Four senior US Democrats join calls for Joe Biden to drop re-election bid as party cracks widen
In short:
Joe Biden is under growing pressure to pull out from the US presidential race, with a number of his own colleagues coming out to oppose his candidacy.
Four members of the Democratic Party voiced concern about Mr Biden's future as party leader on a leadership call, following his performance in the presidential debate, which was widely panned.
What's next?
The 81-year-old is doubling down on campaigns in swing states like Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Michigan that will prove crucial in an increasingly tight race against Republican Donald Trump.
An embattled United States President Joe Biden is facing escalating pressure to withdraw from the presidential race, with about a dozen fellow Democrats now calling on him to step aside.
During a leadership call with several Democratic Party members on Sunday, four more of Mr Biden's colleagues expressed concern about his candidacy, urging him to let another nominee stand in his place, a source familiar with the discussions told Reuters.
According to reports from US media outlets NBC News and The Washington Post, Representatives Jerrold Nadler, Adam Smith, Mark Takano and Joseph Morelle were among those who called on Mr Biden to drop his re-election bid.
The senior House Democrats sit on the Judiciary, Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and House Administration committees respectively.
They also suggested Vice-President Kamala Harris, seen as the likeliest candidate to replace Mr Biden in the November 5 election were he to bow out, could perform well.
Representatives Richie Neal, Rosa DeLauro, Maxine Waters, and Robert C "Bobby" Scott are said to have defended the president in the two-hour discussion, the Washington Post reported.
Mr Biden has faced mounting calls to end his re-election bid after a halting performance against Republican Donald Trump in the June 27 presidential debate.
The president's occasionally incoherent performance re-ignited fresh criticism about his age and raised questions about his ability to do the job for another four years.
But he has vowed to stay in the race, dismissing calls for him to drop out as "nonsense" in a fundraising email on Saturday.
Asked in Harrisburg whether the Democratic Party was behind him, Mr Biden told reporters "yes".
Joe Biden's performance against Donald Trump in the US presidential debate has opened up deep party cracks on his re-election candidacy. (Reuters: Nathan Howard)
Democratic senator Chris Murphy told CNN's State of the Union the coming week was crucial for the president to convince voters he is "the old Joe Biden".
"The president needs to do more," Murphy said. "I do think the clock is ticking."
Prior to Sunday's leadership call, five politicians publicly called for Mr Biden to step down, including Representative Angie Craig of Minnesota, the first Democratic member of the House of Representatives from a battleground district, with others said to be poised to join in.
Two letters are circulating among House Democrats calling for Biden to step aside, House Democratic sources have said.
Biden rallies voters in swing states
Meanwhile Mr Biden on Sunday worked to shore up support with campaign stops in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
The 81-year-old received a rousing welcome at a black church in Philadelphia and later travelled to the state capital of Harrisburg for an event with union members.
Black voters are a critical part of his support base but recent public opinion polling has shown their support for him softening.
The church bishop, referring to Mr Biden's Republican challenger without naming him, chided those who "make an issue of the president — that he is conditioned with stammering and not being able at certain times to bring forth words — while another person lies fluidly and you never challenge his lies."
In a Friday interview with ABC News, Mr Biden said only the "Lord Almighty" could persuade him to drop out, dismissing the prospect that Democratic leaders could join forces to try to talk him into standing down.
A Democratic National Committee (DNC) member from Florida, Alan Clendenin, joined calls urging Biden to step aside on Sunday.
"Joe Biden will be remembered by historians as one of the finest presidents in American history, but this election is about the next four years, not the last three and a half," Mr Clendenin said.
The DNC has steadfastly supported Mr Biden since his debate stumbles so any defections could suggest a deepening of the crisis.
Pennsylvania is one of the half dozen or so states alongside Wisconsin and Michigan that can swing Democratic or Republican and is expected to play a central role in determining the outcome of what has been a tight race.
Sunday's trip — Mr Biden's 10th to Pennsylvania during the 2024 election campaign — is part of a July voter outreach blitz by the Democratic Party that includes a $50 million media campaign aimed at events such as the Olympics, and travel by the president, the first lady, Ms Harris and her husband to multiple battleground states.
Mr Biden will visit swing state Nevada on July 16 and 17, the White House said on Sunday, where he will deliver remarks at the NAACP National Convention and UnidosUS Annual addressing black and Latino audiences.
He will also travel to Austin, Texas on July 15, where he will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act at the LBJ Presidential Library.
Pressure from Congress is expected to ramp up in the coming days as politicians return to Washington from a holiday recess and donors mull their willingness to keep funding his campaign.
Mr Biden is also preparing to host dozens of world leaders at a NATO summit in Washington this week and hold a rare solo news conference.
Reuters