Democrats thrown into chaos as they face tight deadline to replace Biden

Vice President Harris will not say whether she is confident President Biden is currently capable of serving as commander in chief amid calls by lawmakers to invoke the 25th Amendment.

Biden withdrew from the presidential race on Sunday after his performance at the first presidential debate sparked concerns over his fitness and mental competency. After the sudden announcement, several lawmakers began to question the president's ability to serve the remainder of his term if he is not able to seek re-election.

After the announcement, Harris was quickly positioned as the Democrat replacement for Biden on the 2024 ticket, but some lawmakers – including Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. – don't want to wait until January for Biden to leave office.

Fox News Digital asked Harris whether she believes Biden is able to serve as president but did not receive a response despite several attempts to reach her office.

Biden has not made any public appearances since testing positive for COVID-19 last week and suddenly ending his re-election campaign just days later via a written statement. Fox News Digital also asked if the vice president knew where Biden has been the past several days and if they were in contact but did not receive a response by press time.

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., sent a letter to Harris on Monday stating that Biden is unfit to serve and demanding she invoke the 25th Amendment.

Over the weekend, Mace also said she was going to propose a similar resolution.

Fox News' Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.

Vice President Kamala Harris will hold a campaign rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, the first rally since launching her bid for the presidency.

Harris announced her presidential campaign Sunday night, shortly after President Biden announced he was suspending his re-election effort. The president subsequently endorsed Harris.

On Monday, Harris secured enough delegates for the Democratic Party's nomination for president, although the Democratic National Convention formally selecting the party's nominee will not be held until next month in Chicago.

The rally in Milwaukee will be Harris' ninth visit to Wisconsin since she was sworn in as vice president in 2021 and her fifth visit to the state so far this year, according to her campaign.

"We're proud to welcome Vice President Harris to Wisconsin, a state she once called home, where she will rally excited supporters after announcing her presidential campaign," the Harris campaign's Wisconsin Communications Director Brianna Johnson said in a press release.

Harris is prepared to "prosecute" the case against former President Trump, Johnson said in an apparent reference to Harris' experience as a prosecutor.

During her visit to Milwaukee, Harris plans to highlight the choice between Trump, the "convicted felon who would drag this country backwards," and Harris' "brighter vision for the future, where our freedoms are protected and every American has a fair shot," Johnson said.

Kamala Harris' policies as San Francisco District Attorney and California Attorney General could come back to haunt her as the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee for president, experts say.

"She’s one of these people who’ve talked out of both sides of her mouth, and she's going to have trouble with both the left and the right with the stances she’s taken over the years," Los Angeles-based criminal defense lawyer Nicole Castronovo told Fox News Digital.

Critics of potential presidential nominee Harris are calling attention to her backing of a controversial 2014 California law that some blame for unleashing rampant crime across the state.

As California's then attorney general, Harris and her office were responsible for writing up a summary of Proposition 47 to inform voters of its contents and intent.

Dubbed the "Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act," the legislation lessened penalties for a variety of crimes – including making the theft of items with a total value of less than $950 a misdemeanor.

That provision, critics assert, handed thieves a de facto carte blanche to plunder beleaguered retail outlets with near impunity.

"They changed sentencing to free criminals who should have been incarcerated and titled it with a misleading name," Castronovo noted. "But it actually made communities less safe."

Other crimes that were once felonies – including forgery, fraud, drug use, and the receiving of stolen goods valued under $950 – were also reclassified as misdemeanors.

Fox News' Rebecca Rosenberg contributed to this report.

National security experts are looking toward the United States’ chief adversaries as Kamala Harris enters the race for the White House after President Biden announced on Sunday that he would not seek re-election.

The sudden change of the Democrat front-runner for the top job has sparked concern that authoritarian leaders from nations like Russia, China and Iran will utilize the "chaos" to their benefit as the Democratic Party scrambles to build a platform against Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Outwardly, nations like Russia and China have revealed little about their reaction to the certain end of a Biden White House and the changes this could bring to U.S. force posture abroad.

"The elections are still four months away, and that is a long period of time in which a lot can change. We need to be patient and carefully monitor what happens. The priority for us is the special military operation," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Sunday in reference to Russia's war in Ukraine.

He also told reporters in a conference call that Moscow was "not very surprised" by Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential ticket.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was even more tight-lipped and said, "The presidential elections are the United States’ own affairs.

Over the past 24 hours, questions have mounted over Harris' qualifications when it comes to U.S. national security as global tensions continue to escalate to levels not seen since the Cold War.

