NationalWatch

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. 

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, became the first House Democrat to call on President Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race, saying “too much is at stake.”

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,” Doggett said.

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) speaks during a news conference on Medicare Advantage plans in front of the U.S. Capitol on July 25, 2023 in Washington, DC. Joined by Medicare advocates, Congressional Democrats held a news conference “to call for action to stop wrongful delays and denials in private Medicare Advantage plans, to end to fraudulent overpayments, and to mandate accountability for the worst actors who hurt patients.” (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
(Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“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 continued. “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.”

“President Biden saved our democracy by delivering us from Trump in 2020. He must not deliver us to Trump in 2024,” he added.

“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,” the Texas lawmaker said. “While much of his work has been transformational, he pledged to be transitional.”

Doggett claimed Biden “has the opportunity to encourage a new generation of leaders from whom a nominee can be chosen to unite our country through an open, democratic process.”

“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. 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,” he concluded.

This is a developing story.

Democratic lawmakers are already calling for congressional action to respond to the Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity, arguing that the decision is a blow for democracy while empowering former President Trump.

But the forceful outcry is a stark contrast to Democrats mostly downplaying concerns regarding President Biden’s chances of beating Trump in November.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has threatened to introduce articles of impeachment against the Supreme Court’s conservative justices when Congress is back in session next week.

“The Supreme Court has become consumed by a corruption crisis beyond its control. Today’s ruling represents an assault on American democracy. It is up to Congress to defend our nation from this authoritarian capture,” Ocasio-Cortez said on X, formerly Twitter.

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

Former President Trump and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Reuters/Brian Snyder | Reuters/Sarah Silbiger)

Another Democrat, Rep. Joe Morelle, of New York, said he would introduce a resolution to reverse the Supreme Court’s decision.

He wrote on X after the ruling came out: “The conservative, extremist majority on the Supreme Court has decided former President Trump is above the law. Today’s decision further erodes the public’s confidence in our institutions and poses as great a threat to our democracy as the former president’s behavior.”

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Trump’s classified documents case that presidents do have immunity for official acts while in the White House, and that those acts cannot be used as evidence against them in a trial. However, it also ruled that not all of a president’s actions are official, and left it to a lower court to decide which of Trump’s actions constitute which.

Democrats argued that it gave Trump a vast legal shield over matters he should be prosecuted for. It also almost guaranteed that the ex-president will not have a federal trial in his classified documents case before November.

SOURCES CLOSE TO BIDEN REPORT ‘MARKED INCIDENCE OF COGNITIVE DECLINE’ IN LAST 6 MONTHS: BERNSTEIN

Former President Trump and President Biden debate at CNN’s studios in Atlanta on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

It prompted Sens. Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., to renew their calls to expand the Supreme Court.

But to stand any chance of doing so, Democrats would need to win commanding victories in the House, Senate and White House – and several polls since Thursday night’s debate show Biden’s appeal slipping among general election voters.

Discussions surrounding Biden’s viability as a candidate have swirled in the media and among pundits on the left after the 81-year-old president’s poor performance in his debate against Trump last Thursday. 

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

Elected Democratic officials have largely defended Biden since then, however, arguing he’s still the best candidate to beat the ex-president in November – while others have stayed silent. 

A new CBS News and YouGov poll released over the weekend showed nearly three-quarters of Democratic voters believe Biden does not have the cognitive health to serve as president. 

A USA Today/Suffolk University poll released Monday shows Trump leading Biden 41% to 38% among nationwide voters.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren speaks during an interview on Capitol Hill on July 12, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

But the aforementioned Democratic lawmakers did not respond to queries from Fox News Digital about whether they were concerned Biden’s performance in the debate would enable Trump, who they view as a threat to democracy, to win in November.

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Morelle said earlier this week that he “wouldn’t write Joe Biden off because of one bad performance,” according to local outlet WXXI.

He indicated, as others have, that Biden himself should decide his own viability. “I think he has to make a decision, his family and his inner circle about whether they think he feels he can still fulfill his obligations.” Morelle said.

Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez, who has publicly broken with Biden on certain issues in the past, appeared on video days after the debate urging Latin American voters watching the Copa America soccer tournament to support Biden.

EXCLUSIVE – A temporary election worker charged in connection to two security-related thefts that happened just a day apart last month at the Arizona Senate Building and the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center was seen smiling with several Democratic politicians in resurfaced social media posts viewed by Fox News Digital, and participated in Democrat primaries in Arizona during at least two past cycles. 

