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A top Democratic fundraiser said she is fully behind President Biden’s candidacy as others in her party have spent the last week remaining silent on their support.

Philadelphia-area activist Lindy Li, who recently raised more than $1 million for Biden’s candidacy, said he clearly had a bad debate night, but maintained that he remains both the best hope to defeat former President Trump and a true personification of a traditional Democrat.

“Honestly, what we think or what anybody thinks is irrelevant because he is the one who holds all the cards here, and he’s decided to stay in the race and hold onto his preponderance of delegates,” Li said of Biden. “We just have to get behind him.”

Li, a frequent political commentator on MSNBC and a member of the DNC’s National Finance Committee, had previously clashed with the progressive wing of her party, including supporters of democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. 

Li describes herself as a “conservative Democrat,” but has long pledged her commitment to the president, despite his setbacks. She said that Biden has long been a consensus-minded politician.

PENNSYLVANIA DEMOCRATS RALLY AROUND BIDEN, BLASTING PREMATURE JOSH SHAPIRO SPECULATION

“He has been a moderate his entire life, and that’s why he won the 2020 primary, because the majority of the party saw Bernie as not being able to defeat Trump. That’s why they chose Biden,” she said.

Li noted she is close to several Democratic figures floated as potential Biden replacements – such as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore – and while she supports them, she said there is still tacit proof Biden remains the man for the job.

Quoting from HBO’s “The Wire,” Li chalked up the lack of Biden criticism from Democrats as proof of the line, “if you come for the king, you better not miss.”

“No one wants to be the person to knife Julius Caesar,” she said.

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

As for the other names bandied about as replacements, Li said any one of them could have faced Biden in the primary but chose not to.

“These are all ambitious people. I know them all. I know Josh [Shapiro], in particular, very well. If they could have run against Biden and won, they would have. But they looked at the empirical data during the primary and noticed that none of them could beat him,” she said.

“This is not a matter of anyone being altruistic. They were being self-interested and realized that no one could beat Biden, and that’s why they didn’t dare to oppose him.”

However, at the same time, it has been a “Herculean effort” to keep Democrats publicly on the same page in support of Biden.

When she was on a call with Moore on Monday, Biden himself interrupted the Zoom and took questions from the assembled Democrats.

“A lot of people had reservations and concerns. And people asked him point-blank, ‘what happened, what are you going to do differently?’ And he said, ‘going forward, I’m just going to be more vigorously attacking Trump’.”

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

“There were no softball questions, and he answered all of them. And I know he’s doing everything he can to alleviate concerns. And I’m actually impressed by how he was able to outmaneuver all of his opponents yesterday.”

Li also warned against a second Trump term, saying that all political issues aside, his behavior on and leading up to Jan. 6, 2021 disqualified him from office.

As an immigrant to the U.S., Li said, she understands what she saw as “authoritarian” tendencies from Trump, adding that the throngs who rioted at the Capitol on that day in support of him reflect the stakes this November.

Li, who was born in China but immigrated to the U.S. from England, said she lived under authoritarianism and that the U.S. must therefore “cherish” democracy at all costs.

She added that her life experience also conversely draws her to fully support Biden, who she said has taken recent steps to try to secure the border.

“The number of migrants coming down or coming over has certainly dropped because of his measures. But a lot of people in our party were really disgruntled by his actions,” she said. 

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“But I actually am in support of the measures that he’s taken to secure our border. I’m in favor of legal immigration. My family waited years to come to the United States. My dad was a medical doctor who ended up at Harvard Medical School. And we brought useful skills to the country. So I’m all in favor of having a legal way of becoming an American.”

Li rejected claims the president is dealing with health concerns to the extent Republicans crow about.

“For somebody who is accused of being senile and in cognitive decline, he was quite clever. He dropped a letter which basically prevented any more hemorrhaging in the House. And then he went on ‘Morning Joe’ to dare his opponents to run against him.”

In that regard, she said Democrats must unite once again behind Biden as they had in the primary, continue pushing his agenda while preventing Trump’s return.

“I’m not here to gaslight anybody… I’ve had to reassure folks that Biden will remain in the race; that [Trump] is an existential threat to our country. We have to get on board. It’s a binary choice.”

The first Senate Democrat has publicly revealed that he does not believe President Biden will win re-election, warning of a potential red wave in November.

