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Former President Donald Trump has requested a partial pause in the classified documents case brought against him after a U.S. Supreme Court decision this week found that presidents have substantial immunity for official acts that occurred while they were in office. 

Lawyers for Trump asked a Florida court to pause all proceedings in the case brought by special counsel Jack Smith — except those that deal with Smith’s gag order request — until the judge can apply the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling to the facts of the case.

“Consistent with President Trump’s pending motion to dismiss based on Presidential immunity, the Supreme Court explained in Trump that it would ‘eviscerate the immunity we have recognized’ if a prosecutor could “do indirectly what he cannot do directly — invite the jury to examine acts for which a President is immune from prosecution to nonetheless prove his liability on any charge,” the Friday court filing states.

It adds: “Thus, ‘even when an indictment alleges only unofficial conduct,’ which is not the case here, prosecutors cannot ‘[u]se evidence’ of official acts. Based on this reasoning, like the trial court in the Trump case, Your Honor must undertake the ‘necessarily factbound analysis’ regarding whether alleged conduct ‘is official or unofficial.’”

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

Trump referred to the filing as “a really bad day for Deranged Jack Smith, the wacko prosecutor used for Crooked Joe Biden’s attack on his Political Opponent,” in a Friday post on Truth Social.

“Today, as in the past, the Supreme Court gave the Deranged One a high level SPANKING! His ‘real’ bosses, Andrew Weissmann and Lisa Monaco, not to mention Merrick Garland, whose once great reputation has been shattered by these Thugs, and his constant defense of Crooked Joe, must be furious at him,” Trump wrote. “Garland ought to call an end to this never ending HOAX, and let people focus on bringing back Greatness to America!”

The high court on Monday in the case Trump v. United States ruled that a former president has substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts committed while in office, but not for unofficial acts.

SCOTUS WEIGHS MONUMENTAL CONSTITUTIONAL FIGHT OVER TRUMP IMMUNITY CLAIM

In a 6-3 decision, the Court sent the matter back 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. The case considered by the court was separate from the classified documents case, although Smith is involved in both prosecutions.

“The President enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts, and not everything the President does is official,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority. 

Last month, Trump’s lawyers presented arguments over the legality of Smith’s appointment as special counsel and the limited gag order that prosecutors have requested to bar Trump from making comments that they say could endanger the safety of FBI agents and other law enforcement officials involved in the case.

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

Trump’s lawyers have said any speech restrictions would infringe on the former president’s free speech rights. Cannon initially rejected the prosecution’s request on technical grounds, saying Smith’s team had not sufficiently conferred with defense lawyers before seeking the restrictions. Prosecutors subsequently renewed the request.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon heard hours of arguments on June 24 from lawyers for both sides, with Trump attorney Emil Bove asserting that the Justice Department risked creating a “shadow government” through the appointment of special counsels to prosecute select criminal cases.

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Cannon did not make a decision on Friday and is expected to issue a written order on the matter in the coming days.

Trump faces charges stemming from Smith’s investigation into his possession of classified materials. He pleaded not guilty to all 37 felony counts from Smith’s probe, including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements.

Trump was also charged with an additional three counts as part of a superseding indictment from the investigation, an additional count of willful retention of national defense information and two additional obstruction counts.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Former President Trump attempted to distance himself from the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 Friday, claiming he had nothing to do with it and that parts of it are “absolutely ridiculous and abysmal.”

Trump disavowed the effort in a post on Truth Social, saying he didn’t know who was behind the initiative that offers recommendations on how a future Republican president can begin to enact conservative changes upon entering office.

“I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it,” Trump wrote. “I disagree with some of the things they’re saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them.”

Portrayed as a blueprint for a future Republican administration to restructure many parts of the U.S. government, Project 2025, also known as the Presidential Transition Project, launched in April 2023 and is not associated with Trump’s campaign.

HERITAGE RECOMMENDS DOJ, FBI OVERHAUL FOR NEXT GOP PRESIDENT TO END ‘RADICAL LIBERAL AGENDA’

“As we’ve been saying for more than two years now, Project 2025 does not speak for any candidate or campaign,” a Project 2025 spokesperson told Fox News Digital when asked about Trump’s remarks. “We are a coalition of more than 110 conservative groups advocating policy and personnel recommendations for the next conservative president.

“But it is ultimately up to that president, who we believe will be President Trump, to decide which recommendations to implement.”

Trump’s decision to distance himself from Project 2025 came one day after Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts faced criticism from Democrats for his comments about a “second American Revolution” on former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon’s radio program.

“[W]e are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be,” Roberts said, adding that the “radical left” is “apoplectic” because “our side is winning.”

From overhauling the Justice Department and FBI to tackling issues like abortion and immigration, the effort led by the nation’s top conservative think tank is organized into specific chapters for different agencies.

Some of the chapters contained in Project 2025 were penned with the help of former Trump administration officials. For instance, the chapter on the Department of Homeland Security was written by a team led by former assistant acting DHS Secretary Ken Cuccinelli, who argues the agency has become “bloated, bureaucratic, expensive and [has] lost sight of its mission priorities.”

Project 2025 has been used by the Biden campaign and other Democrats to target Trump’s candidacy in the 2024 race for the White House.

Ahead of last week’s debate, the Biden campaign projected a QR code in different places around Atlanta that led to a campaign page tying Project 2025 to Trump.

The Biden campaign described the effort as “the plan by Donald Trump’s MAGA Republican allies to give Trump more power over your daily life, gut democratic checks and balances, and consolidate power in the Oval Office if he wins.”

CONSERVATIVE ORG PREPARES AGGRESSIVE PLAN FOR DHS OVERHAUL IF REPUBLICANS WIN WHITE HOUSE IN 2024

“Trump’s campaign advisors and close allies wrote it – and are doing everything they can to elect him so he can execute their playbook immediately,” the webpage stated.

Among many other claims, the Biden campaign said Project 2025 “Terminates the Constitution,” “Takes Away Reproductive Freedom Nationwide” and “Consolidates Power in the Oval Office.”

Project 2025 accused the Biden campaign of “obsessing” over the effort in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.

“Rather than obsessing over Project 2025, the Biden campaign should be addressing the 25th Amendment,” the spokesperson said.

Other Democrats have also slammed proposals outlined in Project 2025, including Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., who said the plan favoring America-first ideals is “un-American.”

“It’s really un-American,” Dean said during an appearance on “MSNBC Reports” last month. “If you take a look at it, what we pride ourselves on, agencies that support elected officials and government officials who are legislating for a president acting as executive.”

Dean also insisted Project 2025 organizers want to “replace civil servants.”

Despite the proposals outlined in Project 2025, Trump has outlined his own plans to restructure the government if he wins a second term, including staging the largest deportation operation in U.S. history and imposing tariffs on potentially all imports.

Trump’s campaign has previously warned outside allies not to presume to speak for the former president and suggested their transition-in-waiting efforts were unhelpful.

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Project 2025 includes several former senior Trump administration officials, including Paul Dans, the director of the project who served as chief of staff at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management under Trump; Russ Vought, who wrote one of the chapters and served as director of the Office of Management and Budget under Trump; and John McEntee, a senior adviser for the project who previously served as director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office in the Trump administration.

Fox News’ Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

At least eight advocacy groups have filed permit applications to demonstrate in the vicinity of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August, while some organizations have sued the city for access to protest.

As unrest within the Democratic Party leads to conjecture of a situation similar to the infamous 1968 convention in the Windy City, Chicago agencies have remained largely tight-lipped about who has applied for permits and will be able to demonstrate.

Fox News Digital reached out to three city agencies in charge of permitting, the Parks District, Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the city Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

A representative for CDOT said that, under municipal code, permits are reviewed by multiple departments to screen for potential conflicts, safety issues and availability of necessary city resources.

STATE DEMOCRATIC LEADERS RALLY BEHIND BIDEN AFTER DEBATE, AS PARTY CHAIR SUGGEST GOP PULLS TRUMP

“When a permit is denied, the applicant is given an alternative route that allows the parade to proceed while accounting for police resources, security, safety, and other additional factors. Each application that is submitted is evaluated based on the specific details of the proposed routes and any events happening concurrently in the city,” the representative said.

The representative said the city of Chicago has no comment on specific permits or applicants for the convention, citing ongoing litigation.

CDOT also was the only agency to respond thus far to Freedom of Information Act requests from the city’s NBC affiliate seeking similar information, according to the outlet.

Groups that applied for CDOT permits included the Israeli American Council, Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, U.S. Palestinian Community Network and the Students for a Democratic Society at University of Illinois-Chicago, according to WMAQ’s findings.

NV DEMS SUE TO KEEP RFK JR, GREEN PARTY FROM BALLOT

Without specifying further, the outlet reported that “objection” was written on some of the applications.

Fox News Digital reached out to several of the applicant organizations but did not receive responses by press time.

In May, nine organizations joined the ACLU in suing the city over a permit denial relating to abortion rights and LGBTQ issues, according to CBS News.

At the time, CDOT said the protest would cause substantial and unnecessary traffic disruptions outside the bounds of what police and the city can handle.

A member of Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws – one of the groups cited in applications obtained by WMAQ – told CBS that the city’s response was reminiscent of that of then-Mayor Richard J. Daley in 1968.

