NationalWatch

The White House has attempted to dismiss President Biden’s gaffes, miscues and mental acuity concerns as little more than the product of “cheap fakes” and misinformation, but one of Biden’s current political rivals – who previously served alongside him – says unequivocally that the Biden seen during a disastrous national debate is “not the same man” he once knew.

Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, served as physician to the president during both the Obama and Trump administrations and previously worked in the White House Medical Unit during the George W. Bush administration. It was during his time spent serving under former President Obama that he was able to most closely observe Biden, then the vice president.

“I was in the White House when Joe Biden was VP, and the man we’ve seen since announcing his candidacy is not the same man who was VP for 8 years,” Jackson said. 

Fox News Digital gathered various videos showing how Biden’s once-cogent speeches and energetic public appearances during his days as vice president have given way to a drastically different demeanor as president.

Thursday evening’s debate against Biden’s likely general election foe, former President Trump, significantly elevated concerns about Biden’s age and mental acuity. 

AFTER BIDEN’S DISASTROUS DEBATE, CAMPAIGN EMAILS SUPPORTERS ON HOW TO DEFEND HIM: ‘BEDWETTING BRIGADE’

President Biden looks down as he participates in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections with former President Trump at CNN’s studios in Atlanta on June 27, 2024. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

The debate had a cascading effect within the media and some members of the Democratic Party, too, as even traditional left-wing allies slammed the president’s performance as disastrous – with some calling on the president to step aside before the election. 

As legacy media outlets such as the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune call on Biden to map out an exit plan – with the Times describing Biden as a “shadow of a great public servant” – Biden allies such as Obama and first lady Jill Biden have reiterated their full-throated support for the 46th president’s re-election. 

Other Democratic allies floated as potential replacement presidential candidates, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, have also remained committed to their support of Biden’s re-election efforts despite media calls for Biden to step aside. 

However, the Fox News Digital video compilation illustrates the differences in Biden that even some of his supporters are beginning to publicly acknowledge.

Texas GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson, a former White House physician, right, said special counsel Robert Hur’s report “validates” what he and many Americans have known all along – that President Biden has “serious issues.” (Getty Images)

“Mr. President, this honor is not only well beyond what I deserve, but it’s a reflection on the extent and generosity of your spirit.  I don’t deserve this, but I know it came from the President’s heart,” Biden said in 2017 after Obama awarded him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “Mr. President, you have creeped into our heart — you and your whole family, including Mom — and you occupy it.  It’s an amazing thing that happened.  I knew how smart you were.  I knew how honorable you were.  I knew how decent you were from the couple years we worked in the Senate, and I knew what you were capable of.  But I never fully expected that you’d occupy the Bidens’ heart, from Hunter, to Ashley, my sister, all of us.  All of us.”

The emotional remarks, which included Biden tearing up, underscored Biden’s long political career, serving as a Delaware senator for nearly four decades before his eight years as vice president, and spurred headlines that Biden was an “effective” veep who left behind a “legacy of hard work.” 

BIDEN DEBATE DEBACLE: 10 EYE-OPENING MEDIA RESPONSES, FROM MSNBC PANIC TO ‘THE VIEW’ CALLING FOR REPLACEMENT

Then-President Obama awards Vice President Joe Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a tribute to Biden at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 12, 2017. (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images))

Though an admitted “gaffe machine,” including describing Obama to a reporter as “the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy” ahead of the 2008 election, Biden did not face nearly the same wave of criticisms as he does today over his near-daily gaffes, as well as new concerns over his mental and physical health. 

BIDEN’S INNER CIRCLE SILENT AS PARTY REELS FOLLOWING ‘EMBARRASSING’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE

Videos from his vice presidency era show Biden speaking in the same confident tone he held throughout his Senate career, as well as footage showing him easily striding up Air Force Two’s stairs, making coherent quips while speaking to crowds and overall employing his “Scranton Joe” demeanor as a relaxed politico representing average Americans. 

Then-Vice President Joe Biden with his wife Dr. Jill Biden wave to the press upon their arrival at the Guatemalan air force base in Guatemala City on March 2, 2015. (Johan ORDONEZ / AFP)

“Man, yeah, it feels great. I’ve always loved to drive,” Biden told Jay Leno while driving his ’67 Corvette Stingray in a segment on “Jay Leno’s Garage” in 2016. “I shouldn’t say this on TV … I like speed.” The clip showed the then-VP doing a burnout with the car, which he said was a wedding gift from his dad, and bonding with Leno over their love of flashy and fast cars. 

Another video from Biden’s vice presidency showed him easily climbing up the steps of Air Force Two, delivering an optimistic 2012 DNC speech highlighting “America’s best days are ahead of us,” and his resolutely pro-America DNC speech in 2016 that was lauded as making “patriotism liberal again.”

MOST BIDEN RALLY APPEARANCES ARE SHORTER THAN A SITCOM, HELPING FUEL STAMINA CONCERNS

Vice President Joe Biden addresses the delegates from the podium during the third day of the 2016 Democratic National Nominating Convention in the Wells Fargo Arena. (Mark Reinstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

“We do not scare easily, we never bow, we never bend, we never break when confronted with crisis. No, we endure, we overcome and we always, always, always move forward,” he said of the United States’ strength at the 2016 DNC. “That’s why I can say, with absolute conviction, I am more optimistic about our chances today then when I was elected as a 29-year-old kid to the Senate.”

“We are America, second to none, and we own the finish line,” he said, impassioned. “Don’t forget it.”

OBAMA LEADING BIDEN OFF LA FUNDRAISER’S STAGE JUST LATEST EXAMPLE OF ALLIES DIRECTING PRESIDENT

Vice President Joe Biden pauses while speaking during day three of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012. (Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Outside of Biden’s official speeches supporting the Democratic Party and its allies, Biden, while vice president, was also seen on camera speaking coherently and relaxed to everyday Americans. 

“So here’s the deal, I’m coming for ice cream,” he said in a 2010 call, for example, to an ice cream parlor that benefited from the Recovery Act small business loan. 

OBAMA AGAIN STEPPING INTO ROLE AS JOE’S CLOSER AHEAD OF TRUMP V BIDEN REMATCH

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni directs President Biden during a G-7 event.  (Fox News/POOL)

Fast-forward to 2024, the White House and Biden campaign are near-daily staving off criticisms and concerns regarding the president’s miscues and gaffes during public events as speculation mounts surrounding the president’s health.

Those most recently include: former President Obama taking Biden’s wrist to seemingly lead him offstage at a fundraiser in Los Angeles in June; Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni directing Biden back to a gaggle of world leaders in Italy last month after he took a few steps away from the group to give a thumbs up to a parachutist; and viral video showing the president standing relatively motionless during a Juneteenth concert event at the White House. 

CELEBS SHOWER BIDEN WITH CAMPAIGN CASH, BUT COULD UNDERCUT ‘SCRANTON JOE’ IMAGE

President Obama, right, takes President Biden by the wrist at a fundraising event. (Christopher Gardner via Storyful)

The White House slammed such videos as “cheap fakes” promoted by the Trump campaign and its allies, birthing a new 2024 campaign buzzword that was soon mocked by conservatives on social media as the administration “gaslighting” Americans. Cheap fakes, under the White House’s definition, are understood as real videos that are cropped or edited in an allegedly deceptive manner. 

The Trump campaign last week demanded the White House and campaign apologize for the phrase and accusation, citing Biden’s Thursday debate performance as evidence that “everyone sees there’s NOTHING fake about Biden’s decline.”

BIDEN LOOKS TO CAPITALIZE ON STAR-STUDDED HOLLYWOOD FUNDRAISER AFTER TRUMP’S MASSIVE CASH HAUL IN BLUE STATE

President Biden during the first presidential debate with former President Trump in Atlanta on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Photographer: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Thursday’s debate was riddled with Biden tripping over his words, speaking in a far more subdued tenor than during his vice presidency, having a raspy and unsure voice and losing his train of thought at times. The debate unleashed panic among Democratic allies and members of the media, as they remarked his debate performance was a failure that added fuel to the fire surrounding concerns about Biden’s mental acuity and age. 

“My phone really never stopped buzzing throughout. And the universal reaction was somewhere approaching panic,” MSNBC’s Joy Reid, for example, said.

“The people who were texting with me were very concerned about President Biden seeming extremely feeble, seeming extremely weak,” she continued. “Joe Biden’s job was to reassure them tonight. His job was to calm his party, to make them feel that, ‘Yes, I can do this. I have four more years in me. I have the ability and the stamina and the strength to do four more’ … He did not do that. He did the opposite of that.”

Biden’s mental fitness has become a focal point this election season, with Trump routinely slamming the president for his garbled language in public remarks and repeated instances of Biden appearing confused while trying to find an exit off of a stage after public events. 

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In addition to his more recent gaffes and miscues, Biden has previously slipped while trying to board Air Force One, fell during the graduation ceremony at the United States Air Force Academy last year, declared “we can’t be trusted” during a speech in April, appeared to forget the name of terror group Hamas in February, capped off a gun control speech last year with by saying “God save the Queen, man,” and appeared to nap during a climate conference in 2021. 

Biden did come under scrutiny during his vice presidency for gaffes and questionable off-the-cuff remarks to reporters, but concerns regarding his mental acuity were not floated until he made his way into the 2020 presidential election, beginning with concerns over his age. 

When asked for comment regarding videos showing the president during his vice presidency compared to his presidency and debate, the Biden campaign pointed to the president’s long list of campaign events following the debate. 

“President Biden met with supporters at 3 separate events across two states until 2:30am after the debate. He then did 3 more campaign events the following day. Meanwhile, Donald Trump held just one campaign event with supporters late in the afternoon on Friday,” the campaign said. 

