Biden Faces Pressure Amid Reelection Concerns

An embattled U.S. President Joe Biden faced escalating pressure from fellow Democrats worried about his candidacy, concerns he worked to ease with campaign stops in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.

Biden, 81, faces growing calls to end his reelection bid after a halting performance in a June 27 debate with Republican Donald Trump, 78, raised questions about his ability to do the job for another four years. He has vowed to stay in the race, dismissing calls for him to drop out as “nonsense” in a fundraising email.

The Democratic president received a warm welcome at a Black church in Philadelphia and later traveled to the Pennsylvania state capital, Harrisburg, for an event with union members. Black voters are a critical part of Biden’s base of support and recent public opinion polling has shown their support for him softening.

On a leadership call by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, some House Democrats said that Biden should step aside as presidential candidate, a source familiar with the discussions said.

Representatives Jerrold Nadler, Adam Smith, Mark Takano and Joe Morelle, senior House Democrats who sit on the Judiciary, Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and House Administration committees, were among those who called on Biden to step aside, according to media reports.

Democrats also suggested that Vice President Kamala Harris, seen as the likeliest candidate to replace Biden in the Nov. 5 election were he to bow out, could perform well.

In an interview, 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 member from Florida, Alan Clendenin, joined calls urging Biden to step aside.

Pressure from Congress is expected to ramp up in the coming days as lawmakers return to Washington from a holiday recess and donors mull their willingness to keep funding Biden’s campaign.