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Chicago law enforcement, however, has sought to reassure the public that a repeat of then-Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey’s nomination being marred by the so-called “Battle of Michigan Avenue” will be prevented.

“This will not be 1968,” Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said in June. “[O]ur officers are being trained in the best way possible to respond to any level of civil unrest.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson harked back to his history of community organizing and has highlighted the importance of civil protest.

Johnson said his vision for the DNC is to have a “safe, energetic and vibrant convention.”

“I’m confident that we will be able to deliver that,” he said in public remarks. “As far as applications are concerned, there are parameters in which we are working … that individuals who wish to demonstrate – we’re asking those individuals work within those parameters.”

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Heckman contributed to this report.

President Biden repeatedly refused to reconsider his bid for re-election, time and again dismissing the concerns of those trying to pressure him to quit the 2024 White House race due to lagging poll numbers and concerns about his mental acuity during a high-stakes interview Friday.

Biden’s 22-minute sit-down with ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos was taped earlier in the day but aired unedited. It was the 81-year-old president’s first televised sit-down since his debate against former President Trump last week.

At one point, Stephanopoulos informed Biden he was behind in the popular vote, and the president replied, “I don’t buy that.”

“I don’t think anybody is more qualified to be president or win this race than me,” Biden said when pressed about a race his opponent appears favored to win.

BIDEN TAKES BLAME FOR ‘BAD NIGHT’ IN DEBATE AGAINST TRUMP: ‘MY FAULT, NO ONE ELSE’S FAULT’

When asked if he had the mental acuity to be president another four years, Biden said, “I wouldn’t be running if I didn’t think I did.”

Biden also brushed off concerns about his mental fitness for office. When asked if he was being “honest” with himself about his own cognitive abilities, the president replied, “Yes, I am, because, George, last thing I want to do is not be able to meet that.”

But he was also evasive when asked about the possibility of taking a cognitive test and making those results public, something Biden’s Republican critics have long demanded.

“Look, I have a cognitive test every single day. Every day I have a test. Everything I do,” Biden said. “You know, not only am I campaigning, I’m running the world. And that’s not — it sounds like hyperbole. But we are the essential nation in the world.”

When pressed again, Biden said, “I’ve already done it,” though he did not elaborate.

ABC’S GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS LANDS CRUCIAL INTERVIEW, PUTTING SPOTLIGHT ON HIS PARTISAN PAST 

Biden’s allies and critics were expected to be closely watching the interview after last month’s CNN debate raised lingering concerns about his viability as a candidate.

The president delivered a poor performance against his Republican rival, speaking with a hoarse voice he attributed to a cold and also frequently trailing off while speaking, appearing to lose his train of thought. 

On Friday, Biden insisted he had a “bad night” during the debate.

“I think the most charitable thing you can say about it is it’s way too little, too late,” Democratic strategist Julian Epstein, former chief counsel for Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee, told Fox News Digital after the interview aired. 

“The president looks frail. He looks foggy. He looks weak. He looks like he is using every last ounce of energy that he may have to sort of barely get through.

“Most Democrats now, whether they’re saying it or not, realize that, you know, the Biden campaign is on death watch. And it’s a question of whether I think it will be, you know, early next week or after that.”

Biden said he blamed himself for how the debate went, but he also suggested some fault lies with Trump.

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

“I was having a bad night when I realized that even when I was answering a question, even when they turned his mic off, he was still shouting, and I … I let it distract me. I’m not blaming it on that. But I realized that I just wasn’t in control,” the president said.

He also responded to questions about recent polls that show him behind Trump.

“All pollsters I talk to tell me it’s a toss-up. And when I’m behind … there’s only one poll I’m really far behind, CBS poll and NBC, I mean, excuse me,” Biden said, his last few words barely intelligible. 

Stephanopoulos then said The “New York Times and NBC, both have you about six points behind in the popular vote.”

“That’s exactly right. New York Times had me behind before anything having to do with this race, had me behind ten points. Ten points they had me behind. Nothing’s changed substantially in The New York Times poll,” Biden answered.

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Toward the end of the interview, Stephanopoulos asked Biden about the growing number of Democratic lawmakers suggesting he should step aside, and Biden pushed back.

“Look, I mean, if the Lord Almighty came out and said, ‘Joe, get out of the race,’ I’ll get out of the race. The Lord Almighty’s not coming down,” the president said.

Former Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod wrote on X after the debate, “The president is rightfully proud of his record. But he is dangerously out-of-touch with the concerns people have about his capacities moving forward and his standing in this race.”

President Biden said former President Trump distracted him by “shouting” during their debate last week, behavior Biden said only added to his troubles during a disastrous performance.

“How quickly did it come to you that you were having that bad night?” ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos asked the president during an interview that aired Friday evening. 

“Well, it came to me I was having a bad night when I realized that even when I was answering the question, even though they turned his mic off, he was still shouting. And I let it distract me,” Biden said. “But I’m not blaming it on that, but I realized that I just wasn’t in control.” 

The ABC News interview marked Biden’s first sit-down interview since his widely panned debate performance, which included the president losing his train of thought, stumbling over his words and delivering responses in a raspy voice, something that the White House later blamed on a cold. 

BIDEN TAKES BLAME FOR ‘BAD NIGHT’ IN DEBATE AGAINST TRUMP: ‘MY FAULT, NO ONE ELSE’S FAULT’

The debate’s agreed-upon rules included turning off the microphone of the president or former president when the other was answering a question. At times, Trump was seen and heard speaking when his mic was turned off, but he was not heard or seen shouting at Biden during the first debate of the 2024 presidential election cycle. 

PRESIDENT BIDEN FACES THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL WEEKEND OF HIS POLITICAL CAREER

The president’s performance during the debate sparked concern and panic within the Democratic Party. Traditional allies and media pundits quickly noted Biden appeared to be showing his age – 81 – during the showdown. The concern soon cascaded into media outlets, such as The New York Times, and elected Democratic officials calling on Biden to step out of the race. 

“The president appeared on Thursday night as the shadow of a great public servant,” The New York Times editorial board wrote following the debate. “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. 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 RAMPS UP SPENDING IN BID TO STEADY HIS FALTERING CAMPAIGN

Biden and his administration and campaign have worked to quell concerns about his mental acuity and age since last week, touting his series of campaign events immediately following the debate, as well as upcoming press conferences and continued appearances.

WHAT BIDEN SAID ABOUT HIS DEBATE PERFORMANCE 

The president admitted he performed poorly in the debate, including during the Stephanopoulos interview, summing it up as a “bad night” and a “bad episode.”  

“It was a bad episode,” Biden said. “No indication of a serious condition. I was exhausted. I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing. It was a bad night.”

He said the blame squarely falls on him, not those who prepped him going into debate night. 

“The whole way I prepared — nobody’s fault. Mine. Nobody’s fault but mine,” Biden said during the ABC News interview. “I prepared what I usually would do sitting down, as I did coming back with foreign leaders or the National Security Council, for explicit detail.” 

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Trump recently lambasted Biden’s debate performance in a video that appears to have been shot on a golf course earlier this week. 

“We kicked that old, broken down pile of crap,” Trump said in the video.

Despite calls from both Democrats and Republicans to bow out over concerns of mental acuity and age, Biden has vowed he will remain in the race. 

President Biden participated in his first sit-down news interview since his disastrous debate performance last week. 

He spoke on Friday to ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, commenting on his “bad episode,” when it occurred to him that he was performing poorly at the debate and dodging repeated questions about taking a neurological test. 

Biden’s interview aired in full for the first time Friday evening, following mounting calls within the Democratic Party that Biden should bow out of the race due to concerns over his age and mental acuity. Biden has vowed to remain in the race despite traditional allies and legacy media outlets calling on him to pass the political baton to a younger Democrat contender.

Below is Biden’s full interview transcript with Stephanopoulos, as reported by ABC News:

BIDEN REPEATEDLY DODGES QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER HE’D TAKE NEUROLOGICAL TEST: ‘NO ONE SAID I HAD TO

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. President, thank you for doing this.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Thank you for having me.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Let’s start with the debate. eh, You and your team said, have said you had a bad night. But your–

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Sure did.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But your friend Nancy Pelosi actually framed the question that I think is on the minds of millions of Americans. Was this a bad episode or the sign of a more serious condition?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: It was a bad episode. No indication of any serious condition. I was exhausted. I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing and– and a bad night.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You know, you say you were exhausted. And– and I know you’ve said that before as well, but you came– and you did have a tough month. But you came home from Europe about 11 or 12 days before the debate, spent six days in Camp David. Why wasn’t that enough rest time, enough recovery time?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Because I was sick. I was feeling terrible. Matter of fact, the docs with me. I asked if they did a COVID test because they’re trying to figure out what was wrong. They did a test to see whether or not I had some infection, you know, a virus. I didn’t. I just had a really bad cold.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And– did you ever watch the debate afterwards?