Walter Alphonso Jamel Ringfield Jr., 27, of Phoenix, is facing multiple charges, including theft, criminal damage, trespassing and burglary, as Maricopa County Sheriff Russ Skinner said last week that investigators were combing through “a lot of digital evidence,” including Ringfield’s past social media activity, and vowed to “leave no stone unturned” when determining whether the crimes were politically motivated.

Although authorities have not provided an update on their investigation since then, screenshots viewed by Fox News Digital show Ringfield posed in several photos he shared on social media in 2020, 2021 and 2022 with Democratic politicians, including U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.; Tempe, Arizona, Mayor Corey Woods; and then-Tempe police chief Jeffrey Glover, who was later appointed by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs as director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety in 2023. Arizona DPS is the agency that accused Ringfield of stealing from a security guard’s desk in the state Senate building last month.

ARIZONA ELECTION WORKER SEEN STEALING FROM SENATE SECURITY DESK DAY BEFORE ELECTION CENTER THEFT: OFFICIALS

In one post, Ringfield described the politicians as “some of my friends.” 

The photos shared on Instagram showed a smiling Ringfield also sharing his experience meeting Jevin Hodge, a former Democratic state representative who resigned earlier this year amid sexual assault allegations, the former Democratic mayor of Tempe, Neil Giuliano, and Berdetta Hodge, a member of the Tempe City Council whose position is nonpartisan. 

“A leftist activist, with a history of run-ins with the law, allegedly stole the key to illegally access the machine that counts votes from Maricopa’s election system,” RNC Election Integrity communications director Claire Zunk said in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital. “Democrats at best have turned a blind eye while insisting the election is secure. At worst, was this a planned threat in a long line of extreme election interference by Democrats? What was the motive, one month before the primary? Arizonans must have proof their ballots are safe and Americans a system where these threats are not tolerated.” 

Ringfield was arrested outside his Phoenix home on June 21. Just a day earlier, he was seen on security footage walking past a desk with multiple tabulators and pocketing a security fob and lanyard, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. Ringfield was confronted by his employer, and detectives who served a search warrant at his home recovered the security fob from a dresser in the master bedroom. 

Walter Ringfield was seen on security footage pocketing a security fob at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center on June 20, 2024. (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)

At a press conference held the next week, Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates admitted Ringfield was in a felony diversion program, information he said did not surface in a background check conducted before Ringfield was hired as a temporary election worker in Maricopa County. 

Court records show Ringfield was in the program following a September 2023 arrest for allegedly pocketing $1,800 in cash over the course of a shift working as a cashier at a Phoenix grocery store. 

In total, Ringfield has had four criminal filings against him for unspecified offenses, including one felony and one traffic infraction. That includes in 2019 when he had a forcible entry/detainer filed against him. Court documents also list a prior arrest for disorderly conduct and fighting. 

In response to Ringfield’s arrest late last month, the RNC and the Arizona GOP dispatched attorneys and observers on the ground in Maricopa County “as part of our election integrity program to gather information and promote transparency as the situation developed,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said in a June 25 statement. “The RNC and AZGOP have a long history of engaging in Maricopa County election issues both in the field and in the courtroom, and yesterday’s events are an example of our election integrity program’s capacity to provide real-time legal response when issues arise at tabulation centers.”

Under the handle @alphonsosundevil on Instagram, Ringfield shared a selfie with Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., on Sept. 9, 2022. (Fox News Digital )

“This incident raises serious questions about election security in Arizona that must be answered – we will be constructively engaged with Maricopa County officials to ensure that the remedies to this security breach sufficiently address our concerns,” Whatley added at the time. 

ARIZONA ELECTION WORKER ACCUSED OF STEALING SECURITY DEVICE WAS HIRED DESPITE FELONY THEFT ARREST MONTHS PRIOR

Two days after the press conference, the Arizona Department of Public Safety revealed that Ringfield had been tied to another theft from the Arizona State Senate Building. 

Troopers reviewed security footage that showed a suspect, later identified as Ringfield, entering a restricted area of the building and removing numerous items from a security staff member’s desk on June 19, the day before the theft at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center. State police said the stolen items included challenge coins and other desk accessories. 

Under the handle @alphonsosundevil on Instagram, Ringfield shared a selfie with Kelly on Sept. 9, 2022, according to a screenshot viewed by Fox News Digital. 

