hurt by his weakness and failure on a daily basis," a Trump campaign official, who asked for anonymity to speak more freely, told Fox News Digital after Thursday night's press conference.

As the president continues to push back against a rising chorus of calls from within the Democratic Party for him to step aside and end his 2024 re-election campaign following last month’s disastrous debate performance with Trump, the news conference didn't appear to do any further damage. But it's also doubtful it will stem the growing movement to urge Biden to drop out of the race.

The Trump has argued that Biden, 81, isn't physically or mentally capable of serving as president.

On Thursday, after Biden mistakenly referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as "Vice President Trump," Trump's social media account quickly shared a clip of the moment, with the former president writing, "Great job, Joe!"

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

President Joe Biden speaks during a rally at Richard Montgomery High School, Aug. 25, 2022, in Rockville, Md. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Some major Democratic donors have told the largest pro-Biden super PAC that roughly $90 million in pledges will continue to be put on hold if President Biden remains atop the ticket.

The New York Times reported the news, citing conversations with two people who have been briefed on the discussions.

The frozen contributions to the Future Forward super PAC include multiple eight-figure commitments, according to the two people. One donors said they had been holding off on their contribution following Biden debate performance.

The freeze in donations comes as Biden is under increasing pressure from some Democrats and advisors to exit the presidential race.

Future Forward has already announced $250 million in TV and digital advertisements slated to begin at the end of the Democratic National Convention next month.

Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., speaks to Roll Call in his office in the Rayburn House Office Building on Dec. 7, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

House Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., is the latest Democrat to join the growing list of lawmakers from within the party to call on President Biden to step aside from this year's presidential race and "pass the torch."

“Like so many of you, I was naturally concerned about President Biden’s performance in the recent debate," Levin said in a statement. “Since then, I’ve made my opinions known in the appropriate manner with House Democratic leadership and my colleagues. And I called upon all Americans to give the President a window to make an expeditious decision about his candidacy."

In the weeks since Biden's debate performance, Levin has connected with his constituents and supporters. He called Biden an "outstanding leader" whom he has a "deep respect" for.

"I have deep respect for President Biden’s five plus decades of public service and incredible appreciation for the work we’ve done together these last three and a half years." he said. "But I believe the time has come for President Biden to pass the torch.“

"We must prevail against the incalculable threat Donald Trump poses to the American institutions of freedom and democracy," added Levin. "Donald Trump actively seeks a bleak authoritarianism and the overthrow of the values which have guided us towards justice and prosperity for nearly two and a half centuries."

President Biden attends the 75th NATO Summit in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, July 10. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Three sources confirmed to Fox News on Friday that President Biden will hold a virtual meeting with members of the New Dems Coalition this weekend, which includes numerous House Democrats that have called for him to drop his re-election bid. 

The New Dems are a group of about 100 more moderate-leaning House Democrats, many of whom represent vulnerable districts. More than half of the 18 Congressional Democrats who have called for Biden to step aside so far are members of this group, including Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., and Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn. 

The call with the New Dems appears to be part of a series of meetings Biden is having over concerns about the viability of his re-election campaign. Biden has already met with the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus this week, and the Progressive Caucus is also working on setting up a meeting with him. 

Fox News’ Kelly Phares and Tyler Olson contributed to this report.

Richard Branson is calling on President Biden Friday to step aside from the presidential race. (Roberto Finizio/Getty Images)

Virgin Group Founder Richard Branson said Friday that it’s time for President Biden to “consider what’s at stake and step back from another run.” 

“Whether in politics or in business, a true hallmark of forward-looking leadership is to build a lasting legacy, and that includes knowing when to hand over the baton to a younger generation that can take over and move the country and humanity forward,” Branson said in a statement. 

“For him, standing down now wouldn’t have to mean the end of a lifetime in public service, either. He could still do enormous good in the world,” Branson continued. “But his desire to carry on has created a dangerous distraction from the issues this presidential race should really focus on. It’s not too late to make the right decision now and step aside – for America, and for the free world.” 

President Biden and Vice President Harris hosted Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, second from left, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and governors from across the country for the National Governors Association Winter Meeting in February. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has told Fox News Senior Correspondent Alicia Acuna on Friday that “something needs to change” regarding President Biden’s re-election bid. 

