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

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., on Friday said President Biden “needs to make this decision himself” when he was asked about the calls by some Democrats for him to step aside from the presidential race.

As of Friday, 34 Democrats have called for Biden to exit the race.

“I'm not calling for the president to get out of the race,” Moskowitz said on “Jesse Watters Primetime.” “He's got to make this decision himself.”

Democrats want to defeat President Trump but need to look at the election season in a holistic manner, given the Senate and House seats up for grabs, he said.

“If the country decides to give Donald Trump the wheel, we'd also like to see him get some brakes, and that's either winning the House or winning the Senate,” said Moskowitz

As rumors continue to swirl about President Biden's ability to remain in the presidential race, there are questions not only about which Democrat would replace him -- but also what their views are on the border crisis.

Fox News Digital looked through their respective stances. Vice President Kamala Harris is the favorite to replace Biden.

But if she does not, other candidates could include Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Mich. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Several Democrats have expressed their support for Vice President Kamala Harris as a replacement for Joe Biden in the 2024 race for the White House, but many of them haven't always been enthusiastic about the possibility of her serving as the nation's commander in chief.

Harris launched her campaign for president in January 2019. She suspended her campaign a little more than ten months later, in December 2019, after participating in five Democratic presidential primary debates.

At the time, Harris struggled with stagnant polling and fundraising, failing to earn support from many of those in her party.

Today, however, amid growing uncertainty from members of her party over whether Biden has what it takes to serve four more years in the White House, many of the Democrats who endorsed his bid for the White House in 2020 are looking to Harris as the next best thing.

Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., a longtime Biden ally, is one such example. The prominent Democrat endorsed Biden's bid for the presidency in Feb. 2020, nearly a year after he announced his campaign in April 2019. Now, however, he believes Harris should replace Biden should he drop out of the race.

Clyburn told MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell recently that the entire party would need to "bolster" its support for Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee if it had to happen. He also blasted those who might want to "work around" her and choose someone else at the top of the ticket considering her low polling.

"We should do everything we can to bolster her, whether it’s in second place or the top of the ticket," Clyburn said.

Former Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who challenged Biden and Harris for the 2020 presidential nomination, also wrote in a recent Newsweek op-ed, "Kamala Harris Should Be the Democratic Nominee for President in 2024."

A recent poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about six in 10 Democrats believe Harris would do a good job as president herself. About two in 10 Democrats don’t believe she would, and another two in 10 say they don’t know enough to say.

While Gavin Newsom has been floated as a potential replacement should President Biden heed the calls of the Democratic Party and drop out of the 2024 presidential race, the liberal governor may not be the strongest candidate to take on former President Trump, a California political observer told Fox News Digital.

Newsom may be popular among Democratic leaders and the progressive caucus for the Golden State's liberal policies, but it's unclear how popular he would be on a national ticket. In his own state, Republicans have railed against the governor's policies on the economy, homelessness and crime.

"Nevertheless, his popularity even here in California is sliding, with one recent poll showing that a majority of voters think the state is headed in the wrong direction," California Policy Center president William Swaim told Fox News Digital. 

Another potential replacement, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, may be a top pick to replace him on the ticket, despite denying involvement in a "Draft Gretch" shadow campaign. But her chances against former President Donald Trump in November would be an uphill battle, according to another expert.

Her weakness, according to presidential historian and former Bush administration secretary Tevi Troy, is that Whitmer is not particularly well-known among the average American as someone of prominence.

"She's a popular governor in a swing state," said Troy, who is also a senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center. "So, she's got a lot of positive qualities, but at the same time, she's not truly vetted, and most of these people who could potentially face Trump or replace Biden are not fully vetted."

A majority of Americans want lower levels of immigration overall, according to a new poll ahead of an election in which immigration and the crisis at the southern border are going to be top issues for voters.

Fifty-five percent of voters want to see immigration to the U.S. decrease, according to a recent Gallup poll. That is up dramatically from 41% last year, and the first time since 2005 a majority of Americans want less immigration. It’s also the highest since the 58% recorded in 2001.

