Why another Democrat is bucking Biden as 'grave concerns' surface: Follow along for U.S. politics live updates

Rep. Seth Moulton is the latest Democrat to express fears that President Joe Biden isn't up to the task to beat former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

Moulton sent out a statement Wednesday night saying he had 'grave concerns' about the 81-year-old reelection prospects.

'The unfortunate reality is that the status quo will likely deliver us Donald Trump,' the Massachusetts Democrat said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has pledged his loyalty to Joe Biden's 2024 presidential bid.

'I heard three words from the President tonight -- he’s all in. And so am I,' Newsom tweeted after meeting with the president at the White House.

'[Joe Biden has] had our back. Now it’s time to have his.'

He was there along with a number of other notable Democrat governors like Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer - but notably didn't participate in the press conference afterward.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer posted her support for President Joe Biden on X shortly after meeting with him at the White House.

'@JoeBiden is our nominee. He is in it to win it and I support him,' she tweeted.

Remarkably, despite having attended the White House meeting, she decided against attending a press event following the meeting along with another group of Democratic governors.

A cohort of Democrat governors emerged from a meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House feeling confident in his ability to continue in the presidential race.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz walked out first and touted to reporters that he was reassured by Biden.

He said he and other were worried and wanted to address their concerns head on.

He was accompanied by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, but there were noticeable absences from the post-meeting presser.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gretchen Whitmer - both thought to be options to run in 2024 if Biden whithraws - were not at the event, and neither was Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

'When you love someone you tell them the truth,' said Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.

'We always believe that when you when you love someone, you tell them the truth...We were honest about the concerns that we were hearing from people.'

According to a private call of Democrats first reported by Semafor, strategists were trying to determine a path forward.

Former President Bill Clinton aide James Carville stated: 'Seventy-two percent of people want something different. Why not give it to them?'

He was referring to recent polling that indicated Americans want another option.

'They’re just asking for a different choice.”

House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner sent a letter to the White House Wednesday asking about what sensitive conversations Hunter Biden has been sitting in on.

The Ohio Republican's letter to White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients demanded a 'full accounting of any classified information discussed or disclosed' at briefings with Hunter Biden in attendance.

The intel chairman called the news of Hunter's West Wing presence 'disturbing.'

He requested an immediate response as to whether Hunter, who was found guilty last month of three felonies, has received any classified information.

Defense attorneys representing Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez in his bribery trial rested their case Wednesday, AP has reported.

The New Jersey lawmaker's attorneys just began laying out their defense starting Monday.

The senator did not testify in the case.

Prosecutors took seven weeks laying out their side of the case, alleging the lawmaker took gold bar and cash bribes to dole out favors to three businessmen.

Closing arguments are expected to begin in the case next Monday.

A second sitting Democrat has called on President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, striking another blow to the campaign as defectors trickle out against him.

Arizona Democrat Raúl Grijalva, 76, is urging Biden not to run again, The New York Timeseported Wednesday. He is the second sitting Democrat to call for the president's withdrawal.

Two other House Democrats have openly said they believe former President Donald Trump will beat Biden - and that lack of confidence will surely be a topic of conversation between the party leaders which is planned for this evening.

'If he's the candidate, I'm going to support him, but I think that this is an opportunity to look elsewhere,' Grijalva said.

'What he needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat — and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race.'

Emily Goodin, senior U.S. political reporter at the White House

Hunter Biden joined President Joe Biden at a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House on Wednesday.

Biden awarded the nation's highest honor to two union soldiers who were part of a group who stole a train from confederates.

Hunter walked into the ceremony behind his father and joined senior military officials in following the president out the room.

The event was President Biden's first public event for Wednesday and he did not answer shouted questions from reporters.

Some of the Democratic Party's rising stars - who have been discussed as potential replacements if President Joe Biden bowed out of the 2024 race - will be at the White House meeting with the president Wednesday evening.

DailyMail.com confirmed that California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore will be on hand for Biden's meeting with governors.

Additionally, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker will attend.

Other outlets confirmed the participation of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the current head of the Democratic Governors Association.

The meeting was called so Biden can make his case to top Democratic officials to stay in the race. He spoke with Congressional leaders Wednesday morning, the White House said.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre pressed Wednesday that Biden wasn't going anywhere as aides did damage control after Thursday night's disastrous first presidential debate.