Polis, speaking on the sidelines of the National Governors Association meeting in Salt Lake City, said he didn’t watch Biden’s press conference last night, but said instead of “one debate” or “one press conference” that “it’s really a question of what’s the winning strategy” in November. 

When asked about a New York Times report stating that Polis told Biden during a recent meeting of Democrat governors that he has heard a “groundswell of wishes from various people that Mr. Biden would end his campaign,” Polis told Fox News “When you're down a few points, something needs to change.  

“So, whether that's the strategy, whether that's the message, whether that's the candidate. Look, I think we're open to all those possibilities,” he continued.  

When asked point blank if he thinks President Biden should step aside, Polis said “I think he's in the process of showing the American people that he's the candidate that can win. I think what I want is not too different than what many Americans want. I want to make sure that we can protect American democracy."

Fox News' Jamie Vera contributed to this report.

Congress’ first week back in session since President Biden’s disastrous debate performance brought with it a mountain of media scrutiny for his fellow Democrats – much to the relief of House Republicans who have grown used to being mobbed by reporters for much of this term.

"We have really passed the baton of overthrowing political norms to the Democrats who are now running toward the greatest overthrow I’ve ever seen," one House GOP aide told Fox News Digital.

Party leaders hoped members would lie low this week to avoid making news as Democrats wrestled with demanding their own presidential nominee off the ballot less than six months away from the election, according to a House Republican granted anonymity to discuss it.

Meanwhile, a second House GOP aide cautioned, "All Republicans need to do is keep our heads down and stay out of it."

Ex-Obama adviser David Axelrod said that President Biden is increasingly trailing former President Trump in the battleground states, making it an open question as to whether he should step down.

"He really needs a royal flush to win this race," Axelrod said on CNN Friday. 

Multiple media figures and Biden allies have called on the president to withdraw from the race after a shaky debate performance last month. 

"The president's been behind for 10 months, consistently in this data" Axelrod said. "[According to] deeper data that the analytics people look at, he is now behind in all the battleground states and in some cases, well behind, beyond the margin of error."

"So, yes, of course he can win," Axelrod said. "Anyone can win. But given the stakes, and I think this is what those Democratic officials are thinking, given the stakes, the fact that he can win is not a persuasive argument. The question is: what are the odds that he would win, and would we have a better chance with someone else? That‘s the question everybody is pondering."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom greets people, Monday, July 8, near the Common Man Roadside Market and Deli, in Hooksett, N.H. (AP/Steven Senne)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has told CBS that he is “all in” on President Biden’s re-election bid despite frequently getting messages asking him to consider running himself for the Democratic nomination. 

“You’re not just a surrogate, you are somebody who is getting text messages and emails every day to consider running. How do you handle all of that?” Robert Costa asked Newsom in a clip of an upcoming ‘CBS Sunday Morning’ interview. 

“Delete, delete, delete, delete. Thank you, delete. Rinse, repeat. I’m all in, no daylight,” Newsom responded. 

“You never even engage in it privately?” Costa asked. 

“No I don’t, absolutely not. I know one thing, everything you do in private becomes public. Even private thoughts seem to manifest publicly, so not a chance,” Newsom said. 

The Biden campaign team is attempting to rally staffers as President Biden faces continued calls to withdraw from the race following his disastrous debate performance. (Getty Images)

The Biden campaign team is attempting to rally staffers as President Biden faces continued calls to withdraw from the race following his disastrous debate performance. 

"We had two very, very, very hard weeks, very bad weeks," Biden campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon told staff on a call, as reported by Axios. "I told you I'd level with you, they've been bad f------ weeks," she said.

Reports of both White House and campaign staffers feeling demoralized and "miserable" about Biden's candidacy have grown dramatically in recent weeks. 

"This two-week window has really sucked, and it is hard, there is no doubt about it. And it's hard for all of us because we are doing the job," she told staffers. 

"If we can get through these two weeks that we're living through, we can get through anything," she said. 