The percentage of Americans who want more immigration is at 16%. It’s a sharp change from 2020 and 2021, when 34% wanted more immigration and only about 30% wanted less.

By party affiliation, 88% of Republicans, 50% of independents and 28% of Democrats want less immigration.

Multiple polls, including Gallup, have consistently shown the border crisis is a top issue for voters ahead of the November election.

For solutions to the crisis, 67% want Border Patrol agents, 53% want border wall expansion, 47% want deportation of all illegal immigrants and 70% want to give illegal immigrants a path to citizenship if they meet "certain requirements over time," according to the poll.

Vice President Kamala Harris' movements on the campaign trail are being closely watched amid speculation she may soon be the Democratic nominee for president if President Biden steps aside.

Harris was in North Carolina this week, at the same time as Biden was in Delaware recovering from COVID-19.

On the trail she painted a stark contrast between the visions of Republicans and Democrats moving forward.

"The question we face is what kind of country do we want to live in," Harris told the audience of several hundred people, according to WRAL. "Do we want to live in a country of freedom, compassion and rule of law? Or a country of chaos, fear and hate? We each have the power to answer this question." 

She focused also on job creation under Biden and again mentioned Project 2025 -- a Heritage Foundation drafted set of policy proposals that former President Trump has rejected, but Democrats have sought to tie him and his running mate JD Vance to.

"He did not talk about it because their plans are extreme and they are divisive,” Harris said, referring to Vance.

Harris will next week travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, her fifth visit to the vital swing state this year.

Harris will also address a network of major Democrat donors on short notice Friday afternoon, the New York Times is reporting, according to two people invited to the call that spoke to the outlet.

It was confirmed to Fox News Digital by a source familiar that Harris would be joining the call.

The vice president is participating in the call at the direct request of senior advisors to President Biden, a source familiar told Fox News.

Amid growing calls from a number of elected Democrats for President Biden to step aside in the 2024 White House race, President Biden's history of indecision related to presidential campaigns is being brought into focus.

In 2015, just ahead of the end of his eight-year stint as the second-highest officer in the executive branch, Biden continuously flirted with the idea of seeking the presidency for himself in 2016. Democrats at the time, however, grew tired of waiting for him to declare his decision amid months of speculation that he would run.

In an October 2015 article, The Associated Press wrote, "With each day that passes, Democrats who have been eagerly awaiting his decision say they are increasingly skeptical he’d have enough time to mount a competitive bid. The latest sign of wavering came Thursday when several people close to Biden said his decision is likely to drag on until later in October, making it highly unlikely he’ll be on stage for the first Democratic primary debate on Oct. 13."

"One directive from Biden has been clear: His decision will not be rushed, according to several people who have spoken to Biden in recent days," the outlet added at the time.

Biden ultimately decided not to make a White House run in 2016, announcing later in the month from the Rose Garden that the window for a successful campaign "has closed."

Similarly, for the next presidential election, Biden also dragged his feet in announcing his 2020 run for president.

Biden initially said he would make a decision on whether to run for president in 2020 by the end of 2018, but that deadline was extended to late April 2019, when he announced his campaign for president in a video shared to social media.

Prior to his announcement, Biden went for months telling reporters that he would announce his decision "soon."

The Washington Post took aim at Biden in February 2019 for the delayed announcement, writing, "Now into mid-February, with a burgeoning field of Democratic candidates, Biden is still on the fence, neither in nor out, in a lingering state of political limbo."

"Some potential staffers have already defected, and some of his supporters worry the prolonged indecision could begin to threaten his chances," the outlet added at the time.

President Biden is reportedly angry at Democratic Party leaders and feels a sense of betrayal, while accusing them of helping Donald Trump get elected in 2016 when they cast him aside to boost Hillary Clinton, according to media reports.

Sources told NBC News that the president is angry and feels like the party is trying to push him out.

“Can we all just remember for a minute that these same people who are trying to push Joe Biden out are the same people who literally gave us all Donald Trump?” a source close to Biden told NBC News. “In 2015, Obama, Pelosi, Schumer pushed Biden aside in favor of Hillary; they were wrong then, and they are wrong now."