TRUMP’S ‘MODERN DAY SALEM WITCH TRIAL’ VERDICT SIGNALS ‘OPEN SEASON’ ON FORMER PRESIDENTS: EXPERTS

President Biden is helped up after falling during the graduation ceremony at the United States Air Force Academy, just north of Colorado Springs, in El Paso County, Colorado, on June 1, 2023. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)

Earlier this year, special counsel Robert Hur’s report investigating the president’s handling of classified documents after his departure as vice president under the Obama administration further compounded concern over the president’s mental acuity. 

Hur announced in February that he would not recommend criminal charges against Biden for possessing classified materials after his vice presidency, calling Biden “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

Again, the Biden administration and campaign faced more controversy over the president’s age and mental fitness when the Wall Street Journal published a bombshell report last month detailing interviews with roughly 45 lawmakers and administration officials on Biden’s mental state, which caused alarm that the oldest sitting president in U.S. history is showing his age in meetings.

The White House hit back that the story and anecdotes were examples of partisan politics working to deride the “savvy and effective” president.

TRUMP RESURRECTS BIDEN’S ‘DEVASTATING’ 1994 CRIME BILL AS HE COURTS BLACK DETROIT VOTERS: ‘SUPER PREDATORS’

President Biden takes a question from a reporter before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Jan. 30. (AP/Andrew Harnik)

Following Biden’s debate performance on Thursday, voters, critics, and doctors sounded off that Biden’s mental acuity is on a downward spiral that is on full display for the world. 

DOCTORS EXPRESS CONCERN ABOUT BIDEN’S APPARENT COGNITIVE ISSUES DURING DEBATE: ‘TROUBLING INDICATORS’

Jackson, who has been a vocal critic of Biden’s stretching back to the 2020 election, added in a comment to Fox Digital that Biden “sure as heck isn’t fit for the job moving forward.”

“I’ve gone to no lengths to hide my true opinions about Joe Biden and his policies that are wrecking our country. In tandem, I have consistently shared my concerns as a former doctor of three United States Presidents regarding his fitness for office. Joe Biden was never fit for the job, and he sure as heck isn’t fit for the job moving forward. It is absolutely crazy to think he could lead this country 4-year term as our President,” Jackson continued in his comments to Fox Digital. 

“Throughout the evening, Biden struggled to maintain a coherent narrative, often losing his train of thought mid-sentence, and providing vague, rambling and undecipherable answers to highly critical questions,” Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurosurgeon who specializes in cognitive function, previously told Fox News Digital.

“His difficulty in articulating clear, concise responses and his apparent disorientation during the debate were seen by many – including his own constituents – as very troubling indicators of his overall health and an obvious decline in his cognitive function,” Osborn said.

President Biden during a Juneteenth celebration at the White House. (Fox News/POOL)

While Dr. Marc Siegel, a clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, described Biden’s performance as “meandering,” noting that he ended sentences in different places than intended, and “often mixed up ‘trillions’ and ‘billions’ and ‘millions.’”

5 RECENT GAFFES BY PRESIDENT BIDEN

“The debate is, in a way, a psychiatric or cognitive stress test,” he previously told Fox News Digital. 

Critics on social media also compared Biden on Thursday to how America previously knew him as a vice presidential candidate and later a presidential candidate in 2019, echoing the sentiment that “the rapid decline is clear.” 

Biden’s 2012 vice presidential debate against Republican Mitt Romney’s running mate Paul Ryan was a success for the Obama-Biden ticket, with Politico declaring in a headline at the time that “Joltin’ Joe Biden wins the bout,” the Daily Beast reporting that Biden’s performance that year “Perfects Art of the Smirk” and the Guardian reported Biden flaunted an “alpha-male display.”  Other outlets hit back that Biden had a “laugh-filled” debate that was condescending at times, but no one floated concern the veep was losing his mental edge. 

BIDEN MOCKED AFTER ‘I’M IN THE 20TH CENTURY’ GAFFE: ‘FINALLY GOT SOMETHING RIGHT’

Vice President Joe Biden smiles during the vice presidential debate at Centre College on Oct. 11, 2012 in Danville, Kentucky. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“Stop talking about how you care about people,” Biden shot at Ryan during the debate as the two sparred during the 90-minute debate. “Show me something. Show me a policy. Show me a policy where you take responsibility.” 

BIDEN MOCKED FOR ADMITTING ‘WE CAN’T BE TRUSTED’ IN LATEST GAFFE: ‘AGREED, JOE’

Vice President Joe Biden, left, and Republican vice presidential candidate U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) participate in the vice presidential debate as moderator Martha Raddatz looks on at Centre College on Oct. 11, 2012 in Danville, Kentucky. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In 2024’s presidential debate, Biden was hard-pressed to deliver a similar zinger at Trump, with traditional allies of the Democratic Party arguing one of his strongest responses to Trump was when he charged, “You have the morals of an alley cat.” 

BIDEN ONCE RIPPED ‘ANTISEMITIC BILE’ BUT NOW FACES OWN ‘CHARLOTTESVILLE MOMENT’

Amid Biden falling over his words throughout the debate, Trump even flamed Biden for not understanding his argument when pressed about the immigration crisis. 

An Axios report explained that Americans were so shocked by President Biden’s debate performance because they are more used to seeing a more competent version of him. (Getty Images)

“What I’ve done since I’ve changed the law, what’s happened? I’ve changed it in a way that now you’re in a situation where there are 40% fewer people coming across the border illegally. That’s better than when he left office, and I’m going to continue to move until we get the total ban on… The total initiative relative to what we’re going to do with more border patrol and more asylum officers,” Biden said when asked about immigration during the debate. 

“I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence, I don’t think he knows what he said, either,” Trump shot back. 

Following the debate, Biden and his allies went on a media blitz defending the president. Biden also notably made a handful of campaign events in North Carolina, New Jersey and New York, where he vowed to fight harder to retain the White House. 

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“I didn’t have a great night, but I’m going to be fighting harder,” Biden told the several dozen people at a New Jersey fundraiser. 

“Research during the debate shows us converting more undecided voters than Trump did, in large part because of his conduct on Jan. 6,” he added. “People remember the bad things during his presidency.”

Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady, Melissa Rudy and Angelica Stabile contributed to this report. 

Democratic donors are torn about the future viability of President Biden’s presidential campaign, according to reports.

The president held a campaign call with top fundraising chairs and donors on Monday evening, during which his staff addressed the disastrous debate performance that sparked widespread anxiety about his mental capacity.

“It was good, honest assessment – no surprising questions nor surprising answers but it was good for them to do,” one participant in the call reportedly told ABC.

BIDEN’S CANDIDACY REMAINS UNDER THREAT AS TOP DEMOCRATIC DONORS GET COLD FEET

President Joe Biden looks up at the rain during his remarks during an event to promote American investments and jobs in the Rose Garden of the White House. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

“They can bring him to do 20 more speeches. He can’t recover from this,” another donor told ABC on condition of anonymity. 

Others were slightly more optimistic.

“Every time Joe Biden is counted out, he proves his doubters wrong. I have faith he’ll do it this time too,” longtime Biden donor Andrew Weinstein told CNN about the Monday night call.

Another donor reportedly told CNN that it was “troubling” to see Biden use a teleprompter while addressing a Hamptons fundraiser audience.

BIDEN MEETING WITH DEMOCRAT GOVERNORS WEDNESDAY AFTER DISASTROUS DEBATE PERFORMANCE

President Joe Biden reacts after speaking at a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

“Unless he shakes up the campaign and shows leadership, it’s going to be a really, really tough time with money,” said one Democrat, identified by The Washington Post as a top fundraiser. 

A Democratic representative in Texas became the first elected official in the party to explicitly call for Biden to end his reelection campaign.

“I represent the heart of a congressional district once represented by Lyndon Johnson. Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw. President Biden should do the same,” Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett said on Tuesday.

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Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, leaves the House democrats caucus meeting in the Capitol. ((Photo by Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images))

“I represent the heart of a congressional district once represented by Lyndon Johnson. Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw. President Biden should do the same,” Doggett said.

Plans are in the works for Biden to meet on Wednesday with the nation’s Democrat governors in the wake of his rough performance during last Thursday’s first debate with former President Donald Trump.

Multiple Democratic sources confirmed that the meeting, which is likely to be virtual, was in the process of being scheduled.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Special prosecutor Jack Smith suffered two major legal setbacks this week after the Supreme Court ruled against his efforts in two pending cases. 

On Monday, the high court ruled that presidents enjoy limited immunity for official presidential actions. On Friday, the high court ruled in favor of a Jan. 6 defendant charged with obstruction for his involvement in the 2021 Capitol riot.  

Both decisions significantly set back Smith’s case against former President Trump and add to an already checkered legal track record. 

Smith was appointed in 2022 by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee an investigation into whether Trump was involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and any alleged interference in the 2020 election result.

LEGAL EXPERTS SAY TRUMP IMMUNITY RULING LIKELY PUSHES ELECTION INTERFERENCE TRIAL BEYOND ELECTION DAY

Special counsel Jack Smith was tasked with investigating Trump. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Smith charged Trump with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights. 

He had pushed to try Trump before the 2024 election, but the Supreme Court’s decisions provided a setback to the trial schedule and a blow to the legal merits of the case.

“I think a big problem is that prosecutors in general often overcharge, partially because it puts a lot of pressure on defendants to accept a plea deal,” John Shu, a constitutional attorney who served in both Bush administrations, told Fox News Digital.
 
“Jack Smith long has had a reputation, both at (the Eastern District of New York) and main Justice, of being a hyper-aggressive prosecutor. What makes him unusual is that he seems willing to overstretch the meaning and intent of the law in order to meet his conviction and high sentencing goals.” 