TNT basketball analyst Charles Barkley on air before the NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the North Carolina State Wolfpack at State Farm Stadium on April 06, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley called on President Biden to "pass the torch" ahead of the 2024 presidential election amid concerns that he is not mentally fit to seek re-election following his disastrous performance in last month’s debate. 

Barkley, who announced his plans to retire from television next year following the completion of the 2024-2025 NBA season, spoke about the current climate of politics during an appearance on CNBC on Thursday. 

"I just feel sadness," Barkley said from the American Century Championship, a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

"You got the greatest country in the world – and I have nothing but admiration and respect for President Biden, but it's time for him to pass the torch to a younger generation. He’s been a great person, a great man – this ain't something I’m saying now, I’ve said it like a year ago. It’s time for him to pass the torch."

First term Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen has just joined the ranks of House Democrats calling for President Biden to abandon his re-election bid. 

Pettersen issued a statement Friday saying that “I have deep admiration and love for Joe Biden and all he has done for our country, which is why this decision is so painful, but my son and my constituents can’t suffer the consequences of inaction at this critical moment. 

“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,” she added. “Please pass the torch to one of our many capable Democratic leaders so we have the best chance to defeat Donald Trump, who is the greatest threat to the foundation of this country that we have ever seen.” 

House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks at his weekly press conference on Capitol Hill, on Thursday, July 11, 2024 in Washington. (AP/John McDonnell)

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has sent a letter to House Democrats Friday revealing that he met with President Biden privately last night. 

The development comes as a growing number of House Democrats have been pushing for Biden to drop out of the presidential race, with one going so far as saying that Biden should resign immediately.

"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. Our discourse has been candid, clear-eyed and comprehensive,” Jeffries said in the letter. 

“On behalf of the House Democratic Caucus, I requested and was graciously granted a private meeting with President Joe Biden. That meeting occurred yesterday evening,” he continued. “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.  

“As House Democrats have done throughout this Congress, we will continue to work in the best interests of everyday Americans,” Jeffries added. 

Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

Former New York Gov. George Pataki told ‘Fox & Friends’ on Friday that he believes New York is a battleground state between Biden and Trump. 

“It’s a long time since anybody asked me if New York is a battleground state, but this year I’m getting asked it a lot. And I think it’s because it is,” the Republican said. 

“For that to happen you need a number of different things. First is you need Democratic voters – a million Democratic voters – to look at their party, look at their candidates and say ‘we are screwing up royally,’” Pataki said. 

“And you have that,” he continued. “You have the chaos at the top of the Democratic ticket, you have inflation, you have the migrant crisis in New York City and now in the suburbs and it’s leading a lot of Democrats to say ‘hey wait a second, maybe my party has let me down and I could try something different.’”

President Biden is facing fresh criticism as he heads to Detroit Friday for a campaign event. 

“Today’s visit to Detroit doesn’t change the fact that Joe Biden has failed Michiganders at every opportunity," Michigan Republican Party Chairman Pete Hoekstra said in a statement. "His obsession with electric vehicles is guaranteed to cripple the community and put Michiganders out of work. Joe Biden has proven time and time again that he is wrong for Michigan.”  

“Joe Biden will sleepwalk through his trip to Detroit. But Michiganders will not be dreaming when they see how the Biden-Harris economic policies have made it harder for families to put food on the table or afford to provide for their children," added Team Trump Michigan Communications Director Victoria LaCivita. 

At Friday’s stop in Detroit, President Biden will discuss policy proposals he hopes to enact in the first 100 days of a second White House term, his campaign told The New York Times. 

Fox News' Kirill Clark contributed to this report.

President Biden, former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. (Getty Images)

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are defying critics calling for the president to step away from the 2024 presidential race by launching a full offensive aimed at tying former President Trump to the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 platform.

The effort comes amid Trump's attempt to distance himself from Project 2025, a highly scrutinized initiative that's been portrayed as a blueprint for a future Republican administration to restructure many parts of the U.S. government. Trump has described elements of the plan as "ridiculous" and "abysmal."

"Donald Trump’s Project 2025 team is stacked with the same extremists who helped him rip away women’s freedoms, round up and deport Latinos, and undermine our democracy in his first term," Biden campaign spokeswoman Sarafina Chitika told Fox News Digital.