In a Jan. 17, 2022, Instagram post, Walter Ringfield carries a sign with Martin Luther King Jr.’s image that reads, “The dream lives on… Voting rights now.” (Fox News Digital)

The caption said, “I met 2 current amazing and inspiring US Senators today,” tagging Kelly and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who was not pictured in the post. 

In another photo shared on Jan. 17, 2022, Ringfield, wearing a mask with other volunteers, is seen carrying a blue sign with Martin Luther King Jr.’s image that reads, “The dream lives on… Voting rights now.” 

The caption said he was blessed to have walked in the MLK parade and thanked Berdetta Hodge, also the former president of the Tempe Union High School District governing board, adding: “It’s an honor and a privilege interning for you this semester.” 

On Dec. 18, 2021, Ringfield shared a photo smiling with a group of politicians, according to a screenshot viewed by Fox News Digital. The account “@alphonsosundevil” is now private. 

“With a smile on my face, it’s time to introduce some of my friends,” Ringfield wrote then. 

Walter Ringfield seen in a Dec. 18, 2021, Instagram post with Tempe, Arizona, Mayor Corey Woods; then-Tempe police chief Jeffrey Glover; Jevin Hodge, a former Democratic state representative; the former Democratic mayor of Tempe, Neil Giuliano; and Berdetta Hodge, a member of the Tempe City Council. (Fox News Digital)

ARIZONA ELECTION WORKER ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY STEALING SECURITY DEVICE FROM BALLOT TABULATION CENTER

Ringfield is seen at the end next to a cheerful lineup of Woods, Glover, then-state Rep. Jevin Hodge, Giuliano, and Bordetta Hodge. 

Ringfield wrote that it was his second time meeting Woods, the first time being the night when he became mayor-elect, and the caption described Woods as “the first Black mayor of tempe.” The caption praised Glover as “Tempe’s first black police chief.” Ringfield said he was “honored to be interning” for Jevin Hodge next semester, adding: “Happy birthday to my friend.”

For Giuliano, the caption said he is “6-0 in political campaigns” and “has met every president except 1 since he has been in the political realm.” 

“He’s so awesome,” Ringfield wrote. “It was a blessing to be in the presence of good friends.” 

On March 10, 2020, Walter Ringfield shared a photo with Tempe, Arizona, Mayor-elect Corey Woods to Instagram. (Fox News Digital )

On March 10, 2020, Ringfield shared a photo with his thumb up smiling next to Wood at another event, according to another screenshot. 

“With a brief moment I learned a lot from Tempe’s first black mayor,” Ringfield wrote, congratulating Woods. “I’m looking for a role model.”  

Other screenshots of his social media activity showed Ringfield supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and asking followers whether they were pro-choice or pro-life on abortion. 

On TRUTH Social, former President Trump’s social media platform, Ringfield appears to have posted from a different handle, @imjustheresoiwontbefined.” 

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A screenshot of his cover photo shows Ringfield again smiling with a group of people, including Democrat Jevin Hodge. 

Voting data showed Ringfield voted in the Democratic primaries in 2022 and 2020 in Arizona. 

He made two donations of just $5 each to ActBlue, the leading fundraising platform for Democratic campaigns and groups nationwide, in 2022, according to data from the Federal Election Commission. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Kelly, Klobuchar, Woods, Glover, Giuliano and Jevin and Berdetta Hodge for comment, as well as the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, but did not immediately hear back. 

With growing calls from some Democrats for President Biden to step aside in favor of a different presidential candidate in the wake of his presidential debate performance last week, it has raised the possibility of a President Kamala Harris – raising questions about how she would handle the ongoing border crisis.

Many Democrats and liberal media figures were left shaken by President Biden’s performance at last week’s debate, during which he stumbled over his words and sounded tired. It has fueled discussion about whether he should step down in favor of another candidate. Should he resign as president, Harris as vice president would be the automatic successor. If he were to finish his term, but did not wish to serve a second, then the DNC would elect a new nominee for the presidential election. Harris would likely be one of the top candidates in that scenario.

Whoever took over from Biden would immediately be thrust into the role of dealing with the ongoing crisis at the southern border, which has seen a record number of encounters since Biden took office. Numbers have dropped in recent months, but it is unclear to what extent that will continue over the typically busy summer months. 