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., confirmed reports that he told colleagues Biden would not win against former President Trump in November, just hours after lawmakers met on Capitol Hill for the first time since the first presidential debate of this year.

“This race is on a trajectory that is very worrisome,” Bennet told CNN on Tuesday. “Donald Trump is on track, I think, to win this election, and maybe win it by a landslide and take with it the Senate and the House.”

Biden is facing increased calls from members within his own party to step down as the Democratic nominee after his performance at the first presidential debate raised concerns over his health and mental fitness for the job.

BIDEN INTERVIEWERS SHED LIGHT ON HIS FRAGILITY BEHIND THE SCENES: ‘IT’S IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO NOTICE’

Sen. Michael Bennet asks questions during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on May 12, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Pete Marovich/Getty Images)

“So, for me, this isn’t a question about polling. It’s not a question about politics. It’s a moral question about the future of our country,” Bennet said.

Bennet said voters have “deep concerns” about Biden’s candidacy, and given the high stakes of the election, there are ongoing conversations regarding whether the president should remain the nominee.

BIDEN TUNES OUT CRITICS WITH JAM-PACKED SCHEDULE KEEPING HIM ON THE MOVE

“We should be having a discussion about that. The White House, in the time since that disastrous debate, I think, has done nothing to really demonstrate that they have a plan to win this election,” Bennet said. 

President Biden participates in the debate against former President Trump at CNN’s studios in Atlanta on June 27, 2024. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images)

Vulnerable Democratic Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, reportedly also voiced to their colleagues in a closed-door meeting that they weren’t confident in Biden’s general election success, Axios first reported.

Fox News Digital asked Tester on Capitol Hill whether the report was true, but he did not answer questions from reporters.

Former President Trump speaks during a rally at Greenbrier Farms on June 28, 2024, in Chesapeake, Virginia. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Bennet is the first Senate Democrat to publicly call on the president to reconsider his re-election bid, but joins seven House Democrats who said Biden should step down as the nominee following the presidential debate.

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The House Democrats who officially called on the president to withdraw from the race are Reps. Mike Quigley from Illinois, Seth Moulton from Massachusetts., Lloyd Doggett from Texas, Angie Craig from Minnesota, Raul Grijalva from Arizona, Adam Smith from Washington, and Mikie Sherrill from New Jersey.

Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report.

A vulnerable Democrat senator met with a group on Capitol Hill that supports “halting expansions of immigration detention and deportation” and whose members claim police “kill people of color” and “often for no reason.”

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., according to the senator’s public schedule, met with representatives of Voices for Progress on May 16, 2024, which is a group that has a controversial stance on immigration, law enforcement, the prison system and employs members with radical views on police and the GOP.

New figures reveal there are 7.4 million migrants on ICE’s non-detained docket as a result of the open southern border under the Biden administration, with Tester’s own state seeing direct effects of drug trafficking after reporting a 1,900% increase in fentanyl-related overdose deaths in Montana from 2017 to 2023. Additionally, there were reportedly 7.87 kilograms of fentanyl, or 106,500 pills seized in Montana during calendar year 2023, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

Despite the direct impact on the Big Sky State, the group Tester met with advocates for “halting expansions of immigration detention and deportation.”

TRUMP REVEALS TWO DEM SENATORS HE IS TARGETING DURING CLOSED-DOOR MEETING

Sen. Jon Tester is seeking re-election in 2024. (Drew Angerer)

Voices for Progress also advocates for “ending the money bail system,” a move which the Constitutional Accountability Center says “could let criminals roam free.”

Additionally, the group voices support for “enacting ultra-wealthy taxation” and “ending discrimination against transgender individuals in health care and during incarceration,” according to their website.

The issue of transgender-identifying inmates being housed in prisons based on gender identity was recently brought under the national spotlight after a California biological male, Tremaine “Tremayne” Deon Carroll, was transferred to a women’s prison but was later removed after being charged with raping a female inmate.

When asked about the meeting, a spokesperson for the senator said the focus of the meeting was “ensuring the ultra-wealthy and massive corporations pay their fair share in taxes.”

“Senator Tester meets with a wide variety of groups with a wide variety of viewpoints, all of which can be viewed on his public schedule,” a spokesperon told Fox News Digital. “The main topic of Senator Tester’s meeting with this group was ensuring the ultra-wealthy and massive corporations pay their fair share in taxes.”