"If Trump wins this election, his Project 2025 allies will work around the clock to make sure he can go even further to ban abortion nationwide, gut Social Security and Medicare, and rule as a ‘dictator on day one.’ Donald Trump and Project 2025 are one and the same — and voters are going to make sure they both lose this November."

Although it's not officially associated with Trump's campaign, Chitika's use of the term "Trump's Project 2025 team" is a reference to the individuals who created the initiative in 2023 largely having previously held roles within the former president's administration, including Paul Dans, who directed the project and served as Trump's White House Liaison to the Office of Personnel Management. 

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., hinted during a CNN interview on Thursday that the Democratic Party may need to consider another nominee to stop former President Trump from retaking the White House.

A growing number of Democratic officials and party leaders have called for President Biden to step aside and let another candidate become their 2024 nominee after his widely panned performance in June’s presidential debate. One plan that has been floated is Vice President Kamala Harris replacing Biden atop the ticket.

CNN host Manu Raju spoke to Connolly about this proposal, noting, "The New York Times is reporting just now that the Biden campaign is conducting private polling testing Kamala Harris, and seeing how she does in a matchup against Trump."

"I‘m not going to make a judgment as to whether that‘s wise or not. It‘s clearly an option that needs to be on the table," Connolly said. 

Towards the end of the interview, Raju asked, "Next week, will Joe Biden still be your candidate next week?"

"I don’t know, events are unfolding very fast and, you know, I want to create space for the president and the White House to make a careful, reflective, and patriotic decision," Connolly said. 

Ron Klain, a former White House chief of staff in the Biden administration, wrote on X Friday that "with yesterdays press conf and this new poll, it’s time to end the freak out and unite behind the Democratic nominee and the only person who has ever beaten Trump."

Klain highlighted a new national NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll that found President Biden has taken a slight 50% to 48% lead over former President Trump in a head-to-head matchup.

However, the same poll also found that when third-party candidates are factored into the race, Trump leads Biden 43% to 42%, NPR reports.

Pelosi greets Biden in the Rotunda as he arrives to pay his respects to the late Rep. Don Young (R-Ark.) while lying in state in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol on March 29, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., publicly supports President Biden as he faces calls to withdraw from the 2024 presidential election. But in private, she is reportedly encouraging lawmakers to continue to put pressure on Biden to reconsider his decision to run for re-election, according to reports. 

A number of House Democrats told The Hill that Pelosi is advising members in their conference against rallying to Biden before there is a broader discussion over whether he is the best candidate to defeat former President Trump. While she has not called on Biden to step aside, Pelosi is reportedly telling vulnerable lawmakers in swing districts to do so if they think that will help them win re-election.

"I did have a conversation with her, she is very concerned," one House Democratic lawmaker told The Hill. "It’s not like she’s like, ‘We’re sticking with this guy.'"

EXCLUSIVE: Make America Great Again Inc., a top super PAC supporting former President Trump's 2024 White House campaign, says it raked in $104 million during the April-June second quarter of 2024 fundraising.

And in figures shared first with Fox News on Friday, MAGA Inc. highlighted that it has nearly $114 million cash-on-hand in its coffers.

The announcement from MAGA Inc. comes a week and a half after Trump's campaign showcased that it and the Republican National Committee hauled in a staggering $331 million in the past three months, topping the massive $264 million raked in by President Biden's re-election campaign and the Democratic National Committee during the second quarter.

Trump's haul was fueled in part by a fundraising surge following the former president's history-making guilty verdicts this spring in his criminal trial.

The super PAC announced a month ago that it would spend $100 million this summer on a major ad blitz in the key battleground states in support of the former president.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum told ‘Fox & Friends’ on Friday morning that President Biden is surrounded by “co-conspirators” who are trying to hide his actual condition from the public in a “Soviet-style” manner. 

Burgum, speaking following Biden’s NATO press conference last night, said “America can’t unsee what they saw in the debate and they can’t unsee what they saw in this press conference and certainly there is confusion going on, but the bigger confusion is that he may confused that he is actually capable of doing the job.  