"The Russians are watching very closely whether Kamala Harris will actually end up becoming the Democratic Party’s nominee now that President Biden has dropped out of the race," Rebekah Koffler, former DIA intelligence officer and author of "Putin’s Playbook," told Fox News Digital.

"Putin and the Kremlin have no preference as far as who would become U.S. president because U.S. policy has been consistent for the past 40 years, regardless [of whether] a Republican or Democrat occupied the White House," she said. 

Heino Klinck, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia and military attaché to China, similarly pointed to how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will also likely utilize the abrupt change to enhance domestic anti-democratic arguments.

"Harris’ sudden quasi-coronation will only serve CCP talking points about the chaos of American democracy," he said. "Her lack of national security and defense experience will not engender confidence with our partners and allies."

Fox News' Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.

Vice President Kamala Harris' extensive 27-year career in criminal prosecution in California may pose challenges in appealing to moderate voters, reminiscent of obstacles she faced during her unsuccessful 2020 presidential bid. Now, both Republicans and Democrats are preparing to scrutinize her political history, which has drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle.

As the spotlight has shifted to Harris after President Biden unexpectedly forfeited his Democratic nomination bid for a second presidential term on Sunday, Republican strategists are now gearing up to intensify their offensive against her.

Despite calls from many Republicans for Biden to immediately resign, a House Republican strategist told Fox News Digital that "what is more important over the next week or so is defining Kamala as this far-left San Francisco liberal."

"During the Kenosha riots, she defended the rioters, and that's in the swing state of Wisconsin, where that was very unpopular, we have to make sure voters remember all of these crazy things that she's said, and she's wanted to do," the strategist said.

Likewise, Harris' tenure as the attorney general of California has been the subject of criticism from left-wing critics as well, primarily related to her approach to tough-on-crime prosecution and other criminal justice policies she championed.

During her 2020 presidential campaign, which she launched in January 2019, Harris faced significant criticism over her prosecution record. Opponents of tough-on-crime prosecution argue it disproportionately affects low-income families and minorities, further entrenching them in the prison system.

Fox News' Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.

President Biden's decision to stand down from re-election yesterday is unprecedented in its timing.

No presidential candidate has ever announced that they were not seeking another term this close to Election Day.

Vice President Kamala Harris secured enough delegates Monday night for the Democratic Party's nomination.

Tuesday's Fox News Power Rankings explains how Harris' elevation could reshape the race and what comes next in Democrats' nominating process.

This guide provides answers to two more burning questions about the move.

First, how Harris is likely able to use Biden's existing campaign funds; second, why she can appear on all 50 states' general election ballots.

The existing "Team Biden-Harris" campaign had $240 million cash on hand at the end of June, and that money is critical to Harris' election bid. Harris is likely to be able to use it.

The figure above is one number, but it is calculated by taking the Biden-Harris campaign committee's cash as well as that of the Democratic National Committee, the state parties, joint fundraising committees and allied political action committees (PACs).

Only the Biden-Harris campaign committee part of the overall number is even in question, since the DNC, state parties and other groups listed above are their own entities.

No deadlines have passed that would prevent or "lock out" Harris from appearing on a general election ballot in any of the 50 states.

Democrats had not yet formally nominated Biden – the Democratic National Convention is scheduled for next month. Until yesterday, he was merely the "presumptive nominee." (Republicans made former President Trump their formal nominee at the Republican National Convention last week.)

This means there is no need for a "change" or "swap" on general election ballots.

The party just needs to nominate a candidate before any general election ballot access deadlines.

Fox News' Rémy Numa contributed to this report.

Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colo., knocked former President Trump as the candidate "approaching 80," who "can barely get a sentence out," while discussing his support for Vice President Harris during an interview on CNN on Monday.

"The other side has a nominee that can barely get a sentence out. He’s approaching 80. He brings us back to the past. We have somebody who’s about the future of our country, who’s put criminals behind bars, who knows firsthand how to do the job. And, frankly, can identify with most Americans in a way that President Trump just never could," the governor said.

President Biden, 81, endorsed Harris to replace him at the top of the Democratic ticket on Sunday, after announcing he would be dropping out.

Polis also said it would be "flattering" to be on Harris' list of potential vice presidential picks, and added that he liked the idea of her picking a governor.

Harris' campaign has requested vetting materials from several potential running mates, many of whom are governors, but Polis was not among them.