DEMS ‘COMING TO TERMS’ THAT BIDEN ‘NOT IN CONTROL’ FOLLOWING DISASTROUS DEBATE: FORMER WH DOC

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I don’t think I did, no.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, what I’m try– what I want to get at is, what were you experiencing as you were going through the debate? Did you know how badly it was going?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Yeah, look. The whole way I prepared, nobody’s fault, mine. Nobody’s fault but mine. I, uh– I prepared what I usually would do sittin’ down as I did come back with foreign leaders or National Security Council for explicit detail. And I realized–bout partway through that, you know, all– I get quoted the New York Times had me down, at ten points before the debate, nine now, or whatever the hell it is. The fact of the matter is, what I looked at is that he also lied 28 times. I couldn’t– I mean, the way the debate ran, not– my fault, no one else’s fault, no one else’s fault.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But it seemed like you were having trouble from the first question in, even before he spoke.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Well, I just had a bad night. You’ve had some bad interviews once in a while. I– I can’t remember any, but I’m sure you did.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I’ve had plenty. I guess the question of– the problem is here for a lot of Americans watching is, you’ve said going back to 2020, “Watch me,” to people who are concerned about your age. And, you know, 50 million Americans watched that debate. It seemed to confirm fears they already had.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Well, look. After that debate, I did ten major events in a row, including until 2:00 in the morning after the debate. I did events in North Carolina. I did events in—in in Georgia, did events like this today, large crowds, overwhelming response, no– no– no slipping. And so, I just had a bad night. I don’t know why.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And– how– how quickly did it– did it come to you that you were having that bad night?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Well, it came to me I was havin’ a bad night when I realized that even when I was answering a question, even though they turned his mic off, he was still shouting. And I– I let it distract me. I– I’m not blaming it on that, but I realized that I just wasn’t in control.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Part of the other concern is that– this seems to fit into a pattern of decline that has been reported on recently. New York Times had a headline on July 2nd, “Biden’s lapses are said to be increasingly common and worrisome.” Here’s what they wrote.

“People who’ve spent time with President Biden over the last few months or so said the lapses appear to have grown more frequent, more pronounced, and after Thursday d– Thursday’s debate, more worrisome. By many accounts, as evidenced by video footage, observation, and interviews, Mr. Biden is not the same today as he was even when he took office three-and-a-half years ago.” Similar reporting in The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. Are you the same man today that you were when you took office three-and-a-half years ago?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: In terms of successes, yes. I also was the guy who put together a peace plan for the Middle East that may be comin’ to fruition. I was also the guy that expanded NATO. I was also the guy that grew the economy. All the individual things that were done were ideas I had or I fulfilled. I moved on.

And so, for example, you know, “We-Well, that was true then, what’s Biden done lately?” Di-you-just just see today, just announced 200,000 new jobs. We’re movin’ in the direction that no one’s ever taken on. I know you know this from days in– in– in the– in the government.

I took on big pharma. I beat them. No one said I could beat them. I took on all the things we said we got done, were told we couldn’t get done. And part of it is what I said when I ran was I wanted to do three things: Restore some decency to the office, restore some support for the middle class instead of trickle down economics both from the middle out and the bottom up the way the wealthy still do fine, everyone does better, and unite the country.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But what has all that work over the last three-and-a-half years cost you physically, mentally, emotionally?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Well, I– I– I just think it cost me a really bad night, bad run, but, you know, I– George. I have– I’m optimistic about this country. I don’t think we’re a country of losers that he points out. I don’t think America’s in tough shape. I think America is on the cusp of breaking through in so many incredible opportunities.

In this next term, I’m gonna make sure we gotta– straighten out the tax system. I’m gonna make sure we’re in a situation where we have healthcare for all people, where we’re in a position where we have– have childcare and eldercare, free up– and all these things.

One thing I’m proudest of is, remember when my economic plan was put forward? A lot of the mainstream economists said, “This is not gonna work.” Guess what? We now have 16 Nobel laureates, 16 of ’em in economics saying that “Biden’s next term would be a sig– enor– based on what he wants to do, enormous success.” Trump’s plan would cause a recession and sig-nif– gi– increase inflation. I’ve made great progress, and that’s what I plan on doin’. And we can do this.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I– I– I understand that, and I’m not disputing that. What I’m asking you is– about your personal situation. Do you dispute that there have been more lapses, especially in the last several months?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Can I run the 100 in 10 flat? No. But I’m still in good shape.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Are you more frail?

BIDEN TAKES BLAME FOR ‘BAD NIGHT’ IN DEBATE AGAINST TRUMP: ‘MY FAULT, NO ONE ELSE’S FAULT’

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: No.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I know you

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Come keep my schedule. (LAUGH)

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I know you spoke with your doctor after the debate. What did he say?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: He said he– just looked at me and said, “You’re exhausted.” That’s it. I have medical doctors travel with me everywhere. Every President does, as you know. Medical doctors, some of the best in the world travel with me everywhere I go. I have an ongoing assessment of what I’m doin’, and they don’t hesitate to tell me if they think there’s something wrong.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I know you said you have an ongoing assessment. Have you had a full neurological and cognitive evaluation?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I’ve had– I get a full neurological test everyday with me. And I’ve had a full physical. I had, you know, I mean, I– I’ve been at Walter Reed for my physicals. I mean–uhm yes, the answer.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I– I know your doctor said he consulted with a neurologist. I– I guess I’m asking– a slightly different question. Have you had the specific cognitive tests, and have you had a neurologist, a specialist, do an examination?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: No. No one said I had to. No one said. They said I’m good.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Would you be willing to undergo an independent medical evaluation that included neurological and cognit– cognitive tests and release the results to the American people?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Look. I have a cognitive test every single day. Every day I have that test. Everything I do. You know, not only am I campaigning, but I’m running the world. Not– and that’s not hi– sounds like hyperbole, but we are the essential nation of the world.

Madeleine Albright was right. And every single day, for example, today before I came out here, I’m on the phone with– with the prime minister of– well, anyway, I shouldn’t get into detail, but with Netanyahu. I’m on the phone with the new prime minister of England.

I’m workin’ on what we were doin’ with regard to– in Europe with regard to expansion of NATO and whether it’s gonna stick. I’m takin’ on Putin. I mean, every day there’s no day I go through there not those decisions I have to make every single day.

PRESIDENT BIDEN FACES THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL WEEKEND OF HIS POLITICAL CAREER

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And you have been doing that and the American people have been watching, yet their concerns about your age and your health are growing. So that’s why I’m asking — to reassure them, would you be willing to have the independent medical evaluation?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Watch me between– there’s a lotta time left in this campaign. There’s over 125 days.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: So the answer–

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: They’ll make a decision.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Right—the answer right now is, no, you– you don’t want to do that right now.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Well, I’ve already done it.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You talked a lot about your successes in– at the beginning of this interview. And– and I don’t want to dispute that, I don’t want to debate that. But– as you know, elections are about the future, not the past. They’re about tomorrow, not yesterday. And the question on so many people’s minds right now is, “Can you serve effectively for the next four years?”

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: George. I’m the guy that put NATO together, the future. No one thought I could expand it. I’m the guy that shut Putin down. No one thought could happen. I’m the guy that put together a South Pacific initiative with AUKUS. I’m the guy that got 50 nations out– not only in Europe, outside of Europe as well to help Ukraine.

I’m the guy that got Japanese to expand their budget. I’m the– so I mean, these– and, for example, when I decided we used to have 40% of computer chips. We invented the chip, the little chip, the computer chip. It’s in everything from cell phone to weapons.

And so, we used to have 40%, and we’re down to virtually nothing. So I get in the plane, against the advice of everybody, and I fly to South Korea. I convince them to invest in the United States billions of dollars. Now we have tens of billions of dollars being invested in the United States making us back in a position we’re gonna own that industry again. We have, I mean, I– I just– anyway. I’m– I don’t wanna take too much credit. I have a great staff.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But hold on. My– I guess my point is, all that takes a toll. Do you have the mental and physical capacity to do it for another four years?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I believes so, I wouldn’t be runnin’ if I didn’t think I did. Look, I’m runnin’ again because I think I understand best what has to be done to take this nation to a completely new new level. We’re on our way. We’re on our way. And, look. The decision recently made by the Supreme Court on immunity, you know, the next President of the United States, it’s not just about whether he or she knows what they’re doin’.

It’s– it’s– it’s not– not about a con– a conglomerate of people making decisions. It’s about the character of the President. The character of the President’s gonna determine whether or not this Constitution is employed the right way.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Let me ask you a tougher, more personal question. Are you sure you’re being honest with yourself when you say you have the mental and physical capacity to serve another four years?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Yes, I am, because, George, the last thing I want to do is not be able to meet that. I think, as some of senior economist and senior foreign policy specialists say, if I stop now, I’d go down in history as a pretty successful President. No one thought I could get done what we got done.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But are you being with honest– with yourself as well about your ability to defeat Donald Trump right now?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Yes. Yes, yes, yes.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You say that, and let me challenge you.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Sure.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Because you were close but behind going into the debate. You’re further behind now by– by any measure. It’s been a two-man race for several months. Inflation has come down. In those last few months, he’s become a convicted felon. Yet, you’re still falling further behind.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: You guys keep saying that. George, do you– look, you know polling better than anybody. Do you think polling data as accurate as it used to be?