CLARENCE THOMAS SWIPES AT SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S APPOINTMENT IN SCOTUS IMMUNITY CASE

American prosecutor Jack Smith presides during the presentation of Hashim Thaci, the former president of Kosovo, for the first time before a war crimes court in The Hague Nov. 9, 2020. (Jerry Lampen/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

From 2010 to 2015, Smith served under Obama’s Attorney General, Eric Holder, leading the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section.

Prior to the Supreme Court’s rulings in the Trump-related cases this term, Smith has incurred more than one high-profile loss. 

Most notably, in 2016, he scored a conviction against former Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell on corruption charges. But that conviction was unanimously overturned in an 8-0 ruling by the Supreme Court. 

“There is no doubt that this case is distasteful; it may be worse than that. But our concern is not with tawdry tales of Ferraris, Rolexes, and ball gowns. It is instead with the broader legal implications of the Government’s boundless interpretation of the federal bribery statute,” the court wrote. 

The court in that decision warned that the “uncontrolled power of criminal prosecutors is a threat to our separation of power.”

SPECIAL COUNSEL IN TRUMP CASE UNCONSTITUTIONAL, FORMER REAGAN AG SAYS

Special counsel Jack Smith delivers remarks on a recently unsealed indictment, including four felony counts, against former President Trump at the Justice Department Aug. 1, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

In 2012, Smith charged and prosecuted John Edwards, a former senator and Democratic vice presidential candidate, a prosecution Smith decisively lost. Jurors voted to acquit Edwards of several felony violations of federal campaign finance laws. 

In 2017, Smith prosecuted Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., on public corruption charges, which resulted in a mistrial. 

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Shu says Supreme Court precedent should have signaled to Smith “to avoid misusing its obstruction provision,” and that the high court’s ruling was “predictable.”
 
“However, practically — and politically — Smith’s strategy was understandable because DOJ charged hundreds of defendants under those obstruction provisions, including the Jan. 6 defendants,” Shu said. 

“Politically, Smith had to charge Trump with [obstruction] because all of those other Jan. 6 defendants also were charged, which underscores the toxic and damaging effects of injecting politics into criminal law prosecutions.” 

A representative for Smith did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

President Biden’s lackluster debate performance has turned the spotlight to Vice President Kamala Harris, who has started to show off a more visible campaign role as November approaches.

Harris suddenly figures to play a defining role in the campaign down the stretch, a turnaround for a vice president that many critics have panned as a potential liability for Democrats in November.

The negativity surrounding Harris even garnered calls for the vice president to step away from the campaign as recently as March, and one Washington Post column called on Harris to “step aside” for “the country’s sake.”

Now, some have speculated Harris could take over at the top of the ticket after Biden’s debate performance. The vice president’s visibility already started to increase before last week. 

BIDEN’S INNER CIRCLE SILENT AS PARTY REELS FOLLOWING ‘EMBARRASSING’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE

Vice President Kamala Harris says her cursing habit has gotten worse since she entered office.  (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Media outlets have taken notice, leading to an avalanche of positive press for the vice president in recent months. Harris was called “Biden’s secret weapon in North Carolina” in a report in The Hill, which noted the vice president made her fifth trip to the battleground state last month and has led the outreach to Black communities, a largely Democratic demographic Biden has struggled to court in his rematch with former President Trump.

“She’s one of the administration’s best spokespeople to the Black community,” Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons told The Hill. “The president has been making the case to the Black community as well, but obviously the VP has a different kind of appeal.” 

A February report in the Los Angeles Times declared that Harris had finally “found her groove,” citing the vice president’s appeal to younger voters and her voice on issues such as abortion.

“She’s become a top fundraiser for Democrats, an emissary to groups that are lukewarm toward President Biden — in particular Black and younger voters — and emerged as the administration’s most forceful voice on abortion, women’s health and, as Harris frames it, the threat Trump poses to freedom and individual choice,” the story said.

BIDEN DEBATE DEBACLE: 10 EYE-OPENING MEDIA RESPONSES, FROM MSNBC PANIC TO ‘THE VIEW’ CALLING FOR REPLACEMENT

A few months later, a New York Times report declared the “Harris moment has arrived,” calling her the “perfect messenger” for the campaign for issues such as “reproductive rights.”

Some polls have seemingly caught on to the vice president’s strengthening position, with a Politico/Morning Consult poll conducted last month finding the vice president gaining strength with key demographics, including a 67% favorable rating among Black voters.

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris stand onstage and wave to the crowd at a Reproductive Freedom Campaign Rally at George Mason University Jan. 23, 2024, in Manassas, Va. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The poll represented a turnaround for Harris, who had trailed Biden with Black voters going back to the 2020 primary. But she now leads the president in the crucial Democratic voting bloc by four points.

“She’s been good at energizing active bases that Democrats have really needed — young Black voters, Black women. These are constituencies that Democrats can never take for granted,” Democratic strategist Trip Yang told Politico.

BIDEN VOWS TO KEEP WHITE HOUSE, UNDETERRED BY DEMOCRATIC PANIC AFTER DEBATE DISASTER

Harris’ visibility has only increased since the debate performance, with the vice president serving as a defender of the president across multiple networks in the minutes after the debate. She has also been active on the campaign trail, making stops in Las Vegas, Utah, and Southern California in the days following the debate.

Vice President Kamala Harris has been traveling the country on her Economic Opportunity Tour. (Leigh Vogel/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

While many prominent Democrats have publicly backed Biden remaining the party’s nominee, there have been growing cries for Harris to take over at the top of the ticket. A New York Times opinion column the day after the debate declared that Harris “could win this election,” while a Vox Media column asked “what about Kamala?”

Former U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio became one of the first nationally prominent Democrats to publicly advocate for Harris to take over for Biden.

“We have to rip the band aid off!  Too much is at stake,” Ryan said in a post on X Tuesday, adding that Harris has “significantly grown into her job.”

“She will destroy Trump in debate, highlight choice issue, energize our base, bring back young voters and give us generational change,” said Ryan, who lost his 2022 Senate bid to Republican JD Vance. “It’s time!”

Former Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, says Biden should drop out of the presidential race.  (Tyler Olson/Fox News Digital)

Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett Tuesday became the first actively-serving Democrat on Capitol Hill to call on Biden to step aside from the presidential race. 

“Our overriding consideration must be who has the best hope of saving our democracy from an authoritarian takeover by a criminal and his gang,” he said in a statement. “Too much is at stake to risk a Trump victory – too great a risk to assume that what could not be turned around in a year, what was not turned around in the debate, can be turned around now.”

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Unlike Ryan, Doggett did not say whether he preferred Harris or another Democrat to replace Biden.

The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

President Biden’s weak first debate may not prove to be his ultimate undoing if history is a barometer. Incumbents often struggle to find their footing but, in the end, win re-election. 

“Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know,” Barack Obama wrote on social media platform X Friday. “But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself.”

Biden faced scathing criticism from the media and prompted reports of panic within his party after what many described as a disastrous faceoff with Trump. The pair stood even in the polls before the debate, but Trump gained a few points over the weekend after the debate. 

Biden appeared to struggle with his answers and stumbled with his words, prompting Trump at one point to say, “I have no idea what he just said.” Democratic governors have scheduled a meeting with Biden for later this week, and Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, on Tuesday became the first elected Democrat to urge Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race and allow a new candidate to face Trump. 

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Biden Campaign Chairwoman Jen O’Malley Dillon pointed to history to defend the president’s performance, telling NBC in an interview that “every incumbent president that I can remember in my lifetime has had a s—– first debate.”

“Obviously, the stakes are higher for us because we are up against Donald Trump,” she continued. “Obviously, we have more work to do because the president is 81, but it was also a terrible debate in 2012. I was there. I remember it clearly.” 

Dillon argued that June was early enough in the campaign cycle for Biden to correct course as several of his predecessors have managed to do. 

Former President Trump appeared to earn significant approval from Republican and independent voters who were part of a Fox News Digital focus group during his response to President Biden’s claims about immigration. (Fox News Digital)

Obama faced a baptism of fire following his first debate with Republican nominee Mitt Romney in 2012, waking up to see such headlines as “Why was President Obama so bad?” from the likes of the liberal-leaning Washington Post. 

Politico’s headline said, simply, “Obama stumbles” after the Oct. 3, 2012 debate in Denver, the first of three that saw Obama win his second term despite weaknesses the press had seized on from that first night. 

The Washington Post claimed the Obama seen on the debate stage in Denver “was virtually unrecognizable to the person who swept to victory in 2008.” Al Gore tried to defend the president by arguing he was possibly caught off guard by Denver’s unusually high altitude.

BIDEN MEETING WITH DEMOCRAT GOVERNORS WEDNESDAY AFTER DISASTROUS DEBATE PERFORMANCE

No one will forget how Ronald Reagan gave a limp performance in the Oct. 7, 1984, debate against Walter Mondale in Louisville. Reagan held a commanding lead in the polls despite concerns about his age. At the time, he was 73, the oldest person to ever hold the office of president. But the polls narrowed by seven points, reflecting the view that Mondale had trounced his opponent, according to Slate. 

Polling conducted after George W. Bush’s first debate against opponent John Kerry in 2004 found voters considered Kerry the winner by a two-to-one margin, and Pew Research found that while Bush overall maintained his lead, his margin “slipped” over the following weekend. 

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential candidate, left, and President Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, during a presidential debate at the University of Denver Oct. 3, 2012, in Denver, Colo.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In fact, Pew noted that, for the first time in its 16 years analyzing polls, a Democratic candidate made a better showing among likely voters than on the basis of all registered voters. The organization labeled the “high level of Democratic motivation to vote” as “surprising” as only half of Democratic voters seemed convinced Kerry would win the election. 

Many described Bush as “defensive” and “nervous” in his responses even though they also described Kerry as “arrogant” and, at times, “indecisive.” Those polled also found Bush to be “honest” compared to the more “confident” Kerry. 