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) speaks to reporters as he walks through the Capitol Building on Feb. 5, 2024 in Washington, D.C. The Senate is working on bringing a bipartisan border security and immigration bill to the floor later this week for a vote. The bill, that also provides funding to Ukraine, Israel and humanitarian aid to Gaza, has received criticism from House Republicans, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) calling it “dead on arrival.” (Anna Moneymaker)

Members of the group Tester met with also have individual histories of vocal opposition to the GOP and law enforcement. 

One of the representatives reportedly in the meeting with Tester, Bella D’Alacio, posted a photo to Instagram in August 2020 holding a sign that read “F— Trump” with a caption that read, “I am tired of seeing black people killed by highly militarized, improperly trained police.”

VULNERABLE DEM SENATOR LASHES OUT AT GOP PRESS RELEASE BY BOASTING ABOUT ALL THE VEHICLES HE OWNS

The president of Voices for Progress, Sandra Fluke, has also made several statements regarding law enforcement, claiming officers “kill people of color” and “often for no reason.”

“Police kill people of color at higher rates – and often for no reason,” Fluke wrote in a June 2018 post on X.

Fluke rose to prominence in 2012 after delivering remarks in front of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, where she claimed Georgetown University, where she was studying law, should provide birth control to students as part of student aid. 

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Fluke praised the passing of California’s AB2119 in September 2018, a bill signed by the state’s then Governor that expanded access to gender-related medical practices for transgender-identifying minors in the foster care system.

Bob Fertik, president of Democrats.com, co-founder of act.tv, Vote-Pro Choice, Swipe Blue, and named representative for Voices for Progress on the Senator’s public schedule of the meeting, wrote that pro-life Republicans are “fanatical MAGA forced birthers.” 

“There are no sane Republican “pro-lifers” – just fanatical MAGA forced birthers,” he wrote on X in April 2023.

Fertik also wrote that Trump is a “Racist. Rapist. Fascist. Crook” on X in May 2023, and posted a picture of him holding a poster with the former president on it that read “lock him up.”

A Trump-appointed federal judge in Alaska has resigned after investigators determined he created a hostile work environment, engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a former law clerk and lied about it to his colleagues.

Joshua Kindred resigned from his post as a U.S. District Court judge for Alaska effective Monday after serving just four years on the bench. His resignation letter did not give reasons as to why.

The Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit on the same day released a 30-page order that detailed its findings into Kindred’s alleged misconduct. 

“We conclude that Judge Kindred committed misconduct by creating a hostile work environment for his law clerks. That hostile work environment included ‘unwanted, offensive, and abusive sexual conduct, including sexual harassment,’” the order states.

JUDGE ARRESTED AT ATLANTA NIGHTCLUB REMOVED FROM OFFICE FOR ‘JUDICIAL MISCONDUCT’

Joshua Kindred served just four years of his lifetime appointment as a U.S. District Court judge for Alaska before resigning effective Monday. (U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary/Handout via Reuters)

The order described more than 700 pages of text messages between Kindred and his law clerks, many of which were deemed “highly inappropriate.” 

In one message, the order states that Kindred told his clerks, “Who gives a f— about ethics, we need to get you paid.” In another, the order says he joked about “punching multiple Supreme Court justices,” and bringing Patrón tequila, heroin and “whip-its” – a slang term for a type of inhalant drug – to a dinner party in his chambers.

The council said it also found that Kindred had an “inappropriately sexualized relationship” with a female law clerk during her clerkship and after she became an assistant U.S. attorney for Alaska. 

Kindred engaged in sexual contact with her on two occasions, according to the order. The female former clerk said the second incident, which occurred at an Airbnb where Kindred was staying, was not consensual. Kindred has said it was consensual.

Joshua Kindred was sworn in as a U.S. District Court judge for Alaska in early 2020. (U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary/Handout via Reuters)

“The Council need not make a finding on whether the Airbnb incident was consensual to conclude that Judge Kindred committed misconduct,” the order said.

GOP-LED STATES ASK SCOTUS TO TEMPORARILY BLOCK BIDEN’S STUDENT LOAN HANDOUT PROGRAM

When asked about the sexual encounter with his former law clerk during the investigation, Kindred lied to Chief Judge Mary Murguia, the Special Committee and the Council, denying the encounter ever happened until he was put under oath, according to the judges’ order.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, wrote on social media that Kindred’s resignation “is more than appropriate.”