It was one of the oddest moments of last week's presidential debate: Two elderly men arguing about their prowess on the golf course.

It ended with President Joe Biden, 81, challenging his predecessor Donald Trump, 78, to a round.

And voters overwhelmingly believe Trump would win, according to an exclusive poll for DailyMail.com.

It found that 52 percent of likely voters believed the former president (and golf club owner) would beat Biden. Only 16 percent thought the Democratic candidate would win.

Even Democrats are not much convinced of their candidate's chances over 18 holes. A third say he would win, while 26 percent thought he would lose.

By Sarah Ewall-Wice, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

The White House is calling Vice President Kamala Harris the 'future of the Democratic Party' even while insisting President Biden will 'absolutely not' step aside amid concerns over his ability to run for reelection.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre signaled Harris is the heir apparent during the White House press briefing on Wednesday.

'One of the reasons why he picked the vice president, President [sic] Kamala Harris is because she is indeed the future of the party,' Jean-Pierre said.

A Wall Street Journal poll released on Wednesday found that 80 percent of respondents believe President Joe Biden is too old to run again.

The staggering margin reveals voters are now turned off by Biden's elderliness.

Ans it comes as the 81-year-old executive - already the oldest in history - offered a disjointed and slow debate performance concerning Democrat voters and politicians alike.

A DailyMail.com poll today further compounded Trump's apparent lead in the race, with voters giving him a 6-point lead against President Biden.

The news comes as Democrat strategists and lawmakers meet to discuss whether Biden can continue in his quest to beat Trump a second time.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday that President Joe Biden still has a cold - 18 days after he originally got it from his international travel - but still hasn't been checked out by the doctor.

'He still has a lingering cold,' she told DailyMail.com when asked about Biden's health.

The White House has given multiple, revolving explanations for Biden's terrible debate performance, where he trailed off when answering questions and switched between topics with no segway: a bad cold, too much debate prep, and not feeling great.

Biden, himself, added a new excuse to the mix when he blamed jet lag his international travel for his performance. But the president had been back in the country 12 days before the debate began and Jean-Pierre had not mentioned the jet lag when she talked to reporters on Tuesday.

She also said Biden hasn't had a medical examine since his annual physical in February.

Biden's physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, travels with him. He was seen by reporters at the president's villa in Italy. O'Connor also traveled with Biden to the debate in Atlanta.

But the 81-year-old Biden 'was not examined by the doctor,' en route to the debate, Jean-Pierre said.

House Democratic leadership will hop on a call this afternoon to discuss pressing matters including President Joe Biden.

The call for the liberal congressional leaders is planned for 5 p.m., Axios reports.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and other leadership team members are expected on the call.

Resistance to Biden's leadership has grown among Democratic lawmakers fighting for reelection after his poor debate performance last week.

'The dam is breaking,' one Democratic lawmaker said, as legislators mull whether the party will back someone other than the 81-year-old incumbent.

Former President Donald Trump's campaign blasted Democrats Wednesday, saying party members and their allies colluded and hid President Joe Biden's 'cognitive state' from the American public.

Trump campaign heads Chris LaCivita and Susia Wiles placed the most blame on 'Cackling Copilot Kamala Harris.'

Here's what they said:

Every Democrat who is calling on Crooked Joe Biden to quit was once a supporter of Biden and his failed policies that lead to extreme inflation, an open border, and chaos at home and abroad. Make no mistake that Democrats, the main stream media, and the swamp colluded to hide the truth from the American public - Joe Biden is weak, failed, dishonest, and not fit for the White House. Every one of them has lied about Joe Biden’s cognitive state and supported his disastrous policies over the past four years, especially Cackling Copilot Kamala Harris.'

President Trump will beat any Democrat on November 5th because he has a proven record and an agenda to Make America Great Again.'

Additionally, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung called White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre a 'dummy' for saying at Wednesday's press briefing that 81-year-old Biden 'is as sharp as ever.'

She spent just under an hour answering reporters' questions about the continued political fallout from Thursday's presidential debate.

Republicans are taking aim at Vice President Kamala Harris as President Biden faces mounting calls to step aside as the Democratic presidential nominee paving the way for the vice president to potentially top the ticket come November.

Republicans have accused Democrats of covering up the president's true fitness and took aim at Democrats in battleground states up and down the ballot.