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I don’t think so, but I think when you look at all the polling data right now, it shows that he’s certainly ahead in the popular vote, probably even more ahead in the battleground states. And one of the other key factors there is, it shows that in many of the battleground states, the Democrats who are running for Senate and the House are doing better than you are.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: That’s not unusual in some states. I carried an awful lotta Democrats last time I ran in 2020. Look, I remember them tellin’ me the same thing in 2020. “I can’t win. The polls show I can’t win.” Remember 2024– 2020, the red wave was coming.

Before the vote, I said, “That’s not gonna happen. We’re gonna win.” We did better in an off-year than almost any incumbent President ever has done. They said in 2023, (STATIC) all the tough (UNINTEL) we’re not gonna win. I went into all those areas and all those– all those districts, and we won.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: All that is true, but 2020 was a close race. And your approval rating has dropped significantly since then. I think the last poll I saw was at about 36%.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Woah, woah, woah

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: The number of Americans who think you’re too old to serve has doubled since 2020. Wouldn’t a clear-eyed political calculus tell you that it’s gonna be much tougher to win in 2024?.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Not when you’re running against a pathological liar. Not when he hadn’t been challenged in a way that he’s about to be challenged. Not when people–

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You’ve had months to challenge him.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Oh, sure, I had months, but I was also doin’ a hell of a lot of other things, like wars around the world, like keeping NATO together, like working– anyway. But look.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you really believe you’re not behind right now?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I think it’s in– all the pollsters I talk to tell me it’s a tossup. It’s a tossup. And when I’m behind, there’s only one poll I’m really far behind, CBS Poll and NBC, I mean, excuse me. And– uh–

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: New York– New York Times and NBC both have– have you about six points behind in the popular vote.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: That’s exactly right. New York Times had me behind before, anything having to do with this race– had me hind– behind ten points. Ten points they had me behind. Nothing’s changed substantially since the debate in the New York Times poll.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Just when you look at the reality, though, Mr. President, I mean, you won the popular vote– in– in 2020, but it was still deadly close in the electoral college–

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: By 7 million votes.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Yes. But you’re behind now in the popular vote.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I don’t– I don’t buy that.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Is it worth the risk?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I don’t think anybody’s more qualified to be President or win this race than me.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You know, the heart of your case against Donald Trump is that he’s only out for himself, putting his personal interests ahead of the national interest. How do you respond to critics who say that by staying in the race, you’re doing the same thing?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Oh, come on. Well, I don’t think those critics know what they’re talkin’ about.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: They’re just wrong?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: They’re just wrong. Look, Trump is a pathological liar. Trump is– he is– you ever seen anything Trump did that benefited sa– somebody else and not him? You can’t answer, I know.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I’ve– I’ve questioned him and his allies as persistently as any journalist has.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Oh, I know you have. I’m not being critical. I’m not being critical, but look, I mean, the man is a congenital liar. As I said, they pointed out in that debate, he lied 27– 28 times– times, whatever number, over 20 times. Talk about how good his economy was, how he brought down inflation, how– this is a guy who unlike– only other President oth– other than him is Hoover who lost more jobs than he created.

This is a guy who told us to put bleach in our arms to deal with COVID, with a million– over a million people died. This is a guy who talks about wantin’ to get rid of the healthcare provision we put in place. This is a guy who wants to give the power back to big pharma to be able to charge exorbitant prices for drugs. This is a guy who wants to undo every single thing I’ve done, every single– every single thing.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I understand that. I understand that’s why you want to stay in the race, but have you convinced yourself that only you can defeat him?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I convinced myself of two things. I’m the most qualified person to beat him, and I know how to get things done.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: If you can be convinced that you cannot defeat Donald Trump, will you stand down?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: (LAUGH)- It depends on– on if the Lord Almighty comes down and tells me that, I might do that.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, if– I mean, on a more practical level, The Washington Post just reported in the last hour that Senator Mark Warner is– is assembling a group of Senators together to try and convince you to stand down, because they don’t think you can win.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Well, Mark is a good man. We’ve never had (UNINTEL). He also tried to get the nomination too. Mark’s not– Mark and I have a different perspective. I respect him.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And if Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries and Nancy Pelosi come down and say, “We’re worried that if you stay in the race, we’re gonna lose the House and the Senate,” how will you respond?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I– I’d go into detail with them. I’ve speaken (PH) to all of them in detail including Jim Clyburn, every one of ’em. They all said I should stay in the race– stay in the race. No one said– none of the people said I should leave.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But if they do?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Well, it’s, like, (LAUGH) they’re not gonna do that.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You’re sure?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Well, Yeah, I’m sure. Look. I mean, if the Lord Almighty came down and said, “Joe, get outta the race,” I’d get outta the race. The Lord Almighty’s not comin’ down. I mean, these hypotheticals, George, if, I mean, it’s all–

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But– but it’s– it’s– it’s not that hypothetical anymore. I– I– I– I grant that the– they have not k– requested a meeting, but it’s been reported–

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: But they– I met with them. I met with a lotta these people. I talk with them regularly. I had an hour conversation with Hakeem. I had more time (UNITEL)with Jim Clyburn. I spent time with many hours off and on in the last little bit with Chuck Schumer. It’s not like– I had all the governors– all the governors.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I agree that the Lord Almighty’s not gonna come down, but if– if– if you are told reliably from your allies, from your friends and supporters in the Democratic Party in the House and the Senate that they’re concerned you’re gonna lose the House and the Senate if you stay in, what will you do?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I’m not gonna answer that question. It’s not gonna happen.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: What’s your plan to turn the campaign around?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: You saw it today. How many– how many people draw crowds like I did today? Find me more enthusiastic than today? Huh?

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I mean, have– I don’t think you wanna play the crowd game. Donald Trump can draw big crowds. There’s no question about that.

BIDEN RAMPS UP SPENDING IN BID TO STEADY HIS FALTERING CAMPAIGN

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: He can draw a big crowd, but what does he say? Who– who does he have? I’m the guy supposedly in trouble. We raised $38 million within four days after this. Over– we have over a million individual contributors, individual contributors. That– that’s less than 200 bucks. We have– I mean, I’m not seen what you’re– you’re proposing.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You haven’t seen the– the fall-off in the polls? You haven’t seen the reports of discontent in the Democratic Party, House Democrats, Senate Democrats?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I’ve seen it from the press.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You know, I’ve heard from dozens of your supporters over the last few days, and a variety of views, I grant you that. But the prevailing sentiment is this. They love you, and they will be forever grateful to you for defeating Donald Trump in 2020.

They think you’ve done a great job as President, a lot of the successes you outlined. But they are worried about you and the country. And they don’t think you can win. They want you to go with grace, and they will cheer you if you do. What do you say to that?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I say the vast majority are not where that– those folks are. I don’t doubt there are some folks there. Have you ever seen a group– ta– time when elected officials running for office aren’t little worried? Have you ever seen that? I’ve not. Same thing happened in 2020. “Oh, Biden, I don’t know. Man, what’s he gonna do? He may bring me down, he may (PH).”

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. President, I’ve never seen a President 36% approval get reelected.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Well, I don’t believe that’s my approval rating. That’s not what our polls show.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And if you stay in and Trump is elected and everything you’re warning about comes to pass, how will you feel in January?

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I’ll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did the goodest job as I know I can do, that’s what this is about. Look, George. Think of it this way. You’ve heard me say this before. I think the United States and the world is at an inflection point when the things that happen in the next several years are gonna determine what the next six, seven decades are gonna be like.

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And who’s gonna be able to hold NATO together like me? Who’s gonna be able to be in a position where I’m able to keep the Pacific Basin in a position where we’re– we’re at least checkmating China now? Who’s gonna– who’s gonna do that? Who has that reach? Who has– who knows all these pe…? We’re gonna have, I guess a good way to judge me, is you’re gonna have now the NATO conference here in the United States next week. Come listen. See what they say.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. President, thanks for your time.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Thank you. Appreciate it.

President Biden three times dodged questions about whether he’d take a neurological test in one of the more contentious moments of his first sit-down interview since a widely panned presidential debate performance last week.

“Have you had a full neurological and cognitive evaluation?” ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos asked Biden in an interview conducted Friday afternoon and aired in the evening.

“I get a full neurological test every day with me,” Biden replied. “I’ve had a full physical. … I’ve been to Walter Reed for my physicals.”

Stephanopoulos again pressed the president about taking a neurological test, and Biden again ducked. 

DEMS ‘COMING TO TERMS’ THAT BIDEN ‘NOT IN CONTROL’ FOLLOWING DISASTROUS DEBATE: FORMER WH DOC

“Have you had the specific cognitive tests, and have you had a neurologist, a specialist, do an examination?” Stephanopoulos asked.

“No, no one said I had to. … They said I’m good,” Biden responded.

Stephanopoulos pressed Biden a third time on taking a cognitive or neurological test, and if the president would agree to take one, asking if Biden then would release the results of such a test to the public. The president, however, brushed off the question by saying he is tested every day in his role as president. 

BIDEN TAKES BLAME FOR ‘BAD NIGHT’ IN DEBATE AGAINST TRUMP: ‘MY FAULT, NO ONE ELSE’S FAULT’

“Look, I have a cognitive test every single day,” Biden said. “Every day I have that test. Everything I do. You know, not only am I campaigning, but I’m running the world. Sounds like hyperbole, but we are the central nation in the world.