“Judges need to be held to the highest of standards and Mr. Kindred fell well short of that mark,” Murkowski wrote. “I will be working quickly to advance a replacement nominee for consideration.”

Though Kindred has resigned, the matter is not closed. The council referred the case to the Judicial Conference to consider impeachment.

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Kindred was appointed to the position by former President Trump in 2019 and was sworn into office in 2020.

House Democrats are still at odds with each other over how to handle President Biden’s re-election campaign after a closed-door meeting on Tuesday morning, as concerns grow over his viability as a candidate and his mental fitness for office.

Left-wing lawmakers were largely evasive when leaving the meeting at Democratic National Committee headquarters on Capitol Hill, telling crowds of reporters they had “no comment” on what went on. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., avoided reporters by departing through an alternate entrance.

Others who have publicly expressed concerns about Biden’s candidacy said they did so during the meeting as well. Democrats who spoke with Fox News Digital characterized those discussions as “respectful.”

But lawmakers also conceded that they were on a rapidly-shrinking timeline to either mount a caucus-wide push against Biden or get in line behind him as the nominee. Democrats’ nominating convention, in Chicago, is in mid-August.

“I explained how I came to the decision to go public with my concerns, about how I made a lot of calls, and behind the scenes, and tried to get my voice heard before going public,” Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., one of six House Democrats who’s asked Biden to step aside, told Fox News Digital. 

TRUMP ADDRESSES CALLS FOR BIDEN TO DROP OUT OF 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RACE: HE ‘DOESN’T WANT TO QUIT’

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries avoided reporters after a House Democratic meeting on President Biden. (Getty Images)

Moulton said he also “addressed some of the concerns that people raised about what would happen next.”

“I think that we… either pass the baton to the vice president or have some sort of makeup primary,” Moulton said when asked to elaborate. “It’ll show the American public that we’re energetic. We’re willing to change. We’re listening and responding to the people’s concerns. And we’re willing to have a serious debate within our party about the path forward, something that Republicans are obviously unwilling to do.”

When asked how his comments were taken, he said, “I will tell you that everybody who spoke on either side of this issue was received respectfully.”

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

“People were respectful, nobody booed or cheered, it was a serious conversation that I appreciate we’re able to have in a closed-door meeting,” Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Colo., said when asked about disagreements.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, the first House Democrat to come out against Biden, said he also spoke up in the meeting. He told reporters, “I’ve had a tremendous outpouring of support in my district for the position I’ve taken. So many people saying, ‘Thank you for voicing this.’”

Other lawmakers were less willing to talk. Rep. Earl Blumenaur, D-Ore., told reporters, “I don’t do this in the media. It’s not helpful.”

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, who has spoken out against Biden, said he got support in his district. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

At least six more House Democrats either declined to comment or simply did not respond when approached after the meeting by Fox News Digital.

Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, who has expressed concerns about Biden, told reporters the president has “got a lot of work” to convince people he’s fit for candidacy.

All the lawmakers who Fox News Digital heard from said there was no consensus communicated by House Democratic leaders on how to move forward.

SENIOR HOUSE DEM CALLS ON BIDEN TO STEP ASIDE, SLAMS CAMPAIGN’S ‘BE QUIET AND FALL IN LINE’ STRATEGY

“It was not about consensus… it was listening to discussions,” said Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., who is emphatically behind Biden.

He told Fox News Digital he was not frustrated at those who spoke out against Biden, explaining, “I wanted to hear them.”

Pettersen told reporters, “I think that the path moving forward, you know, we’re still having discussions. But if Joe Biden doesn’t step aside, people will be united in support of the president.”

“I think we just had a lot of, wide variety of perspectives and different pieces to highlight. There wasn’t one concise message,” she said.

Rep. Greg Landsman, who has expressed concerns about Biden, told reporters the president has “got a lot of work” to convince people he’s fit for candidacy. (Getty)

Similarly, Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., said on Monday morning that he would support Biden if he was ultimately declared the nominee in August.

Biden, for his part, has said multiple times that he will not step aside and that he is the best person to take on former President Trump.

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But his disastrous debate performance late last month on CNN has brought concerns about his age and mental acuity to the forefront.

Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., said the matter should be solved “sooner than later.”