The Republican House campaign arm on Wednesday launched a digital ad zeroing in on the vice president as Republicans look to hold the House and expand their slim majority this fall.

Emily Goodin, senior U.S. political reporter at the White House

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says 'absolutely not' when asked if Biden will drop out of the race.

Former Chief Medical Advisor to the President of the United States Dr. Anthony Fauci dodged questions about Joe Biden's health after the president's concerning debate performance.

CBS host Major Garrett asked Fauci Tuesday if during the debate he saw anything that would 'medically alarm' him.

The pandemic patriarch demurred, saying 'You know, I can't say.'

'I think it would be inappropriate to say that, Major, because when you're just looking at someone on a one-shot basis, you just don't know what could happen,' Fauci said.

The doctor did suggest, however, that some medication could be behind Biden's sleepy showing.

Former President Donald Trump has been surprisingly quiet in recent days, lessening his normal barrage of personal attacks towards President Joe Biden just as Democrats are frantically huddling to plan a path forward for the party.

Since the debate with the presidents last Thursday, chaos has engulfed the White House as staffers, reporters and lawmakers down the road on Capitol Hill are wondering if Biden is capable of running for reelection.

Trump has made the rounds posting polls that prove positive for the former president and claimed a recent Supreme Court ruling as a victory but has less so gone on the attack against Biden's age.

The former president is known for his fierce criticism of his opponents, and just when Biden appears to be his weakest, Trump seems to be laying off and letting the Democrats handle the situation.

'I'm gonna show up and, you know, I'm gonna campaign, whether it's him (Biden) or somebody else,' he said this week.

Emily Goodin, senior U.S. political reporter at the White House

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris called into a campaign staff meeting on Wednesday to give them a pep talk.

Biden told them he's staying in the race and going to win.

'Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running…no one’s pushing me out. I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win,' he said, according to reports.

Biden and Harris were having lunch at the White House on Wednesday. His statement comes amid reports he's told allies he's considering an exit plan.

The president and his team have engaged in a massive outreach campaign to reassure nervous staff, lawmakers, donors and allies of Biden's ability to beat Donald Trump in November.

Donald Trump now leads President Joe Biden 49 percent to 43 percent among likely voters nationally, according to a new New York Times/Siena poll conducted following the debate.

It's a three-point swing toward the Republican presumptive presidential nominee from just a week ago before the debate.

The six point gap is the largest lead Trump has had on Biden in the poll since 2015.

Among registered voters, Trump leads 49 percent to 41 percent the poll found.

Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., 83, had a long private conversation with Joe Biden Wednesday as the president looks to shore up his party's support, according to POLITICO.

''Congressman Clyburn had a very long conversation with President Biden on Wednesday. The substance of that call will remain private,' his spokesperson said.

Clyburn is credited with helping Biden turn around his 2020 campaign after it got off to a rocky start losing several primaries and causes.

Then the South Carolinian gathered his supporters around Biden, he won his first state and went on to secure the nomination after the tectonic momentum shift.

Earlier in the day, Clyburn mentioned on CNN how he had not been contacted by the president.

From Rob Crilly, Chief U.S. Political Correspondent

A majority of voters believes that President Joe Biden's disastrous debate performance last week was not caused by a cold or too much preparation but by dementia.

That is the damning finding of an exclusive poll for DailyMail.com.

Only 10 percent of respondents said they believed a cold was to blame, rejecting the official White House explanation for why the president struggled to answer questions or hold his train of thought during a 90-minute showdown with Donald Trump.

At the same time, it reveals that Trump, 78, has extended his lead over 81-year-old Biden to six points, deepening the crisis facing the president's reelection campaign.

The White House has already had to fend off questions about whether the president is 'disabled' in a sign of how Biden's health moved to the center of the contest this week.

Emily Goodin, senior U.S. political reporter at the White House

White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients began his all-hands-on-deck call with White House staff by telling them: ‘July 4th is one of my favorite holidays.’

He acknowledged President Joe Biden didn’t have a great debate performance last week but told staff that he’s a ‘great president’ and urged them to ‘stay together.’

‘He didn't have a great night but that was one night and what we all know is he is a great president,’ Zients said per reports.

He made three key points: keep your head down and keep working for the American people while the campaign handles the election; hold your head high as the administration has accomplished so much; and stick together.

'Execute, execute, execute,' he told them repeatedly while urging them to ignore outside noise.