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

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

Vice President Harris would in many ways be a voice of continuity for the current practices of what officials call the Biden-Harris administration. Like President Biden, she has supported the rolling back of Trump-era border policies and has called for a sweeping immigration bill that the administration introduced on day one. That bill not only includes significant reforms and funding measures, but would also provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants already in the U.S.

“Our immigration system has been broken for decades. That is why President Biden and I have spent the last three years putting forward solutions to fix it and address the root causes of migration,” she said in a statement in February.

Similarly, Harris has backed the bipartisan Senate package which Biden has also supported but has failed to pass the Senate. Like Biden, she has also blamed the failure of that bill to pass the chamber on former President Donald Trump.

“Then, of course, we know that there was bipartisan work that happened, including involving some of the most conservative members of the United States Senate.  A deal was reached, and they got a call from Donald Trump, who said, ‘Don’t put it for a vote.’ Because Donald Trump would prefer to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem,” she said last month.

Harris has also taken the lead on some policy matters. She was tasked in 2021 with leading with leading the diplomatic outreach to tackle the “root causes” of migration in the Northern Triangle countries.

The administration had leaned firmly into the root-causes narrative in early 2021, claiming that those causes – which include climate change, violence, poverty and economic insecurity – were driving migration to the U.S. border. Its answer, therefore, was to engage with governments and to invest in targeting those causes, eventually bringing migration down. 

TRUMP MAKES CASE FOR RETURN TO ‘REMAIN IN MEXICO’ TO SOLVE HISTORIC BORDER CRISIS 

June 6, 2024: Migrants line up at the southern border in San Diego. (Fox News)

The assignment quickly led to Harris being dubbed the “border czar” – a title the White House rejected, stressing instead that it was more to do with international engagement. She would go on to visit the border in El Paso in June 2021 after facing pressure to do so.

In that mission, she has seen some success. The project to rally private-sector investment to the region via a call to action has seen more than $5.2 billion committed since May 2021 from over 50 companies and organizations.  Additionally, while it is unclear the extent to which investment has played a role, the numbers of encounters from those three countries has fallen from over 700,000 in FY 21 to over 330,000 so far as of May, with four months left to go.

Harris’ 2019 presidential campaign suggests that, should she become president, she may attempt a more aggressive use of executive action when it comes to granting protection to some illegal immigrants. 

In her campaign platform, Harris promised to expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) by executive order – which gives protection to illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as minors. She said she would eliminate age requirements on applications, and use parole authority to create a “parole in place” program to put those illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship. Her campaign estimated that the executive actions would result in more than 2 million “Dreamers” being given a pathway to citizenship.

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Also by executive order, she promised to shield illegal immigrant parents of American citizens and green card holders from deportation. Overall her plan was predicted to protect over 6 million illegal immigrants from deportation.

The parole in place authority was recently used by President Biden to protect some spouses of American citizens from deportation. In a statement on that action, Harris said it was something she supported — but added that more, including a citizenship pathway for illegal immigrants, still needed to be accomplished.

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“While today’s actions are a significant step forward, there is more work to be done to fix our broken immigration system. That includes the need for a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. President Biden and I continue to call on the United States Congress to join us in acting by passing permanent protections for Dreamers,” she said.

Donors supporting President Biden’s re-election bid reportedly are now backing a “Plan B” and are describing the situation as “Armageddon” following the 81-year-old’s widely panned debate performance against former President Trump last week. 

The development comes as Biden’s campaign announced that it has raised $264 million over the last three months, including at least $27 million since last Thursday’s debate. But behind the scenes, donors are spooked over the way Biden handled himself onstage, reports say. 

“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. 

The source added that “it’s Armageddon” now among Biden donors and “people have got to see changes.” 

DEMOCRAT DONORS PRESS CAMPAIGN ON BIDEN’S HEALTH, STAMINA IN PRIVATE CALLS: REPORT 

President Joe Biden speaks in the Cross Hall of the White House on Monday, July 1. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

The newspaper reports that another major supporter who has given to Biden created a Google Docs poll following the debate to question other donors about where they stand. 

That person said of the 65 donors who responded, around 74% supported the option of “we need a Plan B” — which includes consideration of new Democratic presidential and vice-presidential candidates – while 15% said they stood behind Biden and 11% were undecided, according to The Washington Post. 

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

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

John Morgan, another top Democratic donor, told Politico that the “whole planning [and] preparation” that Biden had received for the debate was “political malpractice,” specifically blaming senior adviser Anita Dunn, former chief of staff Ron Klain and Dunn’s husband, Bob Bauer, who is Biden’s personal lawyer. 