Republican candidate Ronald Reagan, left, and Democrat Walter Mondale debate before the 1984 presidential election.  (Corbis via Getty Images)

In the case of Bush versus Kerry, Pew made clear the motivation of voters often can override perceived performance in a one-off debate. Bush’s supporters “overwhelmingly” wanted to vote for him rather than against Kerry while Kerry’s supporters were more interested in voting against Bush than for Kerry. 

Brett O’Donnell, a Republican communications strategist and president of O’Donnell & Associates, told Fox News Digital that sitting presidents can effectively get lost in the weeds on policy and major issues facing the country and “don’t take debate prep seriously.” 

HARRIS OUTPERFORMS BIDEN IN 2024 SHOWDOWN WITH TRUMP: POLL

“They deal with these issues in a very deep way, more so than they did as candidates, as president,” O’Donnell said. “So, I think they confuse knowing the issues with being able to perform in a presidential debate.

“I call it the incumbent trap, and it actually goes back further than that because Carter’s first debate with Reagan was a disaster. So, these guys — the incumbents — seem to … they forget the importance of performance as they need to know issues.”

O’Donnell argued that while he doesn’t like to ascribe an advantage to one side or the other, he believes Republicans have a “better message,” and that makes it easier to connect with Americans. 

President George W. Bush, right, speaks at the podium as U.S. Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate, smiles at their first debate at the University of Miami, in Coral Gables, Fla., Sept. 30, 2004.   (David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)

“It’s the message of the American Dream, where if you work hard, play by the rules, that there are opportunities in this country that you can take advantage of,” O’Donnell explained. “The Democrats’ answer to that has always been government, and I don’t think that’s a particularly effective message for the public at large.

“It might be for some segments of the audience, but it’s not generally for the American public. They want to believe in the American Dream, and Republicans have defended that for decades.” 

As O’Donnell noted, a few incumbents have failed to perform in their first debates and ultimately could not overcome their opponents, failing to win re-election, starting with President Carter. 

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Fox News Digital reached out to several Democratic strategists, but none replied before publication.

Judge Juan Merchan has delayed former President Trump’s sentencing in New York v. Trump until September, following requests from the presumptive Republican nominee to do so, and no opposition from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. 

Trump was found guilty in an unprecedented criminal trial last month on all counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, following a six-week trial stemming from Bragg’s investigation. 

BRAGG DOES ‘NOT OPPOSE’ TRUMP REQUEST TO DELAY SENTENCING; AWAITS JUDGE MERCHAN’S APPROVAL

Trump on Monday moved to overturn his criminal conviction in the Manhattan case after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a former president has substantial immunity for official acts committed while in office. He also requested to delay his sentencing, which was set for July 11 — just days before the Republican National Convention where he is set to be formally nominated the 2024 GOP presidential nominee. 

Former President Donald Trump and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (Getty Images)

Bragg, on Tuesday morning, said Trump’s request to toss the verdict was without merit, but did not oppose the request to delay sentencing. 

Merchan on Tuesday afternoon delayed Trump’s sentencing date to September 18 at 10:00 a.m. 

TRUMP IMMUNITY CASE: SUPREME COURT RULES EX-PRESIDENTS HAVE SUBSTANTIAL PROTECTION FROM PROSECUTION

“The July 11, 2024, sentencing date is therefore vacated. The Court’s decision will be rendered off-calendar on September 6, 2024, and the matter is adjourned to September 18, 2024, at 10:00 AM for the imposition of sentence, if such is still necessary, or other proceedings,” Merchan wrote in a letter to Trump attorneys and New York prosecutors. 

TRUMP MOVES TO OVERTURN MANHATTAN CASE AFTER SCOTUS IMMUNITY DECISION

Merchan’s decision comes after the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on presidential immunity — a question that stemmed from charges brought against Trump in a separate, federal case brought by special counsel Jack Smith related to the events of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol breach and any alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Judge Juan Merchan and former President Trump (AP)

But Trump’s attorneys swiftly acted in seeking to apply the new standard to the Manhattan case, too.

Fox News’ Maria Paronich contributed to this report. 

Less than a third of voters prefer President Biden to handle immigration amid a still-raging crisis at the southern border, significantly lower than the number who trust former President Trump on the critical election issue, according to a new poll released Tuesday.

The poll from CNN/SSRS comes after last week’s presidential debate and found overall that Trump leads Biden by six points, with three-quarters of voters saying Democrats would have a better shot at holding the presidency in 2024 with someone else at the top of the ticket.

But on the subject of immigration, voters were asked if they think Biden or Trump would better handle the issue if president. Just 28% of voters prefer Biden, while a significantly higher 50% prefer Trump, and 21% said “neither of them.”

TRUMP REPEATEDLY HAMMERS BIDEN ON BORDER CRISIS TURNING US INTO ‘RATS NEST’: ‘KILLING OUR PEOPLE’

Migrants arrive at a makeshift camp after crossing the nearby border with Mexico near the Jacumba Hot Springs on Feb. 23, 2024, in San Diego, California. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)

The polling also shows that immigration is a top issue for many voters, with it coming third on the list of priorities behind the economy and protecting democracy, and ahead of abortion, health care, climate change and foreign policy.

The poll was conducted via web and telephone between June 28-30, with a representative sample of 1,274 respondents. 

The poll comes after a tough debate for Biden, which has raised questions for some Democrats about whether he should step aside as nominee. But it was also a debate in which the border crisis, now in its fourth year, was brought up repeatedly.

“They’re killing our people in New York and California and every state in the union because we don’t have borders anymore. Every state is now a border,” Trump said. “And because of his ridiculous, insane and very stupid policies, people are coming in and they’re killing our citizens at a level that we’ve never seen.”

Republicans have blamed Biden-era policies for the crisis, while the administration has said it needs more funding and reform from Congress to fix a “broken” system. It has also pointed to a drop in numbers recently since Biden took executive action to limit some asylum claims.

BLUE STATE DEPLOYS OFFICIALS TO THE BORDER WITH SURPRISING WARNING FOR MIGRANTS

Biden pushed back, blaming Trump for obstructing bipartisan legislation and pointing to changes he had made from what he saw as cruel Trump-era policies.

“In addition to that, we found ourselves in a situation when [Trump] was president, he was separating babies from their mothers, put them in cages, making sure the families were separated. That’s not the right way to go. 

“What I’ve done since I’ve changed the law, it’s better than when he left office,” he said.

Fox News’ Remy Numa contributed to this report.

Plans are in the works for President Biden to meet on Wednesday with the nation’s Democrat governors in the wake of Biden’s rough performance during last Thursday’s first debate with former President Trump.

Multiple Democratic sources confirmed that the meeting, which is likely to be virtual, was in the process of being scheduled.

The encounter comes after Democrat governors on Monday huddled on a conference call.

Multiple Democrat sources confirmed to Fox News that Democrat governors yesterday held a call to discuss the latest developments regarding President Biden’s 2024 rematch with Trump.

BIDEN CAMPAIGN SPOTLIGHTS MASSIVE JUNE FUNDRAISING HAUL IN 2024 ELECTION REMATCH WITH TRUMP

President Biden and former President Trump debated on Thursday night. (Getty Images)

Biden, who at age 81 is the oldest president in the nation’s history, is facing the roughest stretch of his bid for a second term in the White House. This, after his halting delivery and stumbling answers at the debate, sparked widespread panic in the Democratic Party and spurred calls from political pundits, editorial writers and some party politicians and donors for Biden to step aside as the party’s 2024 standard-bearer.

BIDEN TRIES TO FLIP THE SCRIPT ON NEGATIVE NARRATIVE COMING OUT OF DISASTROUS DEBATE WITH TRUMP

Monday’s call was organized by Democratic Governors Association (DGA) Chair Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota 

Sources familiar with the call described it as a forum where the governors discussed how to respond to last week’s debate but that there was no serious talk of urging the president to step aside. One source characterized it as a “gripe session.”

Sources also told Fox News that the Biden campaign was aware of the call ahead of time.

President Biden is shown at a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, on June 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

“Democratic governors are some of the President and Vice President’s most proactive and vocal supporters because they’ve seen how the Biden-Harris Administration’s accomplishments are directly benefiting their residents. The Biden/Harris team is in constant communication with the governors and their teams, including about yesterday’s meeting,” a national Democratic official familiar with the call who asked for anonymity to speak more freely told Fox News.

TRUMP GETS A BUMP AGAINST BIDEN IN POST-DEBATE POLL

Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas on Tuesday became the first Democrat House or Senate member or governor to publicly call for Biden to step aside as the party’s standard-bearer.

A number of the governors, including some who’ve been speculated as potential replacements on the extreme long-shot chance that Biden would step away from his re-election bid, have acknowledged the president’s debate performance was shaky but remained committed to supporting the president.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to reporters after the debate between President Biden and former President Trump in Atlanta on June 27, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

One of those governors, Gavin Newsom of California, told reporters in the spin room after the debate on Thursday night that “I will never turn my back on President Biden, and I don’t know a Democrat in my party that would do so. And especially after tonight, we have his back.”

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And Newsom, who’s a top Biden campaign surrogate, said “none” when asked if he had any concerns about Biden’s fitness for office: “I have no trepidation.”

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

President Biden’s widely panned debate performance has sparked a firestorm of speculation on whether Democrats will switch horses midstream and select a new presidential nominee from a generally accepted list of candidates.

VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS

Harris, 59, would seemingly be the most logical fit, offering the smoothest transition given her position as vice president, and some calls for her to step in have already been issued.

“After deep reflection over these past few days, I strongly believe that our best path forward is Kamala Harris,” Tim Ryan, the former Democrat congressman and presidential candidate, wrote in Newsweek on Monday.