The source recalled polling in the 2016 election that found Hillary Clinton leading by as much as 9 points.

“How did all this work out for everyone in 2016? Perhaps we should learn a few lessons from 2016; one of them is polls are BS — just ask Secretary Clinton. And two, maybe, just maybe, Joe Biden is more in touch with actual Americans than Obama-Pelosi-Schumer?” the source added in unusually blunt language that represents the views of those closest to Biden.

Multiple Democrats have come out and implored Biden to step out of the presidential race. 

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, is the latest Democrat calling for President Biden to exit the presidential race.

“Over the last few weeks, I’ve heard from Ohioans on important issues, such as how to continue to grow jobs in our state, give law enforcement the resources to crack down on fentanyl, protect Social Security and Medicare from cuts, and prevent the ongoing efforts to impose a national abortion ban,” Brown said in a written statement. “These are the issues Ohioans care about and it is my job to keep fighting for them.”

“I agree with the many Ohioans who have reached out to me,” he added. “At this critical time, our full attention must return to these important issues. I think the President should end his campaign.”

The push for Biden to exit the race comes weeks after his debate performance, which raised concerns with the Democratic Party about his ability to defeat former President Trump. 

Fox News @ Night panelist Elisha Krauss compared the Democratic Party to a sinking ship on Thursday night as calls for President Biden to drop out continued within his party.

"It's like the Titanic," she told host Trace Gallagher. "The democratic party is literally falling apart."

As for what Biden is hoping for as he holds off on ending his campaign, Krauss suggested the president is waiting for a "golden parachute" promised by the party.

"The calls for him to step aside though are drastically increasing," she noted, referencing the 30 Democratic lawmakers who have urged him to end his campaign.

"They're acknowledging that Joe Biden is not the best guy ... the fact that they're willing to take a risk, to have an open convention after they shut down the primary process is fascinating," she remarked.

Former President Trump's vice presidential nominee, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, weighed in on some Democrats' calls for President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race on Friday.

In a post to X, Vance claimed that if Biden doesn't have the "cognitive function" to campaign, he "certainly" isn't able to be president right now.

His post is scrutinizing Democratic lawmakers in Congress, 30 of whom have called on Biden to step aside, for not also calling on Biden to resign.

None of the Democrats who have publicly asked Biden to "pass the torch" have pressed him to leave office before his term is over.

Vance was announced as Trump's running mate on Monday in a post to Truth Social. He formally accepted the Republican nomination in a speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night.

U.S. Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif., said a “little slippage” from President Biden is causing fellow Democrats to call for him to exit the presidential race.

“And unfortunately, I think that's what folks are starting to see, which is why you're seeing folks come out and, you know, try to get the president to reconsider,” Bera told “Your World” host Neil Cavuto on Friday. “I think part of the reason why you're seeing a lot of Democrats starting to come out is they're getting their own internal polls coming back, either at the Senate level or, in some of the battleground House races. And it doesn't look that great.”

Some Democrats have floated the idea that Vice President Kamala Harris run against former President Trump, should Biden step aside.

“I think she's ready to do the job. I think, you know, she's a tenacious campaigner,” said Bera. “This is about winning. She's been the person closest to this phenomenal Biden-Harris administration.”

“But I also think there's always some benefit if we decide that it should be an open process and some sort of abbreviated, primary with a couple candidates, town halls, debates going to the convention,” he added. “That certainly would give us some momentum.”

In the weeks since President Biden's catastrophic debate performance, panicked Democrats have increased pressure on the president to abandon his re-election bid. 

Top Democratic Party officials, megadonors, editorial writers and as many as 31 congressional lawmakers have urged the president to "pass the torch" to a new generation of leadership for fear that Biden cannot defeat Republican nominee former President Trump. 

Biden's top campaign aides have been working damage control with major donors, while the White House — and Biden himself — remain adamant he is the right man to lead the party. 

"Absolutely the president is in this race, you’ve heard him say that time and again," Biden Campaign Chair Jen O'Malley Dillon said Friday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." 

What follows is a list of congressional Democratic lawmakers who have called on Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential election.

President Biden posted a video online amid questions about his candidacy and acuity.