When asked about the timeline, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., pointed out that Congress only returned to session on Monday evening.

“Obviously, everything has to be wrapped up [by August],” he said.

President Biden must use the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., this week to make his case that he is fit to serve as his party’s nominee, while the Democrats remain skeptical following his debate performance, according to experts.

“This week is pivotal for President Biden, not only because of the intense interest in what he will be saying at his press events but also because this summit provides a clear example of restored American global leadership in support of our nation’s defense,” Joel Rubin, a former State Department official during the Obama administration, told Fox News Digital.

“The long-term bipartisan investment in NATO is paying off, and the president will have a chance, at this summit, to remind the American people about why his approach of building security coalitions with global partners advances both America’s security abroad and our economy right here at home.”

Biden has faced growing resistance to his campaign for re-election ever since his debate against the presumptive GOP nominee, former President Trump, which many deemed a disaster for showcasing the president in a worse light than many anticipated. Trump at one point said, “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence” as Biden appeared to trail off during one of his answers. 

HOUSE DEMOCRATS REACH ‘NO CONSENSUS’ ON BIDEN AFTER ‘TOP SECRET’ CLOSED-DOOR MEETING

The response to the seeming shortcoming proved resounding. Biden-friendly media outlets, including major newspaper editorial boards, started publishing op-eds to urge the president to hand off his campaign to another candidate. And rumors abound that Democrats in the House and Senate will present letters to the president urging him to reconsider his insistence on running for a second term.

All of that scrutiny will continue in greater magnitude during this week’s NATO summit, which Biden leads in the nation’s capital and must use to show the American public that he can still get the job done, according to a number of members of Congress.

A reporter works in the media center for the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., on July 9, 2024. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital that Biden “must show the American public that he has the ability to serve out the remainder of this term, let alone a future one” as the “eyes of the world” watch the NATO summit. 

“It is on President Biden to show he’s capable and up to the task,” Lawler said. “What we’ve seen in recent weeks doesn’t cut it.”

FORMER WH PHYSICIAN PUSHES BACK ON KJP’S ‘RIDICULOUS EXCUSE’ SURROUNDING BIDEN’S DOCTOR VISITS

Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., argued that Biden’s situation is difficult enough without “having to pander to our allies” and China and Russia “closely watching.” He called the entire situation “frightening.” 

“With our open border and enemies on the march, we are in a period of maximum danger,” Waltz said. “The world has two clear choices this November: more weakness and chaos under Biden or a return to strength under Trump.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., left, Canadian Ambassador to the United States Kirsten Hillman, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., are shown in Schumer’s office at the U.S. Capitol on July 9, 2024. (Bonnie Cash/Getty Images)

A spokesperson for Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., referred to recent statements the senator made about Biden and his fitness to serve in which Fetterman called out party members for allegedly looking to abandon Biden after his poor debate showing. During an appearance on Fox News this month, he called the reaction “the dumbest s— I’ve ever heard.” 

“I mean, if you are more inclined to vote for a Democrat or be a Democrat, if you’re willing to walk away from Joe Biden, you’re, by defecting, helping Trump,” Fetterman told Fox News Sunday anchor Shannon Bream, pointing to his own difficult debate that preceded a historic win as proof that it’s possible to recover. 

DEMOCRATS ARE IN A ‘BIG-TIME PICKLE’: LEE ZELDIN

“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,” Fetterman wrote on social media platform X shortly after the debate ended and panic set in throughout the party. 

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, told FOX Business’ “Varney & Co.” host Stuart Varney, “When you have a president that projects weakness, this is what you get: It invites conflict and aggression and war,” referring to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and Israel’s operations against Hamas in Gaza.

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s secretary general, throws out the first pitch before a game between the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals in Washington, D.C., on July 8, 2024. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

“I think after the debate performance … it was very dangerous, in my view, because it sends a signal of weakness and incompetence to our foreign adversaries,” McCaul added, separately writing on X, “As world leaders gather in D.C. this week, all eyes are on the president.”

The ongoing war in Ukraine has already made the NATO summit a vital one as the conflict rumbles through its third year with no clear path toward an ending. Rubin noted the need for NATO to come away with some direction and clear intent as threats from the likes of Russia, China and Iran remain.

“President Biden has successfully pressed the majority of NATO countries (23 out of 37) to meet the critical benchmark of 2% spending of their GDP on defense,” Rubin noted.