The call lasted about 10 minutes. Zients didn't take questions but said concerned staff should email him. He repeated Biden's quote that when you get knocked down, you get back up.

'That's what he is doing and that's what we all need to do ... follow the president's lead,' he said.

President Joe Biden had a call Wednesday morning with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking Democrat in Congress.

Biden is in communication with party leaders on the heels of his disastrous debate performance, which has imperiled his reelection bid.

Punchbowl News first reported Biden's conversation with Schumer.

He also spoke with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Jim Clyburn and Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a longtime political ally from his home state, the White House confirmed.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that Biden told a key ally he is mulling over whether he should drop out of the race - a report the White House denied.

Biden will host a Fourth of July gathering at the White House Thursday before hitting the campaign trail again.

He'll travel to Wisconsin Friday and Pennsylvania Sunday - events he knows have to go well, according to the Times' reporting.

Former President Barack Obama is privately concerned about Joe Biden's reelection chances as Democrats pile on to get him to step down.

The Washington Post reported Tuesday that Obama told allies that Biden has a more difficult path to winning in November.

That's due to his disastrous debate performance last Thursday, sparking concerns about his age and ability to lead.

Publicly, Obama is standing firmly with his friend Joe.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are having lunch together in the midst of a massive call for the president to step aside after this debate performance.

The two oftentimes have lunch together and it is frequently part of the president's official schedule for the day.

Some float that Harris could replace Biden on the 2024 ticket, but polls show that she polls even worse than the President in a match-up against Donald Trump in November.

The lunch comes as the vice president tweaks her schedule to remain cozy with her boss after the debate debacle.

Prediction markets are now solidly favoring Kamala Harris to get the Democratic nomination in 2024.

The site PredictIt shows Harris has surged to become the favorite over the last few days, rising from 37 percent odds to be the nominee to now 49 percent.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden's chances of getting the party's backing have dropped from 44 percent to 28 percent.

The first sitting Democrat to call for Joe Biden to withdraw from the election says that before going public, party leadership did not try to keep him quiet.

Texas Democrat Rep. Lloyd Doggett, 77, came forward on Tuesday with a statement calling on Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, saying if he did not Donald Trump would win the White House.

Breaking his silence after turning on the top Democrat, the Texan - who has served since 1995 - told NPR that leadership within the party did not dissuade him from airing out his concerns publicly.

'I'm not a vulnerable member in this election,' Doggett said. 'So I'm able to step forward and speak out about what I think is so critical for our country in ways that perhaps some other people have not.'

'But I certainly have not gotten any discouragement from within the leadership of the party,' he added, indicating that top Democrats may actually condone ousting Biden.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

President Joe Biden told a close ally that he doesn't think he can salvage his campaign after his train wreck debate with Donald Trump last week.

It is the first real sign that the president is considering dropping out of the race amid calls for a new candidate.

The deciding factor, a key ally told The New York Times, could be Biden's campaign stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin this weekend. They said of the president's thinking:

He knows if he has two more events like that, we’re in a different place.

Another report states the Biden ally said it's 'only a matter of time' until he drops out.

But Biden's Deputy spokesperson Andrew Bates insisted in a post on X moments after the article went live that the reporting is 'absolutely false.' He complained the NYT only gave the team seven minutes to reply to a request for comment.

Emily Goodin, senior U.S. political reporter

The White House is struggling to calm the storm of outrage from Joe Biden's debate performance as Democratic lawmakers call for the president to exit the race and the White House staff are 'freaking the f*** out.'

White House chief of staff Jeff Zients is scheduled to hold an all-hands-on-deck staff call at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday to pump up disillusioned staff and reassure them that Biden will remain the nominee.

The president has been on the phone to lawmakers trying to shore up his support on Capitol Hill amid worries Republicans will take control of the House and Senate - along with the White House - in the upcoming elections, giving them unchecked power to run the country.

Biden also will meet with governors on Wednesday evening as he and his team scramble to stem even more defections.

Meanwhile, Jill Biden has been dispatched to the battleground states of Pennsylvania and Michigan to tout Biden's accomplishments in the White House as polls show him trailing Donald Trump.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Now a group of business leaders are calling for Joe Biden to step down for a replacement Democratic nominee.

Leadership Now Project is the latest entity expressing it wants to see a different candidate on the ticket in 2024 other than the incumbent president after his disastrous debate performance.