“Hopefully, with age, I’ve demonstrated a little bit of wisdom,” he wrote on X.

The video shows Biden talking to supporters about his values and “here's what I do know.”

“I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong," he said. "I know how to do this job. And I know the good lord hasn't brought us this far to leave us now."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is calling out fellow Democrats for privately turning on President Biden, warning that former President Trump is a "neo-Nazi" who could once again rise to the White House if her party fails to rally behind their current leader. 

In a nearly hour-long Instagram Live video on Friday morning, Ocasio-Cortez claimed that while Biden "didn’t do too well, to say the least" in last month’s debate, his performance did not change much about people’s perceptions heading into November. 

"I'm pretty sure a lot of people knew that the president is old. The president is very old. Donald Trump is also very old and a racist and a neo-Nazi. But anyways, I'm not going to talk about Trump right now," she said. 

Ocasio-Cortez instead pivoted her comments to a discussion about the Democratic Party and the power of people who "occupy the space" between voters and the government. This space, she said, includes wealthy donors, organizational leaders, pundits and the media. 

She expressed concern about the amount of power these individuals have over political outcomes and voters, often flexing their resources and networks to arrive at a desired outcome that could stand at odds with the American people. 

Former President Donald Trump will hold an indoor rally just one week after surviving an attempted assassination.

Trump plans to hold the rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on July 20 with Ohio Sen. JD Vance, whom the former president chose as his running mate Monday, Fox News has confirmed, marking his first campaign appearance with Vance as his vice presidential candidate.

The rally comes just one week after Trump was grazed in the ear by a gunman at an outdoor rally in Pennsylvania, a shooting that also resulted in the death of one rally goer and two additional injuries.

The rally will be held inside the Van Andel Arena, with Secret Service officials recently warning the Trump campaign against holding outdoor rallies.

Trump made his first public appearance since the attempt on his life during the Republican National Convention Monday, deciding not to alter his schedule despite the shooting. The former president made a dramatic entrance to the deafening cheers of supporters in the audience before taking a seat and listening to speeches made by everyday Americans, at times appearing emotional as people on the stage outlined the case to send him back to the White House.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital's Michael Lee.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said President Biden “is more than up for the job of being president" during an appearance at the Aspen Security Forum.

Sullivan answered questions about Biden's fitness during a press huddle where he detailed a situation room experience.

“And what I saw that night, honestly, made me walk out and think, ‘I am damn glad we have that guy at the head of the table in the situation room,’” he said.

“I believe that the President of the United States is doing a very good job as president and will continue to do a very good job as president, and that's why he's standing for office," he added. "And that night actually ended late with the president having a pretty candid conversation with (Israel Prime Minister Benjamin) Bibi Netanyahu about the way forward. And it's one of the most effective moments of leader-to-leader communication that I've seen - actually, from President Biden or from any other leader that I've had the opportunity to work with.”

 Biden has done an excellent job as commander-in-chief, Sullivan said.

Rep. Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico is calling on Biden to “step aside” and let another candidate run against former President Trump.

In a statement, Vasquez called Biden an “honorable public servant” who is owed a great deal of gratitude.

“However, I believe too many of our fundamental freedoms and the well-being of our nation are at risk under a Trump presidency and President Biden should step aside to give Democrats the best opportunity to win this November,” he said. “With abortion rights under attack and our Democracy at stake, we must unite to defeat Donald Trump and MAGA extremists.”

Billionaire real estate mogul and former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jeff Greene sounded off on President Biden’s "completely ridiculous" plan for national rent control, warning that it stunts new buildings and fair prices.

"It makes no sense at all. I can see it on the primary [basis], if you're trying to really go after the far-left people who don't know anything about housing. But in a general election, when he's trying to appeal to independents and moderates, I have no idea why he would come up with such a crazy idea," Greene said in an exclusive interview on "The Claman Countdown" Wednesday.

Earlier this week, Biden announced a plan to stop the astronomical rise in rent by penalizing corporate landlords who raise rents by more than 5% each year.If landlords did not restrict rent increases to 5% or less, they would risk losing access to lucrative tax breaks.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Kristen Altus.