"This is always decided on the top of the ticket, right? So this is going to be Trump, if he stays in and doesn‘t drop out, versus Kamala Harris. And I think we have, really, a lot going for us on our side with a powerful vision for America’s future versus taking us back to the divided days of America’s past. And I’m excited to help out however I can," Polis said.

Asked bluntly if he would accept the nomination if Harris asked him, he said he was happy in his current position as the governor of Colorado.

"I love the job I‘m doing. You know, I love Colorado. It‘s great. Obviously, if somebody asked, I'd take a serious look at it, but my phone hasn't rung yet. Look, if they do the polling, and it turns out that they need a 49-year-old balding, gay Jew from Boulder, Colorado, they got my number," Polis said.

Fox News' Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.

Vice President Kamala Harris said she is "proud" to have secured enough delegates to clinch the Democratic Party's nomination for president Monday night.

"When I announced my campaign for President, I said I intended to go out and earn this nomination," Harris said in a statement. "Tonight, I am proud to have secured the broad support needed to become our party’s nominee, and as a daughter of California, I am proud that my home state’s delegation helped put our campaign over the top. I look forward to formally accepting the nomination soon."

"I am grateful to President Biden and everyone in the Democratic Party who has already put their faith in me, and I look forward to taking our case directly to the American people," she continued.

Biden announced Sunday that he was suspending his re-election campaign. Harris then launched her campaign seeking the Democratic Party's nomination.

"This election will present a clear choice between two different visions," Harris said. "Donald Trump wants to take our country back to a time before many of us had full freedoms and equal rights. I believe in a future that strengthens our democracy, protects reproductive freedom and ensures every person has the opportunity to not just get by, but to get ahead."

"Over the next few months, I will be traveling across the country talking to Americans about everything that is on the line," she said. "I fully intend to unite our party, unite our nation, and defeat Donald Trump in November."

The House Rules Committee will hold an emergency session to tee up a vote on a resolution condemning Vice President Kamala Harris over her handling of the crisis at the Southern Border.

H.R. 1371, introduced by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., condemns the Biden Administration and its Harris, who was tapped as the border czar, over the failure to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.

The rules committee will meet on Tuesday at 1 p.m.

A former staffer of Vice President Kamala Harris shared on X that around 300 of Harris' ex-staffers signed a letter endorsing her for president.

Attorney Rachel Palermo attached the letter on Monday night, and also shared the names of the hundreds of signees.

"Thrilled to share that ~300 former staff (and counting!) of Vice President @KamalaHarris — from across her career — are proud to endorse her for President of the United States," Palermo wrote.

The letter "enthusiastically" endorsed Harris and commended her for "fighting for the people."

"We have worked alongside her as she has tackled the toughest challenges and the most intractable issues," the letter read. "And she has delivered results in every office she has ever held."

"To protect our democracy, we must all join together to elect Kamala Harris as President of the United States."

President Biden is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, a U.S. official told Fox News on Monday evening.

The news came as Biden continued to recover from COVID-19. As of Monday, Biden was still isolating in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Earlier on Monday, Israeli officials told journalists that they were unsure if the meeting would take place at all.

Shelley Greenspan, who is the White House Liaison to the American Jewish community, confirmed later that day that Vice President Kamala Harris will also speak with Netanyahu at some point this week.

Fox News' Patrick Ward contributed to this update.

Liberal filmmaker Michael Moore told President Biden to resign from office and allow Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place and assume a stronger political position ahead of November.

"May I ask you, Mr. President, for one more brave and bold action?" Moore wrote in a Substack article published on Monday. 

Biden announced on Sunday that he would withdraw from the race, but he has not indicated that he will step down as president.

"Kamala Harris will be in a much stronger position to win if she can run as the President of the United States," Moore wrote. "As the incumbent President. This will give the country a chance to see her in action — as the most powerful person in the world." 

Read the full article about Michael Moore by Jeffrey Clark

Activists in Dearborn, Michigan, who led the resistance against President Biden in response to his support for Israel won't so easily come back to the Democratic Party now that he has dropped out of the race.

"There is not an automatic endorsement by the community of Harris just because Biden stepped down," Samraa Luqman, who has served as co-chair for the Abandon Biden campaign, said of her personal feelings on the state of the race.

"She was part of the Biden administration, so she’s going to be associated with all of his policies and all of his rhetoric. She might come with a $100 million war chest, but she comes with his baggage as well."