“We know that he is surrounded by people that are co-conspirators in this thing” Burgum continued, noting that Biden’s condition has been “hidden” from the public “almost in an old, Soviet-style thing.” 

“Like ‘hey our leader is fine’ but though actually he is not. And of course now you see media, you see the elites, you see Hollywood all turning on him,” Burgum said. 

Burgum is a contender to be former President Trump’s running mate on the Republican ticket. When asked Friday if Trump has decided on his VP pick, Burgum said “Nobody knows except President Trump.” 

A new national NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll has found that President Biden has taken a slight 50% to 48% lead over former President Trump in a head-to-head matchup.

The results also found that no other mainstream Democrat that has been floated as a potential replacement for Biden on the Democrat ticket -- if the 81-year-old eventually drops out of the race -- performs better than him against Trump.

Almost two-thirds of the 1,300 respondents said they believe Biden is not mentally fit to be president, including nearly 4 in 10 Democrats.

The poll also found that when third-party candidates are factored into the race, Trump leads Biden 43% to 42%, NPR reports.

Former President Trump and President Biden debate on June 27, 2024. (AP/Gerald Herbert)

Former President Donald Trump maintains a lead over President Biden following the latter's disastrous debate performance last month, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

According to the poll, Trump currently holds an approval rating of 44%, while Biden trails with 40% — with Trump leading Biden by double digits on three key issues.

Approximately 68% of respondents told Pew Research that they are generally unsatisfied with their available choices for the presidential election.

The report published Thursday is Pew's first to come out since Biden's confused and sometimes unintelligible performance at the first 2024 presidential debate.

Trump's advantage over Biden comes from his dominant position on three issues important to voters: immigration, the economy and foreign policy. 

Trump holds a 17 point lead over Biden on immigration policy (52-35%), a 14 point lead over Biden on economic policy (54-40%), and a 10 point lead on foreign policy (49-39).

Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., admitted to NBC on Friday that President Biden is not the same person as he was two years ago. 

“You’re traveling with him next week, you’ve spent more time with the president than just about anybody else in the House, is this the same Joe Biden that we saw two years ago?” interviewer Craig Melvin asked Clyburn, who had endorsed Biden in the 2020 presidential race. 

“Well, look, I grew up in...” Clyburn started to say before he was asked again “Is it the same Joe Biden?” 

“No,” Clyburn said emphatically, adding that “I’m not the same Jim Clyburn that I was four years ago.” 

Clyburn later said he doesn’t think Biden, physically, is the same as he was during the last presidential election cycle. 

“Mentally, I do think so,” Clyburn declared. “He is still grasping what this country is all about.” 

“He has one of the best minds that I have ever been around,” Clyburn also said about Biden. “I would hope that we will focus on the substance of this man, rather than these sometimes, misspoken words and phrases, and how he has run this country.” 

As reporters continue to ask questions, President Biden walks from the podium after a news conference on Thursday July 11, on the final day of the NATO summit in Washington. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

Critics said President Biden's Thursday press conference was the "worst possible outcome" for Democrats as turmoil within their party continues. 

"This is gonna end in the worst possible place for Democrats. Several verbal gaffes. Does nothing to quell nerves. Yet nothing sufficient enough for Democrats to break out the political long needle on his candidacy tonight," Ruthless podcast host Josh Holmes said.

"So far this is a very similar Goldilocks performance to Biden's ABC News interview: not bad enough to open the floodgates, but not good enough to silence the critics. A frustrating spot for Dems," National Journal Hotline editor Kirk A. Bado said. 

"Trump, RNC benefit, while Democrats waiting to release statements hardest hit," The Spectator editor-at-large Ben Domenech added on X, former known as Twitter.

"This presser going to be a Rorschach test that doesn't lead to definitive action on its own," said Kyle Saunders, political science professor at Colorado State University. "The problem is that this isn't fatality bad, it's just not that good either. Right in that no win zone. Exactly what the Ds did not need."

Pennsylvania voters Rich Cupka and Kale Ogunbor joined 'Fox & Friends First' on Friday to react to President Biden’s press conference last night, describing it as “not inspiring at all.” 