“And every single day — for example, today, before I come out here — I’m on the phone with the prime minister of … Well anyway, I shouldn’t get into detail, but with Netanyahu. I’m on the phone with the new prime minister of England. I’m working on what we’re doing with regard to in Europe, with regard to expansion to NATO and whether it’s going to stick. I’m taking on Putin. I mean, every day, there’s no day I go through there’s not those decisions I have to make every single day.” 

Biden’s ABC interview was his first extensive one-on-one since a disastrous debate against former President Trump, which escalated concern about the president’s mental acuity and age. A wave of Biden’s traditional Democratic allies and establishment media outlets, such as The New York Times, called on the president to exit the race.

PRESIDENT BIDEN FACES THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL WEEKEND OF HIS POLITICAL CAREER

The debate performance included the president tripping over his words, losing his train of thought at times and delivering responses with a raspy voice. He fared poorly compared to former President Trump.

Biden and his administration and campaign have remained resolute that Biden will remain in the race despite the mounting calls for someone else, such as Vice President Kamala Harris, to step in and become the party’s nominee in November. 

BIDEN RAMPS UP SPENDING IN BID TO STEADY HIS FALTERING CAMPAIGN

Biden said during the interview he’s aware he performed poorly during the debate, telling Stephanopoulos it was a “bad episode.” 

“No indication of a serious condition. I was exhausted,” Biden said. “I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing. It was a bad night.

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“The whole way I prepared — nobody’s fault. Mine. Nobody’s fault but mine,” Biden said. “I prepared what I usually would do sitting down, as I did coming back with foreign leaders or the National Security Council, for explicit detail.”

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., quickly became perhaps the most vocal and decisive advocate for President Biden’s remaining at the top of the Democrats’ ticket following his poor performance at the first presidential debate against former President Trump last month. 

“I refuse to join the Democratic vultures on Biden’s shoulder after the debate. No one knows more than me that a rough debate is not the sum total of the person and their record,” the Pennsylvania senator wrote on X, formerly Twitter, shortly after the debate ended and reports of panic among Democrats had emerged. 

AT-RISK DEMS STEER CLEAR OF BIDEN DEBATE DRAMA AHEAD OF CLOSE SENATE ELECTIONS

“Morning-after thermonuclear beat downs from my race from the debate and polling geniuses like 538 predicted l’d lose by 2. And what happened? The only seat to flip and won by a historic margin (+5). Chill the f— out,” he wrote, referencing his election in 2022 against Republican Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz. 

After suffering a stroke during his campaign, Fetterman took tough criticism for his debate performance against his opponent, particularly because of his communication and auditory issues on full display. 

UNDERDOG DEM USING DAVE CHAPPELLE SHOW TO GAIN EDGE IN PIVOTAL SWING STATE

But, as he pointed out, he won the race, flipping a formerly red Senate seat. 

Biden, 81 years old, has not had a stroke.

In the days since Biden’s lacking debate showing, Fetterman has continued to advocate for the president, unprompted. In response to the New York Times’ editorial board calling on Biden to drop out, the junior Pennsylvania senator said “f— that.” 

TAMMY BALDWIN WILL STICK TO STATE TOUR INSTEAD OF JOINING BIDEN DURING WISCONSIN VISIT

The Pennsylvania Democrats’ fierce defense of Biden after the debate comes as he has become something of a renegade in his party, particularly on the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and the subsequent protests and encampments on college campuses. 

While Fetterman has apparently been more than willing to defend Biden’s status on the Democratic ticket and his debate performance, other Democratic lawmakers have been much more measured in their responses, frequently only sounding off on the situation when asked directly by reporters. Others, specifically those running for re-election in November, have even held off on saying whether Biden should be the nominee, avoiding questions on the subject. 

PRESSURE MOUNTS ON BATTLEGROUND STATE DEMS AFTER BIDEN DEBATE DISASTER

Despite his campaign and the president himself assuring the public that he isn’t leaving the race, some members of the party have continued to express doubt and concern. Most recently, a top ally of Biden, Gov. Maura Healey, D-Mass., urged the president to “carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat Donald Trump.” 

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Her statement came after Biden had already assured a group of Democratic governors that he was seeing the race through in a meeting on Wednesday. 

Biden’s campaign noted that the president has received support from several other Democrats, including Govs. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., Gretchen Whitmer, D-Mich., and Wes Moore, D-Md., among others. 

Fetterman’s office did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. 

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

President Biden maintained that his disastrous debate performance last month against former President Trump was nothing more than a “bad episode” or a “bad night” rather than a sign of something more serious and suggested he alone was to blame for it, making the remarks on Friday during his first major television interview since the debate debacle.

Amid mounting speculation about whether Biden is fit to be president – both for the remainder of his term and for the four-year term he’s seeking – ABC News host George Stephanopoulos asked Biden if his performance was “a bad episode or the sign of a more serious condition?”

“It was a bad episode,” Biden said. “No indication of a serious condition. I was exhausted. I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing. It was a bad night.”

The president’s answer was not quite clear when he was asked what was going through his head during the debate, but he maintained that his performance was his fault alone. He also accused Trump of lying “28 times” during the debate.

“The whole way I prepared – nobody’s fault. Mine. Nobody’s fault but mine,” Biden said. “I prepared what I usually would do sitting down, as I did coming back with foreign leaders or the National Security Council, for explicit detail. 

“And I realized partway through that, you know, that –  I could quote it, the New York Times had me down at ten points before the debate. Nine now, or whatever the hell it is. The fact of the matter is, that when I looked at, is that, he also lied 28 times. I couldn’t, I mean, the way the debate ran, not – my fault. No one else’s fault. No one else’s fault.”

PRESIDENT BIDEN FACES THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL WEEKEND OF HIS POLITICAL CAREER

When asked if he had watched the debate since it occurred, Biden said, “I don’t think I did, no.”

The president also said again that he had been sick during the debate, and suggested he was so ill that his doctors thought he might have COVID-19.

“I was feeling terrible,” Biden said. “Matter of fact, the docs with me, I asked if they did a COVID test because they were trying to figure out what’s wrong. They did a test to see whether or not I had some infection, you know, a virus. I didn’t. Just had a really bad cold.”

Biden taking the blame for the debate performance comes after multiple reports that suggested the president’s inner circle was pointing fingers at the aides and staff members who prepared him for the showdown with Trump.

The clip that aired on World News Tonight is a preview of Biden’s primetime interview with Stephanopoulos, which is set to air in full on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.

BIDEN RAMPS UP SPENDING IN BID TO STEADY HIS FALTERING CAMPAIGN

The stakes for the sitdown are high; the 81-year-old Biden is facing mounting pressure to step aside as the Democrats’ 2024 presidential nominee. 

His performance during last month’s CNN Presidential Debate has led to even staunch Biden allies questioning whether he’s in a worsening mental state. A growing chorus of elected Democrats are publicly airing fears that he will lose to Trump and could possibly drag down Democrats in critical House and Senate races across the country. 

Biden, for his part, has declared several times that he will not bow out.

“Let me say this as clearly as I can: I’m staying in the race. I will beat Donald Trump,” Biden told a supportive crowd in Madison, Wisconsin just before he sat down for his pre-taped interview. 

WHAT BIDEN SAID ABOUT HIS DEBATE PERFORMANCE 

He also addressed the CNN face-off, telling voters: “I’m not letting one 90-minute debate wipe out three-and-a-half years of work.”

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Meanwhile, three House Democrats have now publicly called for Biden to make way for a new nominee: Reps. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., and Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas.

There were also multiple letters circulating this week among House Democrats that would call on Biden to step aside, two sources familiar with those discussions told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

Just months after party leadership shielded President Biden from any kind of significant primary challenge, Democrats are suddenly turning on their presumptive nominee and seeking to swap him out mere weeks before his nomination for re-election becomes official.

Biden’s devastating debate performance last week triggered a seismic shift in the party’s public outlook regarding the president’s ability to run for a second term. Many who had previously professed nothing but loyalty to the 46th president are now calling for him to step aside and allow Vice President Kamala Harris or another promising Democrat to take his place.

But the president doesn’t appear ready to exit, saying at a Wisconsin rally on Friday, “I am running and going to win again.”

The contentiousness could have been avoided, however, if party leadership had allowed a vigorous challenge to Biden’s candidacy and chose not to upend primary precedent to favor the incumbent. 

TRUMP CHALLENGES BIDEN TO SECOND PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE — BUT THERE’S A CATCH

The Democratic Rules and Bylaws Committee voted earlier this year to adopt Biden’s own proposal to have South Carolina, a strong state that helped catapult Biden toward the nomination in 2020, vote first on the Democrats’ nominating calendar in 2024. Under his proposal, New Hampshire and Nevada, where he was weaker in 2020, would hold primaries a few days later. 

New Hampshire rejected the new rules in the 2024 primary, and Biden’s name did not appear on the primary ballot. But he still won by a wide margin due to voters who wrote in his name. 

Biden also delayed committing to a debate with his presumptive rival for the presidency for months. Biden said it “depends” on the former president’s “behavior” whether he agreed to a debate when asked by reporters in March about a faceoff with Trump.

DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN WARNS DISSING KAMALA AS BIDEN REPLACEMENT WOULD BE ‘KISS OF DEATH’ FOR DEMOCRATIC PARTY

After Super Tuesday, Trump invited Biden to debate “anytime, anywhere, anyplace.” But the Biden campaign dismissed those calls as Trump being “thirsty for attention.” 

“I know Donald Trump’s thirsty for attention and struggling to expand his appeal beyond the MAGA base, and that’s a conversation we’ll have at the appropriate time in this cycle,” a Biden campaign spokesperson said at the time.

Although Biden’s disastrous debate performance last week set off alarm bells about the president’s cognitive decline, concerns about the president’s mental fitness lingered long before the debate. 

“The administration was above conspiratorial chitchat that entertained seriously scenarios in which the president was suffering from a shocking decline most Americans were not seeing,” Olivia Nuzzi wrote in a recent New York Magazine story. 

“If the president was being portrayed that way, it was by his political enemies on the right, who promoted through what the press office termed ‘cheap fakes’ a caricature of an addled creature unfit to serve. They would not dignify those people, or people doing the bidding of those people, with a response.”

Now, just 45 days away from the Democratic National Convention, Biden’s campaign is scrambling to help his supporters maintain their confidence in the president and dispel calls for him to step aside, even as key fundraisers have halted campaign donations.

BIDEN RAMPS UP CAMPAIGN SPENDING AHEAD OF MAKE OR BREAK INTERVIEW

Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey publicly urged President Biden to “listen to the American people” and consider whether he is the best person for the party to put forward as it again tries to defeat Trump in November.

“President Biden saved our democracy in 2020 and has done an outstanding job over the last four years,” Healey said in a statement distributed by her political committee Friday. “I am deeply grateful for his leadership. And I know he agrees this is the most important election of our lifetimes.

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“Over the coming days, I urge him to listen to the American people and carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat Donald Trump. Whatever President Biden decides, I am committed to doing everything in my power to defeat Donald Trump.”

At an Independence Day event Thursday, Biden seemed defiant, telling a crowd at the White House he’s “not going anywhere.” 

President Biden on Friday declared he is “staying in the race” ahead of what is seen as a pivotal primetime interview after a presidential debate performance last week that has sparked calls from some Democrats for him to step aside.

Biden, in a speech in Madison, Wisconsin, referenced the debate in which he struggled and appeared to lose his train of thought multiple times. It has fueled questions about his mental acuity and led to calls for him to be replaced on the 2024 Democratic ticket.

Biden said he couldn’t say “it’s my best performance” and acknowledged there had been questions since then. 

BIDEN FACES THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL WEEKEND OF HIS PRESIDENTIAL REMATCH WITH TRUMP

“There’s been a lot of speculation: What’s Joe going to do? Is he going to stay in the race? Is he going to drop out? What’s he going to do?” Biden told the crowd. “Well, here’s my answer: I am running and going to win again.”

He later said some people are trying to “push” him out of the race.

“Let me say this as clearly as I can: I’m staying in the race,” Biden said.

He then appeared to stumble again, saying he would beat Trump in 2020, although he added that he’s going to beat him again in 2024.

BIDEN RAMPS UP SPENDING IN BID TO STEADY HIS FALTERING CAMPAIGN

 “I’ll beat Donald Trump. I will beat him again in 2020. By the way, we’re going to do it again in 2024,” he said.

The remarks came hours before the airing of a primetime Friday night interview on ABC News. The interview, being conducted by anchor George Stephanopoulos, will be airing at 8 p.m. ET, and the network vowed “a transcript of the unedited interview will be made available the same day.”

According to a press release, the first clip will air on Friday’s “World News Tonight,” and the full interview will be aired again on Sunday’s installment of “This Week.” 

A growing number of Democrats and liberal media figures have called for Biden to step aside, although others have backed him. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey urged Biden on Friday to “listen to the American people and carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat Donald Trump.”

WHAT BIDEN SAID ABOUT HIS DEBATE PERFORMANCE 

This week, three House Democrats publicly called on Biden to step aside from his re-election bid, while more than a dozen Democratic members of Congress and governors publicly raised serious concerns about whether Biden could continue as the party’s standard-bearer.

However, the White House and the Biden campaign have repeatedly dismissed questions about his health.

“Does President Biden, at 81 years old, have Alzheimer’s, any form of dementia or degenerative illness that cause these sorts of lapses? And it’s a yes or no question,” a reporter asked White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Tuesday afternoon.

“Are you ready for it? It’s a no. And I hope you’re asking the other guy the same exact question,” Jean-Pierre responded, referring to former President Trump.

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

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and Brian Flood contributed to this report.

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…

– Biden says he’s ‘not going anywhere’

– White House staff ‘miserable’: report

– President to participate in crucial post-debate interview

JUST THE TWO OF US

Former President Trump on Thursday challenged President Biden to another debate, this time with no moderators. 

In a Truth Social post, Trump requested a “no holds barred” and “all on” discussion with Biden about the future of the country. 

“Let Joe explain why he wants Open Borders, with millions of people, and many violent criminals from parts unknown, pouring into our once great Nation, or why he wants Men Playing in Women’s Sports, or demand ALL ELECTRIC VEHICLES within five years, or why he allowed INFLATION TO RUN RAMPANT, destroying the people of our Country, and so much more,” he wrote. …Read more

White House

SO WHICH IS IT?: Biden seemingly contradicts own press secretary about seeing a doc after the debate …Read more

‘WE NEED YOU!’: Biden tells White House audience he’s ‘not going anywhere’ during Fourth of July party …Read more

‘WEEKEND AT BERNIE’S’: White House staff ‘miserable’ amid pressure on Biden: report …Read more

Capitol Hill

‘NOT AN ABERRATION’: Everyone’s known for years Biden has mental lapses: anonymous Dem senator …Read more

Tales from the Campaign Trail

CA$H DUMP: Biden campaign launches $50M paid media blitz despite mounting pressure to drop out …Read more

‘KISS OF DEATH’: Democratic Rep warns dissing Kamala as Biden replacement would be the ‘kiss of death’ for the party …Read more

BY GEORGE: ABC’s Stephanopoulos lands crucial Biden interview, putting spotlight on his partisan past …Read more

FOUNDING FATHER KNOWS BEST: Biden should follow in George Washington’s footsteps and ‘step aside’ says House Dem  …Read more

‘OLD FRIEND’: Underdog Dem using Dave Chappelle show to gain edge in pivotal swing state …Read more

BIDEN’S BIGGEST TEST: President faces the most consequential weekend of his presidential rematch with Trump …Read more

MOUSE TRAP: Abigail Disney says she’ll withhold donations unless Biden drops out …Read more

WHAT WOULD GRETCHEN DO?: How would a President Whitmer handle border crisis, immigration? …Read more

NO ‘LAFFIN’ MATTER?: Trump tests out new nickname for Kamala Harris amid speculation she’ll replace Biden …Read more 

‘GOT TO GET BEYOND THIS’: Harris spent months shooting down concerns over Biden’s mental competency …Read more

‘SQUARELY’ ON BIDEN: Top 3 things Biden has to nail in primetime ABC interview: Experts …Read more

Across America

‘FEEDING IT’: Harvard slammed for ‘smoke and mirrors’ antisemitism response: ‘They actually make things worse’ …Read more

‘MODERN JIM CROW’: New California firearms tax prompts 2nd Amendment lawsuit …Read more

HAWKEYE HORROR: Honduran illegal immigrant charged with assaulting 12-year-old girl …Read more

‘REALLY GOOD TIME’: New Yorker article calls on Dems to use 25th Amendment to remove Biden …Read more

On the World Stage

LABOUR LANDSLIDE: Keir Starmer the new UK prime minister after massive election win …Read more

FREEDOM ISN’T FREE: Father of Marine killed in action turns grief into appreciation …Read more

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Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said if President Biden steps down, not choosing Vice President Kamala Harris as the new nominee would be “the kiss of death” for Democrats.

The first presidential debate sparked growing calls for Biden to drop out of the race to allow a new candidate to step in, and several candidates other than the vice president have been floated as potential replacements.

Thompson described Harris as being “incredibly strong” and suggested she is the only candidate Democrats can replace Biden with in 2024.

“You can’t say Biden has done a good job without saying she’s done a good job,” Thompson told Axios, adding that choosing a candidate other than Harris “would be the kiss of death for the party.”

SHADOW CAMPAIGNS: 7 DEMOCRAT CANDIDATES WHO COULD STEP IN IF PRESIDENT BIDEN DROPS OUT OF 2024 RACE

Amid calls to replace Biden on the 2024 ticket, many Democrats have voiced support for Harris if a new nominee is chosen.

Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., recently said he would support Harris if Biden drops out.

“We should do everything we can to bolster her, whether it’s in second place or the top of the ticket,” Clyburn told MSNBC during the Biden debate backlash.

UNCHARTED TERRITORY: COULD CAMPAIGN FINANCES KEEP BIDEN ON THE BALLOT?

“I will support her if he were to step aside,” Clyburn said. “But I’m going to support her going forward and sometime in the future. I want this ticket to continue to be Biden-Harris. And then we will see what happens after the next election.”

Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., a member of the progressive “Squad,” said Harris is the “obvious” replacement for Biden. 