BIDEN’S CANDIDACY REMAINS UNDER THREAT AS TOP DEMOCRATIC DONORS GET COLD FEET

Potential Biden replacements are Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer and Pete Buttigieg. (Getty Images)

Many experts have raised concerns about the vice president’s approval rating as her poll numbers have plummeted since taking office. Earlier this year, polling showed Harris was viewed negatively by a combined 53% of registered voters and positively by a combined 28% of voters.

CALIFORNIA GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM

If Democrats were to make a move away from Biden, potentially at the Democratic National Convention in August, the most talked about successor in recent months has been California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Newsom, 56, has long been accused of running a “shadow campaign” for president over the past year as he has engaged in high-profile events, including trips to China and Israel, and a highly publicized Fox News debate with Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Newsom, who is headed to New Hampshire this week to headline a Democrat campaign event just days after Biden’s debate performance, has consistently denied any plans to step in for Biden.

DEBATE GIVES TRUMP A BUMP OVER BIDEN, ACCORDING TO NEW NATIONAL POLL

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to reporters after the presidential debate between President Biden and former President Trump in Atlanta on June 27, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

“I will never turn my back on President Biden,” Newsom said on Thursday after the debate. “I don’t know a Democrat in my party that would do so. And especially after tonight, we have his back.”

Newsom added, “I spent a lot of time with him. I know Joe Biden. I know what he’s accomplished in the last three and a half years. I know what he’s capable of. And I have no trepidations.”

MICHIGAN GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER

Whitmer, who won re-election in 2022 by a double-digit margin, has previously hinted at interest in a presidential run and has reportedly vaulted to the top of the list in terms of donor preference in recent weeks.

Online supporters have been pushing a “Draft Gretch” message, and Politico reported after the debate that Whitmer spoke with Democratic Party leadership and disavowed that movement while also warning that Michigan is no longer in play for Biden.

BIDEN DONORS ‘FREAKED OUT’ BY HIS RELIANCE ON TELEPROMPTERS AT PRIVATE FUNDRAISERS

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (AP Photo/Alex Brandon/File)

Whitmer later dismissed that reporting and reaffirmed her support for Biden.

“I am proud to support Joe Biden as our nominee and I am behind him 100 percent in the fight to defeat Donald Trump,” Whitmer said in a statement on Monday. “Not only do I believe Joe can win Michigan, I know he can because he’s got the receipts.”

TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY PETE BUTTIGIEG

Buttigieg burst onto the national scene in 2020 when he ran for president after serving eight years as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, inspiring the nickname “Mayor Pete.”

Speculation has continued to grow that he would be willing to step in if Biden were to drop out of the race, but lukewarm polling numbers and transportation issues across the United States could potentially harm a Buttigieg candidacy. 

“No, that’s easy,” Buttigieg said Friday when asked if he would support an effort to find a new nominee.

PENNSYLVANIA GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO

Shapiro, 51, is governor of perhaps the most critical swing state in the 2024 presidential election, and polling last year showed him with a 57% job approval rating against 23% who disapprove.

Shapiro took office in January 2023 after beating his Republican opponent by nearly 15 points.

“Popular governor of a critical swing state,” Allegheny County Republican Party Chair Sam DeMarco posted on X after the presidential debate. “If you don’t think he’s getting calls tonight, you’re deluding yourself.”

FAUCI SAYS BIDEN’S BID FOR 2ND TERM IS ‘AN INDIVIDUAL CHOICE,’ RECALLS ‘POSITIVE’ EXPERIENCE WITH PRESIDENT

Former President Trump (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital/File)

ILLINOIS GOV. J.B. PRITZKER

Pritzker, who was re-elected in 2022 by about 12 points, delivered a victory speech that many believed sounded like a politician who wants to run for president one day.

Pritzker said earlier this year that Democrats are “throwing away their votes” if they support anyone besides Biden.

Pritzker, 57, a billionaire equity investor and philanthropist, has been one of the most outspoken Democrats against former President Trump.

KENTUCKY GOV. ANDY BESHEAR

Beshear, from one of the most popular political families in Kentucky, won re-election in the deep-red state last year as a Democrat and has recently been rumored to be a top candidate to step in and replace Biden.

Beshear told reporters Monday that even though Biden’s recent debate performance was “rough,” he has no intention of sliding into presidential contention unless Biden bows out of the race.

“He is the candidate, and as long as he is, I’m supporting him,” Beshear said.

Trump has gone ahead of Biden in their 2024 election rematch in the aftermath of last week’s presidential debate, according to a new national poll conducted in the wake of Biden’s extremely rough performance.

The former president stands at 41% support and Biden at 38% among registered voters nationwide in a USA Today/Suffolk University survey conducted Friday through Sunday and released on Tuesday.

The Democrat incumbent in the White House and his Republican predecessor were tied at 37% in the previous USA Today/Suffolk University poll, which was conducted in May.

On Tuesday, the first elected Democrat in Congress called on Biden to step down.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas said in a statement that Biden should “make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw.”

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“My decision to make these strong reservations public is not done lightly nor does it in any way diminish my respect for all that President Biden has achieved,” Doggett said. “Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so.”

Biden campaign spokesperson Michael Tyler said there have been no internal conversations “whatsoever” about Biden stepping aside, though he, too, acknowledged the president had a “bad night” onstage.

Fox News Digital’s Jamie Joseph, Paul Steinhauser, Kyle Morris, Greg Wehner and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Biden’s son Hunter Biden has joined meetings with the president and close staff at the White House this week following a Biden family meeting at Camp David on Sunday.

Hunter Biden has joined the president in meetings with top aides, closely advising his father and popping into meetings and phone calls with the president, according to a report from NBC News, citing multiple White House sources.

The White House sources told NBC News that the president’s son’s sudden presence at meetings has caused confusion for some White House staff, with the reaction being, “What the hell is happening?”

HUNTER BIDEN HAS MAJOR CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AS TOP ADVISER TO THE MAN WHO COULD PARDON HIM

President Biden and his son, Hunter (Getty Images)

The report noted that while it is not unusual for Hunter Biden to be around the White House for events, his participation in meetings with top aides is not a common occurrence.

Fresh off a conviction last month in a federal court in Delaware over gun charges, Hunter Biden remains under indictment for tax-related felonies. Like the case in Delaware, the president’s son has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

Hunter Biden was also reported to be one of the biggest advocates for his father staying in the race during a gathering at Camp David in the aftermath of the president’s poor debate performance, with some critics arguing the president using his son as a top adviser has become a conflict of interest.

President Biden stands at his podium for the debate against former President Trump at CNNs studios in Atlanta on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Kevin D. Liles for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

EX-REP. CHARLIE RANGEL, 94, QUESTIONS WHETHER BIDEN BELONGS IN NURSING HOME, NOT WHITE HOUSE

“It’s just a pure and simple massive interest in his dad staying president so he can pardon not only Hunter, but Joe and the rest of the family for the crimes they committed, and probably Merrick Garland, too, for his role in the cover-up,” Mike Howell, the executive director of the Oversight Project at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital.

Meanwhile, White House spokesman Andrew Bates downplayed concerns over Hunter Biden’s sudden presence, telling NBC News that the president’s son “came back with the President from their family weekend at Camp David and went with the President straight into speech prep.”

 White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre similarly downplayed the concerns during a Tuesday news conference, telling reporters that the president “is very close to his family.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily briefing on Oct. 30, 2023. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

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“This is a holiday week, 4th of July,” she said. “He spent time with his family, as you all know, and reported at Camp David. Hunter came back with him and walked with him into that meeting, that prep, that speech prep.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Former President Trump’s campaign says it has out raised President Biden over the past three months and showcases that it has more cash-on-hand.

Trump’s campaign announced on Tuesday that it and the Republican National Committee hauled in a staggering $331 million during the April through June second quarter of 2024 fundraising, topping the massive $264 million raked in by the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee the past three months.

And the former president’s campaign spotlighted that it had $284.9 million in its coffers as of the end of June, compared to $240 million for Biden.

BIDEN MEETING WITH DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORS WEDNESDAY AS HE TRIES TO SHORE UP PARTY SUPPORT FOR 2024 CAMPAIGN

Former US President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Historic Greenbrier Farms in Chesapeake, Virginia, US, on Friday, June 28, 2024. (Parker Michels-Boyce/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

But Biden hauled in $127 million in June fundraising, topping the $111.8 million Trump raised last month.

“President Trump’s campaign fundraising operation is thriving day after day and month after month. Winning this quarter brought us a cash on hand advantage, which is punctuated by a Biden burn rate that grows while yielding no tangible results for them,” Trump co-campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles emphasized in a statement.

BIDEN TRIES TO FLIP THE SCRIPT ON NEGATIVE NARRATIVE COMING OUT OF DISASTROUS DEBATE WITH TRUMP

The Trump and Biden campaign cash reports were released as the president’s campaign tries to flip the script on the brutal narrative coming out of last week’s first debate.

Biden, who at age 81 is the oldest president in the nation’s history, is facing the roughest stretch of his bid for a second term in the White House. This, after his halting delivery and stumbling answers at the debate, sparked widespread panic in the Democratic Party and spurred calls from political pundits, editorial writers and some party elected officials and donors for Biden to step aside as the party’s 2024 standard-bearer.

President Biden and former President Trump debated on Thursday night.  (Getty Images)

A sizable chunk of Biden’s June’s haul was raked in at a star-studded fundraiser in Los Angeles with former President Obama, Hollywood heavyweights George Clooney and Julia Roberts, and late night TV talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. The campaign said after the event that it set a new Democratic Party fundraising record with a $30 million haul. 

The president also brought in over $8 million a few days later at a fundraiser at the Northern Virginia home of former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, where Biden was also joined by former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State and former Sen. Hillary Clinton, who was the Democrats’ 2016 standard-bearer.