The group wrote in a statement responding to the debate:

We have heard from many individuals who share our deep concerns about the present course but fear speaking out.

President Joe Biden's campaign sent out an all-staff memo showing internal polls from battleground states that note Biden only dropped half a point in the fallout from his debate performance.

The memo acknowledges fears that Biden will see a substantial drop in the polls after his fumbling in the debate.

'We are going to see a few polls come out today and we want you all to hear from us on what we know internally and what we expect to come externally,' the memo, obtained by Politico, reads.

'Polls are a snapshot in time and we should all expect them to continue to fluctuate — it will take a few weeks, not a few days, to get a full picture of the race.'

The Five Thirty Eight polling average has Donald Trump leading Biden nationally by two points. The former president also leads in many of the swing states that will decide the election.

Biden has thus far rejected the pressure, insisting he could still beat Trump come November, but should the 81-year-old change course and bow out of the race, there are a series of hurdles other Democratic candidates could face.

One of the biggest challenges: how to raise a massive sum of cash to take on Trump in a short amount of time. Biden's massive campaign war chest would not necessarily flow to a replacement for the president at the top of the ticket.

And that is a considerable amount of money they could be leaving on the table.

Emily Goodin, senior U.S. political reporter

President Joe Biden on Wednesday will award the Medal of Honor to two Union soldiers who stole a train deep in Confederate territory during the Civil War in what is known as Great Locomotive Chase.

U.S. Army Pvts. Philip G. Shadrach and George D. Wilson were part of a group of soldiers who hijacked a train named The General, drive it north for 87 miles, destroying railroad tracks and telegraph lines along the way.

They were captured by Confederates and executed by hanging. Six of the participants became the Army´s first recipients of the then-newly created Medal of Honor. Over the next two decades, another 13 members were recognized for their role in mission but Shadrach and Wilson were not honored until now.

Their posthumous recognition comes as the legacy of the Civil War still shapes American politics in a contentious election year where race, constitutional rights and presidential power are a major issue.

The ceremony will take place in the East Room of the White House Wednesday afternoon.

Hunter Biden has joined White House meetings this week after spending the weekend at Camp David with his dad on the heels of President Joe Biden's disastrous debate performance.

NBC News reported Tuesday on Hunter's presence on calls and in meetings on the White House campus as the 81-year-old president's political future hangs in the balance.

Hunter was convicted last month on felony gun charges and is still under indictment for tax crimes though 'popped into' a couple of meetings, one source said.

There's growing uproar within the White House over President Joe Biden's shockingly feeble debate.

It's now becoming a full-blown party revolt as two sitting Democrats are bucking Biden and saying they want another candidate on the top of the ticket, with a third saying he can't win.

The president will try and reassure Democratic governors at the White House Wednesday as an all-staff White House meeting is set to occur at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Aides told Axios: 'Everyone is freaking the f*** out.'

A top pollster says there's only one Democrat who can beat Trump but not only have they never held office, they haven't even campaigned for Joe Biden yet this election season.

While other former Democrats and liberal pundits have speculated on Biden's ability to hold the presidency through 2028, should he win, two elected members of the party's Congressional delegation have called on him to drop out Tuesday.

Maine Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, 41, is now saying that he expects Trump to win after Biden's terrible debate performance while Lloyd Doggett of Texas, 77, he's actually 'OK' if Donald Trump wins in November.

Now, pollster Ipsos tested several elected an unelected Democrats head-to-head with Biden and only one would beat him, according to their survey.

A new CBS poll released Wednesday shows ex-President Donald Trump is up three points over President Biden across all battleground states nationwide, 48% to 51%.

He also has a two-point lead over the president in a national head-to-head matchup.

In another warning siren for Biden, the poll also showed a massive enthusiasm gap between the two candidates.

Democrats are not as likely to 'definitely' vote in November compared to Republicans.

At least 25 Democrat members of Congress are set to call on Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race in the coming days, while a pair of Senators have distanced themselves from the ailing president.

The Democratic revolt in the House was expected to take place if Biden 'seems shaky in coming days' as one Democrat aide warned: 'the dam is broken.'

In the Senate, it was revealed that centrist Joe Manchin needed to be pulled back from the brink as he prepared to become the first Biden ally to call for him to quit on one of the Sunday news shows.

'Nobody wants to be the first one to knife Julius Caesar,' a party insider said about Manchin's predicament.