Cupka, a business owner, said he believes undecided voters in Pennsylvania were not swayed by Biden’s performance. 

“He called Donald Trump his vice president... it’s not inspiring at all,” Cupka said. 

Ogunbor, a Penn State student and Campus Reform correspondent, criticized Biden’s comments last night in which the President said “most presidential historians give me credit for having accomplished more than most any president since [Lyndon B.] Johnson and maybe before that.” 

“I think President Biden is historic probably for the wrong reasons, given his most recent debate performance,” she said. “Ultimately, the president also joined TikTok thinking that was going to woo over my generation – but we are smarter than that. We realize that most of the people who are our age cannot afford homes, the economy is not the way it was pre-covid. 

First Lady Jill Biden is campaigning Friday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich reacted to President Biden’s highly-anticipated press conference at the 2024 NATO Summit on Thursday, saying the commander-in-chief made it clear that he’s not stepping away from the 2024 race.

Blagojevich told Fox News host Jesse Watters on "Jesse Watters Primetime" he believes Biden will stay in the race despite growing calls from members of his own party to step aside.

"The only way they can get a new candidate is if [Biden] willingly agrees, if he willingly agrees to step aside. He's made it clear that he's going to run. It sure looks like all the indications are that he's going to run," the former governor said.

Blagojevich added that Democrats are in a "real bind" because millions of people have already voted in state primaries for Biden to be their party’s nominee, but actor George Clooney, Hollywood elites and others are saying he should withdraw. 

"What's happened to the Democratic Party is really a question of whether they're going to stand with the working people that supposedly they're for, which they've actually abandoned, or whether they're going to listen to their Hollywood Wall Street financiers and Silicon Valley billionaires with regard to what they want," he told Watters.

President Biden faced a wave of mockery online after he introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday as "President Putin."

"And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination," Biden said at a NATO conference on Thursday in Washington, D.C. "Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin." Biden seemed to realize his embarrassing verbal stumble mentioning Russian President Vladimir Putin, and came back to the lectern to correct himself.

"President Putin? He’s going to beat President Putin. President Zelenskyy. I’m so focused on beating Putin," he said. "We got to worry about it. Anyway, Mr. President."

Commentators across social media responded with mockery and dread about America's commander-in-chief is mixing up world leaders on a global stage.

"Anyone else might be able to explain this away, but he’s making way too many mistakes to not take a hit for this gaffe," former Governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker wrote. "@JoeBiden was not fit to be President in 2020, nor is he now."

The Spectator contributing editor Stephen L. Miller mused about the prospect of being "a fly on the wall of the House Democrats watching when this happened... right off the bat."

Several Democrats and progressives rushed to the defense of President Biden as he fielded questions from reporters at the NATO summit about his mental acuity and whether he has what it takes to be successful in the 2024 race for the White House.

"To answer the question on everyone’s minds: No, Joe Biden does not have a doctorate in foreign affairs. He’s just that f---ing good," White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates wrote in a post to X.

Amid growing calls from members of his own party for him to step aside in the presidential election, Biden dismissed the notion he's "slowing down" and insisted at a press conference Wednesday evening he was "determined on running" in this year's election.

"Am I getting the job done? Can you name me somebody who's got more major pieces of legislation passed in 3½ years? I created 2,000 jobs just last week. So, if I slow down, I can't get the job done," Biden said. "That's a sign that I shouldn't be doing it. But there's no indication of that yet. None."

Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., speaks during a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol on March 8, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen of Illinois on Thursday became the 17th Democratic lawmaker to publicly call on President Biden to drop out of the presidential race.

In a statement posted on X, Sorensen praised Biden for having dedicated the “bulk of his life” in public service. He noted that Biden ran for president in 2020 “with the purpose of putting country over party.”

“Today, I am asking him to do that again,” Sorensen said.

Sorensen stressed the importance of having a candidate “who will communicate a positive vision for every person in this country” and had “the strength and wisdom needed to lead us through the worst storms.”

“Every day, I remain committed to the people of Central and Northwestern Illinois. I believe our best days are still ahead,” Sorensen said. “And today, I am hopeful President Biden will step aside in his campaign for president.”