“I think he has a misplaced trust in these three people, and I believe he has from the inception,” Morgan told Politico, while a Democratic strategist from a battleground state added that “The number of people who have access to the president has gotten smaller and smaller and smaller” and “They’ve been digging deeper into the bunker for months now.” 

Democratic donor Whitney Tilson, a former hedge fund manager, also told The New York Times that he received a scathing text from a House Democrat regarding the debate. 

President Biden looks on as he participates in the first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle with former President Trump at CNN’s studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

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“Biden’s debate performance was a catastrophe from which there may be no recovery,” the text reportedly said. 

New York has not favored a Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan’s 1980 and 1984 upsets, but that trend is likely to change, state Republican Party Chair Ed Cox told Fox News Digital in a Monday interview.

President Biden’s tenure is increasingly showing parallels to that of then-President Carter, Cox said, adding that while the Empire State is a blue state, it is truly “blue-collar blue, not West-Side-Manhattan blue.”

In that regard, Cox said, while the state has high-profile pockets of progressive strongholds, New Yorkers overall are “pragmatic” and are truly having déjà vu from the run-up to the last time the state shocked the country on Election Day.

“We have a lot of independents here in New York. And they’re the ones who are going to take a look, and they’re going to say, ‘Are we going to risk [it]?’” Cox said, underlining his belief Trump can win its 28 electoral votes.

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

Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Trump Tower. (AP/Julia Nikhinson)

“New Yorkers take a look at what’s going on in the foreign arena and the weakness of [Biden].”

Cox said he had come to his conclusion prior to Biden’s disastrous debate performance, but added the forum did underline his case.

“It just shows again that Biden is just out of touch with what the American people want, probably because of his infirmities, whatever you want to say. But Carter was out of touch, too, if you take a look at his malaise speech,” Cox said.

“It’s not quite the same, but it still shows they’re out of touch with where the American people are while President Trump is in touch. It leads to other very interesting analogies.”

STATE DEMOCRATIC OFFICIALS RALLY BEHIND BIDEN AS A DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR SUGGESTS REPUBLICANS PULL TRUMP

Cox noted that Reagan’s “Are you better off than you were four years ago” remark was a game-changer against Carter, drawing a parallel to Trump’s rally reminders of his four-year record and saying that messaging will again resonate in New York.

Cox noted that Hispanic and African-American voting blocs in the state are shifting in Trump’s favor. He said he attended the former president’s recent Bronx rally and saw that assertion personified in the massive crowd at Crotona Park.

In 1980, New Yorkers were feeling the weight of “stagflation” under Carter and a floundering GDP in what was and is the business capital of the world, Cox said. The chair is also the son-in-law of another president from that era: Richard Nixon.

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“It was ‘It’s the economy, stupid’ then, and it’s ‘It’s the economy, stupid’ now,” Cox said.

While former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., came very close by New York standards to defeating Gov. Kathy Hochul, he still fell short. 

Zeldin, too, was buoyed by a tough-on-crime message, while unlike the state’s last Republican governor, George Pataki, he had to prematurely expend resources in a costly primary.

When asked why 2024 would look different from 2020 in that respect, when Biden won New York by double digits, Cox returned to the pragmatism he sees in New Yorkers.

Democrats within New York also tend to support more populist candidates, he said, pointing to how New York Mayor Eric Adams trounced more progressive opponents in his primary before defeating GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa.

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In making the case for Trump’s chances, Cox pointed to the state’s beginnings in present-day New York City:

“Go back to New Amsterdam. Why did people leave the Netherlands to come to the United States? Because Amsterdam was a wide-open city that judged people on their merit. Yeah, they smoked too much, they drank too much, this and that. But by golly, they were an energetic international city where people were judged on their merit,” he said.

“New York inherited that.”

In that way, New Yorkers are likely to judge Trump and Biden on their merits now that they have lived through four years of each, giving the former a better shot, Cox added.

A Republican has not held statewide federal office there since Sen. Al D’Amato preceded Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., in 1998.

Fox News Digital reached out to several New York Democrats for comment, while Hochul’s office could not be immediately reached.

As calls for President Biden to retire have increased in the Democratic Party following Thursday night’s presidential debate against former President Donald Trump, replacing him could prove to be an uphill legal hurdle, albeit one that some political groups are already preparing for. Biden’s troubles come amid a recent series of progressive figures in Congress and the courts who have refused to retire despite pressure from liberal activists.