“If our president decides this is not a pathway forward for him, we have to move very quickly. There’s not going to be time for a primary. That time is past,” Lee told “Mornings with Zerlina” Wednesday. “The vice president is the obvious choice. She’s sitting right there.”

On the short list of other potential Biden replacements are California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

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Amid speculation over who would be the best fit to replace Biden on the 2024 ticket, a new CNN poll found Harris performed better than Biden in a hypothetical matchup against Trump. 

As President Biden, 81, seeks to address mounting concerns about his mental acuity during his ABC primetime interview Friday night, he will have to convey to his Democratic base and middle-of-the-road voters that he is fit to remain the commander-in-chief another four years.

Here are the top three things President Biden has to nail in his highly anticipated interview with George Stephanopoulos, according to political strategists.

1. Clarity of his mental acuity

Biden will undoubtedly have to “speak forcefully” and clearly to start dispelling concerns that he is unfit to continue on as president. The purpose of the interview, first and foremost, will be to show voters that Biden’s poor debate performance against former President Trump was “a moment in time” and “not a symptom of how he is,” according to Democratic strategist Mustafa Rashed.

WH AIDES, CAMPAIGN STAFF REPORTEDLY ‘MISERABLE’ AS PRESSURE BUILDS ON BIDEN TO DROP OUT

“It’s not even going to be about the issues,” Rashed – president and CEO of the Philadelphia-based Bellevue Strategies government firm – told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

“This is squarely a referendum on the president and his ability to do the job.”

The “little things” will go a long way, Rashed continued, adding that Biden will have to meet “a very high bar” and speak clearly since he faced criticism for his raspy voice during the debate. 

“They may be guised through policy questions, because that’s how you get someone to talk about subjects that they are very well versed on, but the subject quality of the answers is what we’re going to be watching is how he answers, not necessarily what but how he answers,” Rashed said. 

“Middle ground voters are the ones that have questions,” Rashed continued. “It’s not Republicans, they already know how they feel about this president. He’s trying to win independent voters and shore up Democrats to believe that he’s best person for the job.”

HOLLYWOOD MEGADONOR CALLS ON DEMS TO ‘STOP GIVING’ MONEY UNTIL BIDEN DROPS OUT

2. Winning back Democrats who have thrown in the towel

A handful of Democratic lawmakers have already called on President Biden to retire, while several others have expressed concerns about the president’s age. Regaining their trust ahead of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) convention is crucial.

“There’s possible revolt within the Democratic Party, and he’s got to make sure they say, ‘Okay, well, we’re going to keep him on board, we are better off having this guy as our standard bearer than the chaos of throwing it open and having an unclear procedure about what comes next,'” presidential historian Tevi Troy told Fox News Digital.

Keeping Biden on the ticket would be better for the DNC versus “having an unvetted candidate take over, or the other alternative is an unpopular Kamala Harris,” Troy, who served in senior leadership in HHS in the George W. Bush administration, said.

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“It’s not so easy to replace him, so you’ve got to reassure the Democratic base. And then the third thing is you’ve got to reassure the larger voting public,” he said. “You’ve got to get that kind of middle of the road voter who says, you know, ‘I don’t like Trump, but I want somebody who is going to be able to stand up to Putin or Xi without falling asleep or wilting.'”

BIDEN REPLACEMENT? WHITMER DENIES ‘DRAFT GRETCH’ CAMPAIGN, BUT HER STAR IS RISING

3. The economy

As everyday Americans feel the impact of inflation in their wallets, President Biden must articulate his plans to bolster the economy, especially among swing-state voters.

“Our common ground poll we do every quarter, and consistently, the number one issue, and overwhelmingly, is inflation and the economy,” Nathan Benefield, senior vice president of the Pennsylvania-based think tank Commonwealth Foundation, told Fox News Digital.

“When you get down to the numbers, wages in the last three years have not kept up with with prices, and so Pennsylvania families are literally poorer than they were three years ago,” Benefield said. “That’s that’s weighing on them. I think the President needs to address that and acknowledge that cost, and acknowledge the government’s role in that and talk about the solutions to inflation from from that perspective, rather than shifting the blame or ignoring that problem entirely.”

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Benefield suggested that people are experiencing inflation everywhere, in grocery stores with higher prices for food products, when dining out less due to increased costs, at the gas pump, and notably in housing, where interest rates and prices have risen.

“And so you really have kind of seen [inflation] across the board,” he said.

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

Former President Trump is rolling out new nicknames for Vice President Kamala Harris as part of a new focus on the VP, just as she is being touted as a potential replacement for President Biden on the 2024 ticket after Biden suffered a disastrous debate performance.

Trump regularly coins nicknames for his political opponents, from Low Energy Jeb [Bush] to “Crooked Hillary” [Clinton]. For Biden, he has called him “Slow Joe,” “Sleepy Joe” and “Crooked Joe,” among others.

Now, after a debate performance from Biden that has sparked panic among some Democrats and media figures and seen him slump in the polls, Trump turned his attention this week to Harris. 

BIDEN TELLS WHITE HOUSE AUDIENCE HE’S ‘NOT GOING ANYWHERE’ DURING FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION 

As vice president, Harris would succeed Biden if he resigned from office, and she would also be a top contender for the 2024 Democratic nomination if Biden announced that he does not intend to serve a second term.

Trump, in a Truth Social post, accused Biden of having “choked like a dog” during the debate and offered his “congratulations” to the vice president as he dubbed her “Laffin’ Kamala Harris.”

“Also, respects to our potentially new Democrat Challenger, Laffin’ Kamala Harris,” he said. “She did poorly in the Democrat Nominating process, starting out at Number Two, and ending up defeated and dropping out, even before getting to Iowa, but that doesn’t mean she’s not a ‘highly talented’ politician!”

WH AIDES, CAMPAIGN STAFF REPORTEDLY ‘MISERABLE’ AS PRESSURE BUILDS ON BIDEN TO DROP OUT

A day earlier, the Trump campaign had put out a statement slamming Democrats and the media for an alleged cover-up to hide Biden’s alleged mental acuity.

“Every one of them has lied about Joe Biden’s cognitive state and supported his disastrous policies over the past four years, especially Cackling Copilot Kamala Harris,” the statement said.

A national poll released Tuesday by CNN suggests Harris performs slightly better than Biden in a matchup with Trump.

HOLLYWOOD MEGADONOR CALLS ON DEMS TO ‘STOP GIVING’ MONEY UNTIL BIDEN DROPS OUT

“Harris’ slightly stronger showing against Trump rests at least in part on broader support from women (50% of female voters back Harris over Trump vs. 44% for Biden against Trump) and independents (43% Harris vs. 34% Biden),” the poll notes in a release.

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. Biden’s campaign has repeatedly insisted that the president has no intention of dropping out of the race.

On Thursday, he told supporters that he is not leaving the race. A supporter called out at an Independence Day event, saying, “Keep up the fight. We need you!”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Biden responded, “You got me, man. I’m not going anywhere.”

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and Timothy Nerozzi contributed to this report.

A New England Democrat has said that President Biden should “step aside” and do as former President Washington did to make way for new leaders. 

Rep. Seth Moulton, D–Mass., joined the growing list of liberals calling for Biden to end his re-election bid after the recent presidential debate in Atlanta. 

Concerns over Biden’s cognitive health following his performance at the debate sparked growing calls among Democrats for the president to drop out of the race.

“President Biden has done enormous service to our country, but now is the time for him to follow in one of our founding father, George Washington’s footsteps, and step aside to let new leaders rise up and run against Donald Trump,” Moulton told WBUR Thursday.

Moulton was referring to when President Washington voluntarily stepped down from the role in 1797 after eight years, setting the precedent that a president should only serve two terms in office.

BIDEN ‘SHARP AND FOCUSED’ BUT ALSO ‘CONFUSED AND FORGETFUL,’ AP REPORTS IN RIDICULED HEADLINE

The congressman joins at least two other Democratic representatives in officially calling for the president to step down as the nominee. 

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, was the first House Democrat to call on the president to bow out of the race on Tuesday.

LONGTIME BIDEN FRIENDS SAY PRESIDENT DIDN’T REMEMBER THEIR NAMES IN SOCIAL SETTINGS: REPORT

“I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so,” Doggett said.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., said that while he will support Biden in his re-election bid, he thinks the president should get out of the race.

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“I’m going to support [Biden], but I think that this is an opportunity to look elsewhere … What he needs to do is shoulder the responsibility of keeping that seat — and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race,” the Arizona Democrat said.

While more Democrats call on Biden to pass the torch to another candidate, the president said during a 4th of July celebration Thursday that he is “not going anywhere.”

Former President Trump on Thursday challenged President Biden to another debate, this time with no moderators. 

In a Truth Social post, Trump requested a “no holds barred” and “all on” discussion with Biden about the future of the country. 

“Let Joe explain why he wants Open Borders, with millions of people, and many violent criminals from parts unknown, pouring into our once great Nation, or why he wants Men Playing in Women’s Sports, or demand ALL ELECTRIC VEHICLES within five years, or why he allowed INFLATION TO RUN RAMPANT, destroying the people of our Country, and so much more.