Luqman’s comments come after Biden announced on social media Sunday that he was dropping out of the 2024 race, a decision that was made after weeks of increasing pressure from fellow Democrats to pass the torch amid fears over his physical and mental ability to continue the campaign.

Such a decision was cause for celebration in Dearborn, Luqman said, noting that she believes Biden’s unpopularity among members of her community played a role in the president’s decision.

Read the full article about Dearborn activists by Michael Lee

The presidential campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris hasn't reached out to to elections officials about the handling of millions of dollars in donations that were given to then-candidate President Biden.

Federal Elections Commission Chairman Sean Cooksey said candidates would normally give back contributions if they drop out of a race.

“That doesn't seem to be what's happening here,” Cooksey told “The Ingraham Angle” on Monday. “It seems like, instead, what the Democrats are going to do is take the money and run, give it to the Harris campaign, not bother to get any FEC guidance and just deal with the consequences of that after the election."

Candidates can have the FEC conduct an expedited review within 20 days and get a “thumbs up or thumbs down” from the agency about whether keeping certain financial donations are acceptable, Cooksey said.

“It looks like they're about to spend all that money and deal with any enforcement matters or lawsuits later,” he said.

The FEC is an independent agency of the U.S. government that enforces campaign finance laws. It doesn't have the ability to issue restraining orders, Cooksey said.

Barstool Sports CEO Dave Portnoy condemned Democrats, arguing they have "hijacked" the very democracy they claimed to defend.

President Biden announced in an open letter on the X platform this Sunday that he is dropping out of the 2024 race, declaring he will endorse Vice President Kamala Harris to top the ticket. Biden had faced waves of defections from Democratic lawmakers who implored him to withdraw from the presidential race after his widely criticized performance in the presidential debate.

Portnoy has slammed the Democratic Party and American liberals repeatedly since the announcement, arguing that they were hiding Biden’s age-related issues and merely trying to "hijack" democracy. On Monday afternoon, Portnoy spoke directly about his issue with Democrats backing Kamala Harris as the new candidate.

"I feel like I'm taking crazy pills when the left keep calling Trump a threat to Democracy when the Dems didn't let their own party vote for their candidate," he wrote in a post on X. "It's insane!!!!"

Read the full article about Dave Portnoy by Alexander Hall

New York Mayor Eric Adams endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president Monday, despite previous statements blasting the Biden administration's handling of the southern border.

"I’m looking forward to moving toward a convention, seeing Vice President Harris becoming the nominee," Adams said during an appearance on MSNBC’s "Morning Joe."

"Everyone knows who I am about public safety, and she was very clear on the campaign trail," adding, "I think that she is the voice that the party needs right now."

Adams' remarks contrast what he told CNN the night prior about the Biden administration's border policies, which Republicans have blamed for record numbers of illegal immigrants entering the United States. 

Read the full article about Eric Adams by Louis Casiano

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the U.S. on Monday afternoon, and plans to meet with both Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden during his trip.

Netanyahu's arrival was announced by the Embassy of Israel to the USA on X. According to video posted by the embassy, Netanyahu was not greeted by Biden, Harris or Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Shelley Greenspan, who is White House Liaison to the American Jewish community, also posted on X that Harris is slated to speak with Netanyahu this week.

"The @VP will be meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu this week at the White House," Greenspan wrote. "She will reaffirm the our unwavering commitment to the security of the State of Israel."

"*This meeting is separate from President Biden’s planned meeting with PM Netanyahu," she added.

Israeli officials have reportedly been in the dark about whether Netanyahu and Biden will actually meet amid the president's COVID-19 diagnosis. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for clarification, but did not receive any details.

Although Harris and Netanyahu plan to meet, Harris reportedly declined to preside over Netanyahu's address to Congress on Wednesday night, according to the Washington Post. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin (D-MD) will preside instead.

Democratic Party delegates could begin a virtual roll call soon to determine the party's nominee for president and vice president.

Members of the DNC’s Convention rules committee are slated to take up the proposal as early as Wednesday and discuss how the virtual roll call would work.

The roll call process must be completed by Aug. 7.

“We can and will be both fast and fair as we execute this nomination,”  Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said on a conference call with reporters.

Vice President Kamala Harris is favored and poised to be the party's nominee. This, just days after President Biden withdrew from the race. Biden has endorsed Harris, as well as many Democratic lawmakers. .

Democrats first announced in May that they were going to conduct a virtual roll call in an effort to make a deadline in Ohio and, at the time, ensure that Biden’s name appeared on the ballot in that state.