“The leverage is pretty much all with President Biden,” Mike Howell, executive director of the Heritage Oversight Project – a conservative watchdog group – told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

“It is much more difficult to forcefully replace him than it would be for him to voluntarily withdraw, and so I expect that is the nature of the conversations. I think the only people right now that are fighting to keep President Biden on the ballot are President Biden, Jill Biden and, interestingly enough, me, because we will sue to make sure his name stays on the ballot.”

JILL BIDEN BACKS HUSBAND AFTER BRUTAL DEBATE, TELLS VOGUE ‘WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT’

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

Howell added it’s “not easy” to fill a replacement for a presidential candidate, which would create a “massive legal and logistical nightmare for the replacement candidate.”

“There are precedents of candidates dying and other state and local races before, but this is unchartered territory, because it’s presidential and so what you have are basically 50 different steps, sets of rules, laws, procedures and political environments that they have to navigate through,” Howell said. “And so ultimately, whatever they do, it will be so fact dependent that certain states will become more important than others.”

And Biden isn’t the first Democrat politician or liberal political figure to disappoint progressives by refusing such calls to retire.

FIRST 2024 TRUMP-BIDEN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: TOP CLASHES OVER ISSUES FROM THE BORDER TO UKRAINE

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died in 2020 after 27 years in her role. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

The late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died in 2020 after 27 years in her seat. She was 87 years old when she died during President Trump’s term in office. Amy Coney Barrett was nominated and successfully confirmed to replace her on the bench.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., died in September at age 90. Just hours before her death, she cast her last Senate vote. The seat is now one of this election’s hotly contested seats, with Republican candidate and ex-MLB star Steve Garvey and Rep. Adam Schiff vying for the job. 

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., 84, also a former speaker of the House, has faced calls to retire. Instead, Pelosi has doubled down and vowed to seek re-election this year to extend her 36-year House tenure. Pelosi has long been a lightning rod who generates Republican passions and is a boon for conservative fundraising and get-out-the-vote drives.

WATCH: FOX NEWS DIGITAL FOCUS GROUP REACTS TO TRUMP SAYING HIS RETRIBUTION WILL BE SUCCESS

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Drew Angerer/Getty Images/File)

On the other side of the aisle, Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell – the longest serving Senate party leader in history – also faced growing calls from his party to retire last year. McConnell announced he would step down from his leadership position in November. 

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“There’s not a comparison between him and Biden because Republicans called on McConnell to step down, and McConnell is stepping down,” Howell added. “So, that is an apples to oranges thing.”

The president’s mental acuity became the center of political discourse last month after a bombshell Washington Journal report, which the White House dismissed, revealed that many lawmakers on Capitol Hill had questions about Biden’s mental acuity after many said his aging was apparent in private meetings.

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

Legal experts say it is unlikely that former President Trump will face trial in his Washington election interference case before election day, given the Supreme Court’s new ruling on the issue.

The Court on Monday ruled that Trump and all former presidents enjoy presumptive immunity for “official acts” made while in office. The ruling sends Special Counsel Jack Smith’s indictment back to lower courts, where they will battle over whether Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results were “official acts.”

Jonathan Turley, a law professor and Fox News contributor, says the Supreme Court gave clear instructions to lower courts on how to separate official and private actions.

“The opinion was not the vague remand that some expected. It states clearly that the motivations of a president are not matters for litigation. It also states that presidents are expected to speak to the public on matters of great importance and specifically cited Trump’s Jan. 6th speech. It also said that conversations with executive branch officials like former Vice President Pence are part of official functions, Turley told Fox News Digital.

TRUMP ATTORNEY, SUPREME COURT JUSTICE CLASH ON WHETHER A PRESIDENT WHO ‘ORDERED’ A ‘COUP’ COULD BE PROSECUTED

Legal experts say it is unlikely that former President Trump will face trial in his Washington elections interference case before election day giving the Supreme Court’s new ruling on the issue. (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)

“The court’s descriptions of official functions and the penumbra around those functions will heavily impact these cases. Special Counsel Jack Smith has benefited from a highly favorable trial court judge. However, Judge Chutkan is no longer writing on a blank slate. The Court followed the right hook in the Fischer case with an absolute haymaker in the Trump case,” he added.