BIDEN TELLS WHITE HOUSE AUDIENCE HE’S ‘NOT GOING ANYWHERE’ DURING FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION

“It would also, under great pressure, prove his ‘competence,’ or lack thereof. Likewise it would be yet another test for me. What a great evening it would be, just the two of us, one on one, in a good, old fashioned Debate, the way they used to be. ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE!!!” 

A spokesperson for President Biden’s campaign did not immediately respond Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

BIDEN FACES THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL WEEKEND OF HIS PRESIDENTIAL REMATCH WITH TRUMP

Trump’s eagerness to take on Biden again comes as no surprise, as the Democratic president is widely regarded to have lost in their first encounter of the 2024 race.

The 81-year-old incumbent’s halting delivery and stumbling answers during the CNN Presidential Debate in Atlanta sparked widespread panic among Democrats and have spurred calls from pundits, editorial writers and some party donors for Biden to step aside in favor of a younger, more able standard-bearer.

Biden so far has stubbornly resisted the calls to step aside. During remarks at a White House celebration for the Fourth of July, he told the audience, “I’m not going anywhere.” 

BIDEN RAMPS UP SPENDING IN BID TO STEADY HIS FALTERING CAMPAIGN

White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients reportedly held an all-staff meeting Wednesday to urge team members to tune out the “noise” and focus on the task of governing.

Even as Zients acknowledged that the days since the Atlanta matchup between Biden and Trump have been challenging, the chief of staff stressed to White House aides the accomplishments and the track record of the Democratic administration and said governing will only become more crucial once the campaign season heats up, particularly after the Fourth of July holiday.

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ABC News is scheduled to host the second debate between Biden and Trump on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 9 p.m. ET. The network has not yet announced the moderators for that debate.  

Fox News Digital’s Timothy H.J. Nerozzi, Paul Steinahuser and Kendall Tietz contributed to this report.

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

President Biden told a crowd of supporters on the Fourth of July that he has no plans to drop out of the election, despite continued struggles and gaffes during unscripted events.

The president delivered his July 4th remarks on Thursday from the White House’s South Lawn. He spoke with the aid of a teleprompter largely without incident — with the notable exception of one moment he went off-script.

“I was in that World War I cemetery in France — the one that one of our colleagues, the former president, didn’t want to go and be up there. I probably shouldn’t say,” Biden said to the White House audience. “At any rate, we got to just remember who the hell we are. We’re the United States of America.”

WH AIDES, CAMPAIGN STAFF REPORTEDLY ‘MISERABLE’ AS PRESSURE BUILDS ON BIDEN TO DROP OUT

But the Biden campaign is unbothered by the president’s gaffes and has doubled-down on its assertion that he will stay in the race.

At one point, a South Lawn attendee called out in support of Biden from the crowd, saying, “Keep up the fight. We need you!”

Biden responded, “You got me, man. I’m not going anywhere.”

HOLLYWOOD MEGADONOR CALLS ON DEMS TO ‘STOP GIVING’ MONEY UNTIL BIDEN DROPS OUT

The president has faced increasing scrutiny and calls to drop out of the 2024 election following his widely panned debate performance on June 27 against former President Trump. 

Biden, who at age 81 is the oldest president in the nation’s history, is under strict scrutiny from politicians, editorial writers, political pundits and party donors over concerns about his cognitive ability and ability to serve as the country’s commander-in-chief.

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White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients reportedly held an all-staff meeting Wednesday to urge team members to tune out the “noise” and focus on the task of governing.

Even as Zients acknowledged that the days since the Atlanta matchup between Biden and Trump have been challenging, the chief of staff stressed to White House aides the accomplishments and the track record of the Democratic administration and said governing will only become more crucial once the campaign season heats up, particularly after the Fourth of July holiday.

Fox News Digital’s Kendall Tietz contributed to this report.

As he frantically fights to salvage his campaign following last week’s disastrous debate performance, the next couple of days may determine if President Biden can survive or fall victim to a rising tide of calls from within his own party to end his re-election bid.

The tests for the 81-year-old president begin on Friday, as he aims to prove that he has the fortitude to defeat former President Trump in their 2024 election rematch.

First up is a rally Friday afternoon in battleground Wisconsin, which will be followed by a sit-down interview with ABC News that will run in prime time on network television. On Sunday, the president and First Lady Jill Biden appear in Pennsylvania, another key swing state he needs to carry to win re-election.

Through it all, the oldest president in the nation’s history will need to show Americans that he still has the stamina and acuity to handle the toughest and most demanding job in the world.

BIDEN RAMPS UP SPENDING IN BID TO STEADY HIS FALTERING CAMPAIGN

It’s a test Biden decidedly failed last week in Atlanta, Georgia, after his halting delivery and stumbling answers during the debate with Trump sparked widespread panic in the Democratic Party and spurred calls from political pundits, editorial writers and some party donors for Biden to step aside as the party’s 2024 standard-bearer.

This week, three House Democrats publicly called on Biden to step aside from his re-election bid, while more than a dozen Democratic members of Congress and governors publicly raised serious concerns about whether Biden could continue as the party’s standard-bearer.

WHAT BIDEN SAID ABOUT HIS DEBATE PERFORMANCE 

Facing a slew of red flags in post-debate public opinion polls and a growing chorus of prominent Democrats urging the president to quickly decide whether he can successfully continue his campaign, the next few days could potentially make or break Biden.

Biden’s campaign has repeatedly insisted that the president has no intention of dropping out of the race.

And publicly, the president remains steadfast.

“I’m the Democratic Party’s nominee. No one is pushing me out. I’m not leaving, I’m in this race to the end, and WE are going to win this election,” Biden wrote in a text to supporters on Wednesday afternoon. 

He made similar comments earlier in the day on a Zoom call with campaign and Democratic National Committee staffers.

TRUMP GETS BOOST IN POST DEBATE POLLS AFTER BIDEN’S BOTCHED PERFORMANCE

The president’s also made calls to senior congressional leaders and on Wednesday night huddled with the nation’s Democratic governors.

Sources with knowledge of the meeting say Biden faced questions about his health, stamina, and political viability going forward.

Speaking with reporters following the meeting, Democratic Governors Association chair and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Maryland Gov Wes Moore boosted Biden with supportive comments.

But Moore also noted that “we always believe that when you when you love someone, you tell them the truth. And I think we came in, and we were honest about the feedback that we were getting. We were honest about the concerns that we are hearing from people.”

Biden acknowledged in two recorded radio interviews that ran on Thursday morning that he “screwed up” and “made a mistake” at the debate.

But hours later, at an Independence Day celebration at the White House, after a guest yelled out in support of the president, Biden reiterated that “I’m not going anywhere.”

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The clock is likely ticking for Biden to quickly prove his mettle — both to his party and to voters.

“He has got a very short period of time to talk to the American people,” Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan told CNN.

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

Amid mounting pressure on President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race, his campaign announced a massive media blitz to the tune of $50 million that will target battleground state voters.

The media blitz will target Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, the campaign said.

In addition, the campaign said it will be executing an “aggressive, targeted campaign” to appeal to young and diverse voters which also includes an “aggressive travel schedule” for the president.

He will travel to every battleground state along with Vice President Kamala Harris, the first lady and the second gentleman.

DEMOCRATIC DONORS UNSURE IF BIDEN CAMPAIGN CAN CONTINUE: REPORTS

The announcement of the “aggressive” campaign comes after Biden told a group of Democratic governors that he plans to stop scheduling events after 8 p.m. so he can “get more sleep,” according to a report from The New York Times.  

The 81-year-old president is the oldest in the nation’s history. His disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump reportedly left Democrats in a “panic,” with many donors refusing to give money to the party unless Biden drops out.

Despite this, Biden’s campaign boasted about its “record-breaking” $127 million fundraising haul in June, saying they are leveraging “a substantial infrastructure advantage over the Trump campaign and RNC with new efforts on the ground.”

HOLLYWOOD MEGADONOR ARI EMANUEL TORCHES BIDEN, SAYS DONORS ARE MOVING MONEYY DOWNBALLOT: ‘WE’RE IN F— CITY’

A survey by The New York Times and Siena College revealed that Trump received a significant boost following his debate performance.

According to the poll, Trump now tops Biden 49%-43% among likely voters nationwide, which is a three-point swing toward the presumptive GOP presidential nominee from the previous New York Times/Siena College poll from just a week ago.

Trump’s lead over Biden edges up to 49%-41% among the larger pool of registered voters.

However, Biden has remained steadfast in his commitment to running for a second term. During a Fourth of July celebration at the White House, Biden said “You got me, man” and “I’m not going anywhere” in response to the crowd calling out, “We need you.”

In this month’s push, Biden’s campaign said that they will target “issues that will decide this election” like “a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions, economic relief and opportunities for middle- and working-class families, and the threat Donald Trump poses to our democracy and the rule of law.”

The campaign also plans on using their large budget to target key events in July, including the Olympic Games on NBC, Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular and The Bachelorette season premiere.

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The campaign’s expenditure is part of their continued effort to appeal to a “diverse group” of voters that, they say, is the backbone of their administration.

Biden will kick off his new push with a trip to Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday. He’ll deliver remarks at a campaign event with supporters. His campaign said he will be joined by Governor Tony Evers, Congressman Mark Pocan and others.

Following Biden’s remarks at the event, he is scheduled to sit down for an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos.

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

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.