NEW POLLS RAISE RED FLAGS FOR BIDEN 

But boosting the June fundraising to higher heights was the $33 million the campaign says was raised last Thursday through Saturday, the day of the first presidential debate and the following two days. And the Biden campaign showcased that their single best hour of fundraising this cycle came during the 11pm to midnight eastern hour on Thursday, immediately after the end of the debate with Trump in Atlanta, Georgia.

But boosting the June fundraising to higher heights was the $33 million the campaign says was raised last Thursday through Saturday, the day of the first presidential debate and the following two days. And the Biden campaign showcased that their single best hour of fundraising this cycle came during the 11pm to midnight eastern hour on Thursday, immediately after the end of the debate with Trump in Atlanta, Georgia.

President Joe Biden reacts after speaking at a campaign rally in Raleigh, N.C., Friday, June 28, 2024.  (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Biden and the DNC enjoyed a large fundraising lead over Trump and the Republican National Committee earlier this year. But Trump and the RNC topped Biden and the DNC in fundraising for the first time in April.

And in May, the Trump campaign and the RNC, fueled in part by a fundraising surge following the former president’s history-making guilty verdicts in his criminal trial, combined hauled in a stunning $141 million, easily besting Biden and the DNC.

Fundraising, along with public opinion polling, is a key metric used to measure the strength of a candidate and their campaign. Money raised can be used to build up grassroots outreach and get-out-the-vote operations, staffing, travel and ads, among other things.

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The Biden campaign has been using its funds to build up what appears to be a very formidable ground operation in the key battleground states and announced two weeks ago that they had hired their 1,000th staffer and had opened over 200 coordinated offices in the swing states. The Biden campaign enjoys a large organizational advantage over the Trump campaign when it comes to grassroots outreach and get-out-the-vote ground game efforts in the states that will likely decide the outcome of the election rematch.

“Team Biden-Harris grew its historic war chest while also significantly expanding its footprint and operations both in HQ and across the key states – the resources needed to win a close election,” the campaign highlighted in a release.

CHESAPEAKE, VIRGINIA – JUNE 28: Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump walks offstafe after giving remarks at a rally at Greenbrier Farms on June 28, 2024, in Chesapeake, Virginia.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

But the Trump campaign argues that Biden’s team has been wasting their money.

“Despite Biden spending nearly $120 million on tv, cable and radio alone, polling and voter enthusiasm continue to grow for President Trump. This fundraising momentum is likely to grow even more as we head into a world-class convention and see the Democrats continue their circular firing squad in the aftermath of Biden’s debate collapse,” LaCivita and Wiles argued in their statement.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

The Democratic Party and its allies are “coming to terms” with the fact that President Biden is “not in control” of his administration following the president’s disastrous debate performance, according to a congressman who served as a physician in the White House under three administrations.

Democrats are “now coming to terms with the reality that concerned Americans and I have shared for many years, which is that President Biden is not in control and he is not in charge. They are for the first time acknowledging that this is a grave concern for our national security and the integrity of our democracy,” Rep. Ronny Jackson told Fox News Digital this week. 

“I’ve gone to no lengths to hide my true opinions about Joe Biden and his policies that are wrecking our country. In tandem, I have consistently shared my concerns as a former doctor of three United States Presidents regarding his fitness for office. Joe Biden was never fit for the job, and he sure as heck isn’t fit for the job moving forward. It is absolutely crazy to think he could lead this country 4-year term as our President,” Jackson added. 

The Texas Republican previously served as physician to the president under both the Obama and Trump administrations, after previously serving in the White House Medical Unit in the George W. Bush administration. Jackson has been at the forefront of sounding the alarm on Biden’s mental acuity since he announced his candidacy for the White House in 2020. 

BIDEN STAFF ‘SCARED S—LESS’ OF HIM, SENIOR ADMIN OFFICIAL SAYS; WH HITS BACK

Texas GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson, a former White House physician, said Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report “validates” what he and many Americans have known all along – that President Biden has “serious issues.” (Getty Images)

Jackson’s comments come as former Homeland Security Secretary under the Obama administration, Jeh Johnson, said in an MSNBC interview this week hat he still supports Biden’s re-election campaign due to Biden’s cabinet members. 

“A presidency is more than just one man,” Johnson said on MSNBC on Tuesday. “I would take Joe Biden at his worst day at age 86 so long as he has people around him like Avril Haines, Samantha Power, Gina Raimondo supporting him, over Trump any day.” 

“I was in the White House when Joe Biden was VP, and the man we’ve seen since announcing his candidacy is not the same man who was VP for eight years.”

Concern over the president’s mental fitness and age is at a fever pitch this summer, following last Thursday’s debate performance where the president tripped over his words, lost his train of thought at times, delivered responses with a raspy voice, and was overall slammed for having a slow and weak demeanor while squaring up against former President Donald Trump. 

“We finally beat Medicare,” Biden said amid one his debate gaffes, with Trump responding that Biden is destroying the senior-focused health insurance program. 

Moments later, when Biden and Trump traded barbs over the immigration crisis, Trump slammed Biden for his rambling response.

EX-WHITE HOUSE DOCTOR RONNY JACKSON CALLS ON BIDEN TO TAKE DRUG TEST BEFORE TRUMP DEBATE

President Biden is seen at last week’s presidential debate. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either,” Trump shot back. 

Jackson continued in his comments to Fox News Digital that President Biden is “not the same man” that America knew during his tenure as former President Obama’s veep. 

“In 2020, I was criticizing candidate Joe Biden for his apparent lack of fitness for his first potential term,” he said. “I was in the White House when Joe Biden was VP, and the man we’ve seen since announcing his candidacy is not the same man who was VP for eight years.”

BIDEN FAMILY BLAME STAFF FOR DEBATE PERFORMANCE AS HE LAYS LOW AGAIN AT CAMP DAVID: REPORTS

“I’ve gone to no lengths to hide my true opinions about Joe Biden and his policies that are wrecking our country. In tandem, I have consistently shared my concerns as a former doctor of three United States Presidents regarding his fitness for office. Joe Biden was never fit for the job, and he sure as heck isn’t fit for the job moving forward. It is absolutely crazy to think he could lead this country 4-year term as our President.” 

The White House brushed off Jackson’s comments when approached by Fox News Digital, comparing Jackson to a doctor character from “The Simpsons.”

“We’ll put this in the same box where we keep the rest of Dr. Nick Riviera’s fan mail,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said. 

Voters have expressed concerns over Biden’s age and capability to serve a second term after the debate. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Following the debate, Jackson argued the Democratic Party made an about-face with its support of Biden. Left-wing media pundits were among the first to express concern over the debate performance, taking over the airways immediately after the debate ended, expressing shock over the president’s performance. 

‘NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE’: EX-WH DOCTOR RAISES ALARMS ON BIDEN’S MENTAL HEALTH AFTER BOMBSHELL REPORT

“I just want to speak from my heart,” CNN political commentator and former Obama adviser Van Jones said in an emotional response on Thursday evening. “I love that guy. That’s a good man. He loves his country. He‘s doing the best that he can, but he had a test to meet tonight to restore confidence of the country and of the base. And he failed to do that. And there‘s a lot of people who are going to want to see him consider taking a different course now.”

President Joe Biden (R) and Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump participate in the CNN Presidential Debate at the CNN Studios on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“We‘re still far from our convention, and there is time for this party to figure out a different way forward, if he will allow us to do that,” he continued. “But that was not what we needed from Joe Biden, and it’s personally painful for a lot of people. It‘s not just panic, it’s pain of what we saw tonight.” 

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a “First In The Nation” campaign rally at South Carolina State University on February 02, 2024 in Orangeburg, South Carolina. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Vice President Kamala Harris soon hit the news channels following the debate to defend the president’s performance, including having a testy exchange with CNN’s Anderson Cooper.

“Democratic lawmakers watching the debate were worried about the performance. One said it was a disaster and another called it a train wreck. Those are Democrats especially worried that Biden did not punch back on Trump‘s lies,” Cooper said. 

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD CALLS FOR BIDEN TO DROP OUT: HIS CANDIDACY IS A ‘RECKLESS GAMBLE’

Harris attempted to pivot to lambasting Trump as a liar, but Cooper cut her off. 

“All that may be true, but the President of the United States was not able to make that case to Donald Trump on the stage tonight,” Cooper said. “You debated against then-Vice President Biden four years ago, and he was a very different person on the stage four years ago when you debated him. That‘s certainly true, is it not?”

“The president appeared on Thursday night as the shadow of a great public servant.”

— The New York Times editorial board

DOCTORS EXPRESS CONCERN ABOUT BIDEN’S APPARENT COGNITIVE ISSUES DURING DEBATE: ‘TROUBLING INDICATORS’

Thursday’s late-night media analysis of the debate soon cascaded into legacy outlets, including the New York Times and Chicago Tribune, calling on Biden to devise an exit strategy and drop out of the race. 

The New York Times described a blunt assessment of Biden, saying, he “is not the man he was four years ago.”

“The president appeared on Thursday night as the shadow of a great public servant. He struggled to explain what he would accomplish in a second term. He struggled to respond to Mr. Trump’s provocations. He struggled to hold Mr. Trump accountable for his lies, his failures and his chilling plans. More than once, he struggled to make it to the end of a sentence,” the editorial board wrote. “Mr. Biden has been an admirable president. Under his leadership, the nation has prospered and begun to address a range of long-term challenges, and the wounds ripped open by Mr. Trump have begun to heal. But the greatest public service Mr. Biden can now perform is to announce that he will not continue to run for re-election.“

BIDEN’S ‘DISASTER’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE SPARKS MEDIA MELTDOWN, CALLS FOR HIM TO WITHDRAW FROM 2024 RACE

Jackson told Fox News Digital that ongoing inflation, the spiraling immigration crisis, and the “weaponization of our justice system” under the Biden administration is due to an “inner circle” at the White House making decisions as opposed to the president himself. 