JUSTICE ALITO QUESTIONS WHETHER PRESIDENTS WILL HAVE TO FEAR ‘BITTER POLITICAL OPPONENT’ THROWING THEM IN JAIL

Still, debate over Trump’s actions following the 2020 election will take time. Attorney and legal commentator John Shu says a trial before Election Day is almost certainly off the table.

Debate over Trump’s actions following the 2020 election will take time. Attorney and legal commentator John Shu says a trial before election day is almost certainly off the table. (Getty Images)

“Logistically, I don’t see how Jack Smith and the DOJ can start either the D.C. or Florida trials against former president Trump before November, let alone finish them by then,” he told Fox, referencing the D.C. election interference case and Florida classified documents case. “Jack Smith has a well-earned reputation of being hyper-aggressive, however, and so it is possible that he and the DOJ now feel pressure to push [Southern District of Florida] Judge Cannon even harder, which will likely backfire on them.”

SCOTUS WEIGHS MONUMENTAL CONSTITUTIONAL FIGHT OVER TRUMP IMMUNITY CLAIM

Turley agreed that the Court’s ruling will likely push Trump’s trial past November, saying Smith may be forced to retrace his steps and create another superseding indictment.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that presidents enjoy presumptive immunity for their official acts taken while in office. (Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States via Getty Images)

“It is unlikely that a trial can occur before the election. There was a halt on pre-trial motions during the appeal. Now the court must also address the Fischer and Trump rulings,” he said. “[D.C. District] Judge Chutkan undermined the case by yielding to Smith and pursuing a rushed calendar. The court found little record to answer these questions. To rush this again would invite a similar result.”

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Trump and his allies in Congress cheered the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on Monday.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the No. 3 House GOP leader, said, “The Democrats have proven they will do everything in their power … to destroy [Trump]. Today’s Supreme Court decision is a positive step in the right direction of ending their senseless lawfare.”

Fox News’ Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report

President Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign and the Democratic National Committee combined brought in over a quarter of a billion dollars in fundraising the past three months, Biden’s team announced early Tuesday.

And the campaign, in showcasing the $264 million raked in during the April-June second quarter of 2024 fundraising, noted that it pulled in $127 million in June alone, which it touted was the president’s best month of fundraising since he launched his re-election bid over a year ago.

The announcement comes as the Biden campaign tries to flip the script on a negative narrative coming out of last week’s first debate with former President Trump.

Biden’s June fundraising was up from the roughly $85 million the campaign and the DNC brought in during May. And the campaign spotlighted that their second quarter haul was $75 million more than they brought in during the first three months of the year.

BIDEN TRIES TO FLIP THE SCRIPT ON DISASTROUS NARRATIVE COMING OUT OF FIRST DEBATE

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

They also touted that they had a whopping $240 million cash-on-hand as of the end of June, up from $212 million a month earlier.

A sizable chunk of 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. 

DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION OF BIDEN IN VIRTUAL ROLL CALL COULD COME AS EARLY AS THIS MONTH

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.

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 (right) and former President Donald Trump participate in their first of two 2024 general election debates, on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The Biden campaign has been spotlighting its pre- and post-debate fundraising as it aims to alter the brutal conversation coming out of last week’s showdown. This, after the 81-year-old president’s 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 nominee.

The campaign also showcased its grassroots appeal, noting that nearly two-thirds of June’s haul came from small-dollar donors and that more than $30 million of the $38 million raised during the final few days of the month came from grassroots contributors.

“Our Q2 fundraising haul is a testament to the committed and growing base of supporters standing firmly behind the President and Vice President and clear evidence that our voters understand the choice in this election between President Biden fighting for the American people and Donald Trump fighting for himself as a convicted felon,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden walk off the stage after a campaign event in Raleigh, North Carolina, on June 28, 2024. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

DNC chair Jaime Harrison noted that “grassroots donors across the country are chipping in every day because they know that this election will determine the course of history.”

In announcing their May fundraising figures, the Biden campaign waited until June 20, the final day the presidential campaigns had to file their monthly fundraising figures with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

But when it came to announcing their June and second quarter figures, the Biden campaign wasted no time in showcasing their numbers, announcing them just two days after the fundraising period ended.

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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.

Former President Donald Trump walks offstage after giving remarks at a rally at Greenbrier Farms on June 28, 2024, in Chesapeake, Virginia.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The Trump campaign has until later this month to file its fundraising figures with the FEC and has yet to announce its June and second quarter hauls.

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.

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.

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