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“This number was at six when his administration began,” he explained. “NATO is also going to be announcing its plan for Ukraine to have a bridge to NATO membership and will be backing up this plan with concrete actions, including elevating the coordination of Ukraine’s defense assistance to be held under NATO command.”

“Lastly, yet crucially, America’s defense industry will be accessing new global opportunities for investment both abroad and at home, with more than $36 billion of American taxpayer funds dedicated for Ukraine’s military being spent right here at home in almost every state of the nation,” Rubin said.

Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: The entire Michigan House GOP delegation — plus a major committee chair — is demanding answers from a top state official regarding the potential use of federal taxpayer dollars for pro-Democratic Party electioneering.

Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, led a letter to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson calling for a probe into whether public funds for a federal agency-linked voter registration push may have been “weaponized” to “aid and abet President Biden’s reelection campaign.”

The demands followed Williams’ May subpoena to the Small Business Administration for records relating to actions in a memo forged between the SBA and Benson’s department. 

The memo utilized a 2021 Biden executive order on “promoting access to voting” as its keystone and provided various directives relating to registering voters, according to the letter.

EXCLUSIVE: HOUSE COMMITTEE DEMANDS BIDEN AGENCY REVEAL STAFF TRAVEL HISTORIES AMID ELECTIONEERING CLAIMS

Williams, head of the House Small Business Committee, and the co-signers seek to determine whether there is documentation reflecting allegations the voter registration work done under the memo strategically favors Democrats. 

The letter claims 39 of 52 scheduled small business outreach events in Michigan take place in “counties with the highest populations of demographics targeted by the Democratic National Committee.

“Additionally, 100 percent of the visits to Michigan from the SBA Administrator and Deputy Administrator have taken place in counties with the highest populations of DNC target demographics.”

Williams and co-signers, including Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., questioned the proclivity of efforts occurring in places valued by the Biden administration and campaign.

“The United States is built upon the principle of free and fair elections, but the Biden administration seems to not care about upholding our democracy,” McClain said Tuesday.

WATCHDOG GROUP SUES FEDS FOR RECORDS AS LAWMAKER CALLS VOTER REGISTRATION EFFORTS A ‘SLAP IN THE FACE’

“Instead, they’re using the taxpayer-funded SBA to coordinate voter registration with Michigan’s Secretary of State.”

She called that alleged behavior an “abuse of power” that risks future election integrity.

“I will not rest until I get to the bottom of [this],” McClain said.

Williams added that evidence shows the SBA “has the ability to indirectly campaign” for Biden in a must-win state.

“This is a ridiculous — and likely illegal — use of taxpayer resources. I thank my Michigan colleagues for joining me in this effort, and we will not stop until the SBA is completely and totally forthcoming,” Williams said.

The letter cited a covertly recorded April video released by self-described “guerrilla journalist” James O’Keefe, which shows an SBA official claiming Small Business Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman’s travel is at times purposefully targeted to “indirectly campaign” for Biden.

In the video, a Guzman visit to vulnerable Sen. Jon Tester’s, D-Mont., home state is cited. The SBA official in the video notes Tester’s seat is a must-win for a continuing Democratic majority in the upper chamber. 

Citing that context, the letter demanded Benson turn over all documents and communications between her department, SBA officials and external contractors relating to Michigan voter registration.

NEW TRUMP VOTER FRAUD SQUADS BEGIN GEARING UP FOR ‘ELECTION INTEGRITY’ FIGHT

It also demanded memo-related expense documentation, sources of the expense payments and the name of the state official designated as Benson’s liaison with the SBA.

Benson was also asked to turn over lists of relevant events in Republican House districts with notations about whether that GOP member as well as the state’s two Democratic senators, Gary Peters and Deborah Stabenow, were invited.

“If either of the two senators were invited but a Republican member of Congress was not, please detail the reasoning behind the lack of invitation,” Williams wrote.

In response to past criticisms of the Michigan Department of State’s (MDOS) work under the memo, spokeswoman Angela Benander said the agency enjoys being part of a “first-in-the-nation effort” with the small business community to “play an active role in our democracy.”

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“Allegations that this program is being used to drive large amounts of voter activity in a partisan manner are patently false,” Benander said, adding, unsolicited, that criticisms of the voter registration web portal are unfounded due to its minimal use.