Physician to U.S. President Donald Trump Dr. Ronny Jackson speaks during the daily White House press briefing at the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House January 16, 2018 in Washington, DC. Dr. Jackson discussed the details of President Trump’s physical check-up from last week.  (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“The past three and a half years have revealed what happens when you have a physically and mentally incapacitated President who is not making the decisions. Instead, his ‘inner circle,’ led by Jill Biden and radical progressive staffers in the administration, are pulling the strings and deciding the fate of our country. Sadly, they have put our country into a death spiral,” he said. “Americans have had to suffer through raging inflation, a wide-open border, unprecedented crime in the streets, and the weaponization of our justice system. Meanwhile, our Commander-in-Chief, who is responsible for the nuclear codes, shuffles around oblivious to everything around him.”

MEDIA FIGURES SHOCKED AT BIDEN’S ‘BAD’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE: ‘TOTAL AND COMPLETE DISASTER’ 

A White House official told the media that Biden had a cold during the debate, ostensibly in a bid to explain Biden’s performance and raspy voice. Jackson squelched that narrative, arguing Biden’s behavior Thursday was more of the same America has witnessed since 2020. 

“I don’t believe President Biden had a cold. For several years now, we’ve seen and heard the same Joe Biden we witnessed at the debate who speaks softly, slurs his speech, and appears confused. Unfortunately it was on full display during the debate and our adversaries, our allies, and the whole world watched in disbelief that this could possibly continue to be the leader of the free world,” he said. 

President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Amid left-wing media outrage over the debate performance and some Democratic politicians joining the media’s chorus calling for Biden to step aside, the president and his circle of allies have defended him remaining in the race. Biden hit the campaign trial following the debate, visiting North Carolina for an event last Friday, before traveling to the Northeast for fundraisers. 

BIDEN RIPPED FOR ‘OLD’ APPEARANCE, ‘WEAK’ VOICE DURING FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: ‘DEEPLY ALARMING’

“I didn’t have a great night, but I’m going to be fighting harder,” Biden told the several dozen people at a New Jersey fundraiser. 

“Research during the debate shows us converting more undecided voters than Trump did, in large part because of his conduct on Jan. 6,” he added. “People remember the bad things during his presidency.”

First lady Jill Biden has also been at the forefront of defending her husband remaining in the race. 

“[We] will not let those 90 minutes define the four years he’s been president. We will continue to fight,” Jill Biden told Vogue. The first lady is Vogue’s cover story for its August edition. 

“[President Biden] will always do what’s best for the country.”

“The contrast between Trump and Biden has never been clearer than after Thursday’s debate, and it’s time to turn a new page for America and provide real leadership both domestically and on the world stage.”

BIDEN DONORS BACK ‘PLAN B’, SAY ‘IT’S ARMAGEDDON’ AFTER DEBATE: REPORTS

Biden’s mental fitness has come under scrutiny for years, which was compounded in February when Special Counsel Robert Hur published his report investigating the president’s handling of classified documents after his departure as vice president under the Obama administration. 

The report stated Hur would not recommend criminal charges against Biden for possessing classified materials after his vice presidency, calling Biden “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

The Wall Street Journal also published a piece earlier this year based on dozens of interviews with lawmakers and administration officials who characterized Biden as losing his mental edge and showing his age in meetings. The White House slammed the article as a partisan hit piece. 

As calls ring out among members of the media and some Democrats for Biden to step aside, Fox News confirmed the Democratic National Committee is considering formally nominating Biden as early as mid-July. The Democratic Party is holding its convention towards the end of August in Chicago. 

Physician to the President Ronny Jackson gives a thumbs up after U.S. President Donald Trump leaves Walter Reed National Military Medical Center following his annual physical examination January 12, 2018 in Bethesda, Maryland. Trump will next travel to Florida to spend the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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“The contrast between Trump and Biden has never been clearer than after Thursday’s debate, and it’s time to turn a new page for America and provide real leadership both domestically and on the world stage. That day is just around the corner to officially retire Joe Biden and allow President Trump to Make America Great Again,” Jackson said. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington, D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. 

Here’s what’s happening…

– White House staffers are reported to be literally afraid of President Biden

– Congressional Democrats plot revenge on the Supreme Court

– How potential Biden replacements stack up against Trump

The call is coming from inside the House 

Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas became the first elected Democrat to call on President Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race, saying the president “failed” to defend his record and reassure voters that he’s the man for the job during last week’s debate.

Acknowledging Biden’s accomplishments for his party, Doggett said in a Tuesday statement that “many Americans have indicated dissatisfaction with their choices in this election.”

“President Biden has continued to run substantially behind Democratic senators in key states and in most polls has trailed Donald Trump. I had hoped that the debate would provide some momentum to change that. It did not. Instead of reassuring voters, the President failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments and expose Trump’s many lies,” the 77-year-old Democrat said ….Read more

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, said Tuesday he is hopeful Biden “will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw” from the 2024 race for the White House. (Getty Images)

White House

PSAKI CIRCLES BACK: Ex-Biden press secretary to meet with House GOP panel over Afghanistan withdrawal …Read more

‘ATTACK’ ON JUSTICE: Biden savages SCOTUS on immunity ruling after urging respect for justice system …Read more

GRILLING SEASON: White House takes questions on camera for first time since debate …Read more

‘SCARED S—LESS’: White House disputes a report that staffers are afraid of Biden …Read more

Capitol Hill

‘HIS DECISION’: Democratic congressman urges Biden to consider effect of debate on the party …Read more

‘DEMOCRACY’: Congressional Dems plot revenge for high court’s ruling in Trump case …Read more

Tales from the Campaign Trail

COURT JESTERS: Press defended Biden’s mental fitness before debate disaster …Read more

GET ‘CANDID’: Sen. Whitehouse says people ‘horrified’ with Biden’s debate performance …Read more

BATTING FOR BIDEN: How potential replacements on the Dem ticket stack up against Trump …Read more

TIME FOR KAMALA: Longtime Democrat urges Biden to step aside and allow VP Harris to take over as party’s 2024 nominee …Read more

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a “First In The Nation” campaign rally at South Carolina State University on February 02, 2024 in Orangeburg, South Carolina. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

‘IT’S ARMAGEDDON’: Biden donors rally around ‘Plan B’ after debate debacle …Read more

POLL POSITION: Debate gives Trump a boost over Biden, according to new national survey …Read more

‘MALAISE’ PART DEUX: NY GOP chair says Trump can win big blue prize …Read more

CASH DASH: Biden campaign spotlights massive June fundraising haul  …Read more

OUT OF TIME: Legal experts say Trump immunity ruling likely pushes election interference trial beyond Election Day …Read more

PARTY ELDERS: A look at recent progressive figures who refused to step down over age concerns …Read more

SUPREME IMPACT?: How the blockbuster Supreme Court presidential immunity ruling impacts the Biden-Trump 2024 rematch …Read more

Trials and Tribulations

SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER: Judge Merchant moves back Trump sentencing date …Read more

From left to right: Judge Juan Merchan, former President Donald Trump, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. (Getty Images, AP Images)

Across America

ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED: Jewish prosecutors raise alarm in America’s largest DA office …Read more

DOZENS RELEASED: 43 illegal immigrants accused of El Paso border stampede set free in US …Read more

POLITICALLY MOTIVATED?: EXCLUSIVE: Photos surface of election worker accused of theft hobnobbing with Dem politicians …Read more

Walter Ringfield (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)

WAIT AND SEE: Supreme Court declines to get in the middle of ongoing Illinois gun ban cases …Read more

‘BOOMING’: New report exposes eye-popping amount of money transgender surgery industry is raking in …Read more

DOUBLE STANDARD: Viral clip shows media pushing 25th Amendment on Trump over 600 times …Read more

BIG DECISION: 5 key lines from Supreme Court Trump immunity decision …Read more

Across the Pond

UK RUMBLE: These are the key contenders in the UK’s fast-approaching national election …Read more

NO LAUGHING MATTER: BBC host defends post calling for Trump assassination after SCOTUS ruling …Read more

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Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

While Gavin Newsom is being floated as a potential replacement should President Biden 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 tells 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 nationwide 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. 

“And he doesn’t seem to have captured the national party’s enthusiasm as anything more than a Biden surrogate,” Swaim added. “There’s this important strategic consideration for Democrats: Newsom brings nothing to a national ticket.”

NEWSOM TO HEADLINE DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN EVENT IN NEW HAMPSHIRE EVENT 

President Biden and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (Getty Images)

Regardless of which Democrat runs for president, California’s electoral votes will go to the Democrats, Swaim said, but if Democrats turned to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer or Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to top the presidential ticket, they could potentially win over their respective and very crucial swing states in November.

Last year, Newsom debated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hosted by Fox News’ Sean Hannity. The two governors particularly exchanged blows over their states’ different approaches to taxes and handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

However, in a debate with Trump, “he might persuade undecideds who don’t follow California politics that he’s worked miracles here.”

“And like Trump, he’s a clever debater, a counterpuncher who shifts any attack onto more hospitable terrain and then simply makes stuff up on the fly,” Swaim said. “That’s a real skill – diabolical but effective with low-information voters. You saw this in his televised debate with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis: in one instance, he accused DeSantis of lying California has the nation’s highest taxes. We all know the truth, and in May, Newsom admitted the truth and said the state has the highest taxes in the nation.”

LIBERAL COLUMNIST PRAISES ‘PATRIOTIC’ NEWSOM FOR ‘SHADOW CAMPAIGN,’ SLAMS DEMOCRATS FOR BACKING BIDEN

Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower, May 30, 2024 after being found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)

Nonetheless, all eyes are on his purported shadow campaign, despite Newsom’s fervent assertion that he supports the Biden-Harris ticket. 

“I will never turn my back on President Biden,” Newsom said on Thursday in a comment that appeared designed to dispel rumors that he’s running a shadow campaign. “I don’t know a Democrat in my party that would do so. And especially after tonight, we have his back.”

Newsom added: “I spent a lot of time with him. I know Joe Biden. I know what he’s accomplished in the last three and a half years. I know what he’s capable of. And I have no trepidations.”

DESANTIS VS NEWSOM FACE OFF ON ABORTION, TRANSGENDERISM, WOKENESS AND MORE

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to reporters after the debate between President Biden and former President Trump in Atlanta, Thursday, June 27, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Newsom is also headed to New Hampshire to headline a Democratic campaign event just days after the Biden-Trump presidential debate, fueling more speculation that he may be preparing to step in if Biden backs out of the 2024 race. 

The July 8 event, called the “Blue Summer Campaign Kick-Off,” is being spearheaded by the New Hampshire House and Senate Democrats.

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New Hampshire is a key swing state in the general election and Newsom, who is a top surrogate for Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign, will also be campaigning for the president and other Democrats up and down the ticket during his stop in the Granite State, according to sources familiar with his plans.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

After Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro became the latest name tossed into the nomination hat should President Biden step aside, Democrats in the president’s birthplace either remained silent or rallied around him. 

While Shapiro himself remained steadfastly behind Biden since the debate, conjecture of him as a potential 2028 contender gave way to Pennsylvania politicos suggesting he may be the man to replace the struggling incumbent.

Sam DeMarco, the GOP county chairman in Pittsburgh, reportedly said as the “popular governor of a critical swing state,” Shapiro is “getting calls tonight,” according to the Post-Gazette.

The paper also cited Tom Corbett – the state’s last Republican governor – as saying any Keystone State executive is automatically in the presidential conversation due to the commonwealth’s geography, electoral vote tranche, and swing-state status. Multiple other reports named Shapiro as a top potential replacement.

STATE DEMOCRATIC LEADERS RALLY BEHIND BIDEN AFTER PARTY CHAIR SUGGESTS GOP PULL TRUMP’S NOM

Sen. Fetterman, President Obama, Gov. Shapiro and President Biden join hands. (Mark Makela/Getty)

Shapiro’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but the governor said after the debate that Biden had a “bad night,” but Trump was a “bad president.”

“Stop worrying and start working,” Shapiro addressed Democrats while appearing on MSNBC. “We all have the responsibility here to do our part.”

While many of the prominent state Democrats Fox News Digital reached out to either did not respond or declined to provide comment, those who did largely sidestepped directly referencing Shapiro while lauding Biden.

State Sen. Sharif Street, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party’s chairman, said he will definitely continue to support Biden.

“[A]ny discussion about anyone else is premature at this point,” said Street, whose father, John Street, was a popular Philadelphia mayor.

NEW YORK RIPE FOR TRUMP’S TAKING, GOP CHAIR SAYS, CITING BIDEN’S ‘1980-CARTER’ MOMENT

“I have the utmost confidence that President Biden’s exemplary record of job creation, protecting a woman’s right to choose and respecting the rule of law will earn him a victory over a compulsive liar, narcissistic and convicted felon in Donald Trump,” he said.

In Pennsylvania’s most “swing” congressional district this cycle, Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., also backed Biden, while questioning Republicans who remain behind Trump.

“Yeah, well look, I’ve been clear who I’m supporting in this race,” Deluzio said. “And as much as it was a tough night, I think I also heard Donald Trump lie probably 30 times. I heard him say he won’t commit to respecting the election results.”

Deluzio said Trump remains a “significant threat to our freedom [and] democracy,” and asked whether his GOP opponent, state Rep. Rob Mercuri, would conversely stand by his 2020 Trump endorsement amid the Shapiro rumblings.

Fox News Digital also reached out to the Democratic mayors of Pennsylvania’s five largest cities: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Reading and Erie.

Four of the officials did not respond, while a representative for Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk said he could not immediately comment due to first lady Jill Biden’s visit downtown.

However, Tuerk previously reacted to Biden’s debate performance by saying the president “stands firm to protect our democracy” while Trump would “sell out our core values for a round of golf with Putin.”

While Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace could not be reached for comment, she recently spoke at a Women For Biden event and warned attendees to remember the dread they felt when Trump was elected in 2016 and be sure to vote for Biden.

OLBERMANN LEADS LIBERAL MELTDOWN AGAINST CNN CALLING TO ‘BURN IT DOWN’ AFTER BIDEN’S DEBATE PERFORMANCE

“Do not think [that feeling] can’t be any worse, because it can.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to Sens. Bob Casey Jr. and John Fetterman, as well as several other federal and state House Democrats from Pennsylvania. Representatives for major-county Democratic parties, including Philadelphia, Allegheny and Montgomery, also did not provide comment.

Casey, whom Biden has long favored, referencing him as a fellow son of Scranton, broke his silence since the debate for the first time Tuesday in remarks to reporters in his hometown.

Biden had a “bad night, but I think people know what’s at stake,” Casey said. “I know [Biden’s] work. I also know that the American people and the people of Pennsylvania are going to focus on these races…”

Shapiro’s 2022 GOP gubernatorial opponent, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, conversely said the governor has “obviously been running for president ever since he’s been in politics [by] getting just enough done” and avoiding major controversy.

The Gettysburg lawmaker claimed the governor avoided debate on “real issues” during their campaign. He therefore predicted if Biden is no longer the nominee, Shapiro is “not going to have that luxury… should the mantle fall to him, and we’ll see him for the fraud that he is.”

The Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling Monday in Trump v. United States, concluding that a president has substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts committed while in office, but not for unofficial acts.  

The decision clarifies whether a former president can be criminally charged by prosecutors for acts committed while in office. Former President Trump brought the question before the court after Special Counsel Jack Smith accused him of various crimes related to Trump’s attempt to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election.  

Smith has charged Trump following a months-long investigation into whether the former president was involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and interfered in the 2020 election result. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and argued he should be immune from prosecution from official acts done as president of the U.S.  

Here are 5 key lines from the ruling:  

Former President Trump participates in the first presidential debate at CNN Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Chief Justice John Roberts says ‘The president enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts’  

In a 6-3 decision in the case, the high court sent the matter back down to a lower court, as the justices did not apply the ruling to whether or not former President Trump is immune from prosecution regarding actions related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.  

TRUMP IMMUNITY CASE: SUPREME COURT RULES EX-PRESIDENTS HAVE SUBSANTIAL PROTECTION FROM PROSECUTION 

Roberts, writing for the majority, said “The President enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts, and not everything the President does is official.   

“The President is not above the law,” Roberts continued. “But Congress may not criminalize the President’s conduct in carrying out the responsibilities of the Executive Branch under the Constitution. And the system of separated powers designed by the Framers has always demanded an energetic, independent Executive.  

“The President therefore may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, and he is entitled, at a minimum, to a presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts,” he added. “That immunity applies equally to all occupants of the Oval Office, regardless of politics, policy, or party.”  

Justice Sonia Sotomayor argues the ‘president is now a king above the law’  

Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, wrote in a dissenting opinion that “in every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law.” 

“Let the President violate the law, let him exploit the trappings of his office for personal gain, let him use his official power for evil ends. Because if he knew that he may one day face liability for breaking the law, he might not be as bold and fearless as we would like him to be,” she wrote. “That is the majority’s message today.   

“Even if these nightmare scenarios never play out, and I pray they never do, the damage has been done,” Sotomayor added. “The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably.” 

The Supreme Court Justices posing for an official photo at the Supreme Court. (OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)

Roberts responds to dissenting opinions, says president is ‘unlike anyone else’ 

Roberts responded to the liberal justices: “Coming up short on reasoning, the dissents repeatedly level variations of the accusation that the Court has rendered the President ‘above the law.’” 

“Like everyone else, the President is subject to prosecution in his unofficial capacity. But unlike anyone else, the President is a branch of government, and the Constitution vests in him sweeping powers and duties. Accounting for that reality — and ensuring that the President may exercise those powers forcefully, as the Framers anticipated he would — does not place him above the law; it preserves the basic structure of the Constitution from which that law derives.” 

BIDEN SLAMS SCOTUS PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY RULING, IGNORES QUESTIONS ABOUT DROPPING OUT 

“The dissents’ positions in the end boil down to ignoring the Constitution’s separation of powers and the Court’s precedent and instead fear mongering on the basis of extreme hypotheticals about a future where the President “feels empowered to violate federal criminal law,” he wrote. 

Justice Clarence Thomas says ‘president’s immunity from prosecution for his official acts is the law’  

Thomas, who was among the majority, wrote in the decision that “in this case, there has been much discussion about ensuring that a President ‘is not above the law.’  

“But, as the Court explains, the President’s immunity from prosecution for his official acts is the law,” he continued. “The Constitution provides for ‘an energetic executive,’ because such an Executive is ‘essential to… the security of liberty.’”  

President Biden slammed the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity in Trump v. United States, saying it means there are virtually no limits on what a president can do, in an address Monday evening. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

“Respecting the protections that the Constitution provides for the Office of the Presidency secures liberty. In that same vein, the Constitution also secures liberty by separating the powers to create and fill offices,” Thomas also said. “And, there are serious questions whether the Attorney General has violated that structure by creating an office of the Special Counsel that has not been established by law.”  

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson says majority is ‘discarding of a model of accountability for criminal acts’ 

In her dissenting opinion, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote that she “simply cannot abide the majority’s senseless discarding of a model of accountability for criminal acts that treats every citizen of this country as being equally subject to the law — as the Rule of Law requires.   

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“That core principle has long prevented our Nation from devolving into despotism. Yet the Court now opts to let down the guardrails of the law for one extremely powerful category of citizen: any future President who has the will to flout Congress’s established boundaries,” she added.  

Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.