Critics, however, have suggested the attention given by a Biden administration agency to a key swing state in this way continues to draw suspicion.

Previously, Guzman said in a statement heralding the memo that it is meant to promote civic engagement and fulfill a Biden administration promise to protect and strengthen democracy.

“Small businesses are busy working on and in their businesses, and by meeting them where they are — on our website and at our small business outreach events — we can help facilitate voter registration and civic engagement so their voices are heard,” Guzman said.

An SBA representative declined to respond to a question about the veracity of O’Keefe’s video.

HOOKSETT, N.H. – Voters in New Hampshire, a key northeastern swing state, say President Biden’s extremely rough performance two weeks ago in his debate with former President Trump will weigh heavily on their decision of whom to support in the 2024 election rematch.

“I’m leaning toward Donald Trump a little bit. Just because, I mean, the debate performance is really, really, really impactful for me, I was really thrown off by Joe Biden’s performance,” a New Hampshire voter named Mario, told Fox News.

Mario and nearly a dozen other voters shared their views as they stopped Monday at a highway rest area about half between the state capital of Concord and Manchester, which is New Hampshire’s largest city.

Following his extremely rough debate performance in his first face-to-face showdown with Trump, Biden has been attempting to prove that he still has the stamina and acuity to handle the toughest and most demanding job in the world. And he’s trying to prove that he has the fortitude to defeat Trump.

NEWSOM SAYS CALLS BY FELLOW DEMOCRATS FOR BIDEN TO END HIS RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN ‘NOT HELPFUL’

President Biden and former President Trump debate in Atlanta. (Getty Images)

The debate was a major setback for Biden, who at 81 is the oldest president in the nation’s history. His halting delivery and stumbling answers at the showdown in Atlanta sparked widespread panic in the Democratic Party and a rising tide of public and private calls from within his own party for him to step aside as its 2024 standard-bearer.

Over the past week and a half, six House Democrats have publicly called on Biden to end his re-election bid. And on Sunday, Fox News and other news organizations reported that four House Democrats who hold top positions on key committees said on a private conference call that the president needed to step aside.

BIDEN TELLS CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS CALLS FOR HIM TO DROP OUT ‘ONLY HELPS TRUMP AND HURTS US’

Biden, in a letter sent to congressional Democrats on Monday as they returned from the July 4th holiday recess, reiterated that he’s “firmly committed to staying in this race” and argued that “the question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now. And it is time for it to end. We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump.”

“Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us,” the president added. “It is time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump.”

President Biden speaks at a campaign rally in Madison, Wisconsin. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Mario shared, “I’m not really a Donald Trump person,” adding, “I think Donald Trump is too old, too.”

“But, I mean, out of the two, to me, he was a little bit younger, a little bit more with it. So that’s where I’m leaning toward at the moment.”

William Yacopucci, another New Hampshire voter, said Biden has “been an awesome president. I really like him. I think he can still do a good job for the remainder of this term.”

But, he added, “Three or four years from now, he’s going to be that much older. So, though I really, really like him, I think they should give someone else another shot at it.”

New Hampshire voter Al Byrnes told Fox News he “was very sad that President Biden performed like he did, but in the concept of everything, I would still totally back him tomorrow at this point.”

“I do wish that he would drop out of the race, but, I would support him or whoever replaces him. Anything but Donald Trump,” Byrnes emphasized.

SOME TOP HOUSE DEMOCRATS URGE BIDEN TO STEP ASIDE

Rose, another New Hampshire voter who said she was leaning toward Trump, offered, “Biden doesn’t seem like he knows what he’s talking about.”

But taking aim at the debate performances of both Biden and Trump, she added, “I felt like they were both just talking circles around each other.”

The voters were interviewed minutes before Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, who’s a top surrogate for Biden’s re-election campaign, arrived at the highway rest area and took aim at the small but growing number of Democratic lawmakers urging the president to end his re-election bid. 

“It doesn’t help. Let’s be candid here,” Newsom said as he spoke with reporters in New Hampshire, the third swing state that the governor has campaigned in on behalf of Biden since Thursday.

Asked by Fox News about the political damage from such calls from within the party, Newsom said, “Obviously, it’s not helpful, but it’s a handful of people.”

And the governor emphasized that the “overwhelming majority of the caucus” is still supporting Biden. “Every single stop that we’ve had in the six days that I’ve been out, we’ve had to change venues because there were so many people showing up. They’re not giving in to the cynicism, fear, they’re showing up.”

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

Newsom spoke with reporters soon after White House officials defended Biden’s health and denied he was ever treated for Parkinson’s disease. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre fielded a barrage of questions on Monday afternoon over recent reports that a top neurologist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center met with Biden’s physician at the White House in January.

“Has the president been treated for Parkinson’s? No,” she told reporters after being pressed further on the matter. “Is he being treated for Parkinson’s? No, he’s not. Is he taking medication for Parkinson’s? No. So, those are the things that I can give you full-blown answers on.”

Asked if he had any concerns about Biden’s cognitive abilities, Newsom responded, “I don’t.”

“I have spent as much or more time than probably any other governor in the country with him,” Newsom emphasized. “I’ve spent a lot of time with him privately, been with him in many public settings. I was with him just a few days ago with other governors. Been on the phone late at night and early morning, in many, many stressful situations and very casual conversations. And no, I don’t have any doubt about that.”

A handful of national polls conducted entirely after the debate and released last week contained plenty of red flags for the president – including Trump widening his single-digit edge over Biden and deepening concerns of Americans about whether Biden was up to the task of running the country.

Despite his denials, Newsom’s name continuously comes up in media reports as a potential replacement should the president change his mind and decide to end his re-election campaign.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, a top surrogate for President Biden, speaks with voters during a stop at a highway rest area in Hooksett, New Hampshire, on July 8, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

“I think that’s a legitimate question and I respect it,” Newsom said when asked if he would seek the nomination at next month’s convention in Chicago if the president bows out.

But, he quickly added, “It’s also exactly the question that Donald Trump is hoping everyone asks as he’s out on the golf course.”

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Asked if the media attention was an intentional distraction, the governor said, “Of course it is.”

“Look. It’s intentional. I know how these guys work,” Newsom charged, as he pointed toward conservative media. “This is all very intentionally ginned up in order to create a little mishegoss (a Yiddish word for crazy or senseless behavior or activity).” 

Newsom said, “I don’t take it personally. I don’t take it seriously except to say sometimes I do believe others do take it more seriously than they should.”

And, he argued, “I think it’s intentional mis- and disinformation and it can be very effective, and we have to counter that and that’s why I’m out here.”

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

Donald Trump clearly wants to run against Joe Biden, even though many Democrats and media liberals want the president to bow out.

But he’s starting to rough up Kamala Harris, just in case.

There may be a little reverse psychology at play here, as well as a fundraising bonanza. The more that Trump argues that Biden is toast, the more he may stiffen the president’s resolve not to be pressured out of the race. Not even by the New York Times, which yesterday ran a second editorial: “He has come to regard himself as indispensable. He does not seem to understand that he is now the problem — and that the best hope for Democrats to retain the White House is for him to step aside.”

BIDEN CALLS ‘MORNING JOE,’ DENOUNCES MEDIA AND POLITICAL ELITES AS DEMOCRATS WARN OF TRUMP VICTORY

Trump is so certain of a big victory after Biden’s debate meltdown that it may well affect his VP choice, which I’m certain will be unveiled at week’s end. He had been talking about an announcement the first day of next week’s Milwaukee convention, which would blow out coverage of the first couple of days, but has switched saying before the convention. And it has probably given a big boost to J.D. Vance.

In a phone interview last night with Sean Hannity, Trump was asked if he wanted to run against Biden.

“Well, we prepared for him, but I don’t think it’s going to matter,” Trump said, adding that the president is “only semi-running things” while the people that surround the Oval Office are really in charge. 

A split image of President Joe Biden, Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. (Getty Images)

What about the talk that if Biden steps aside, it would be Kamala Harris?

“Well, I think that it will be her,” said Trump. “I think they are very concerned about the vote if it’s not her. They are very, very– I mean, they’re gun-shy, they don’t want to do it any other way. I’ve actually come to believe that’s what they’re going to do.”

He concluded, “I think she’s an ineffective person, she was in charge of the border, she’s never been there, she didn’t do a good job, and she hasn’t done a job on a lot of other things, but it would seem to me from a political standpoint that’s who they’re going with.”

Trump had called her “pathetic” in those golf cart comments taped by an aide. 

The subject lines of two recent fundraising emails: “Biden is dropping out!” and “President Kamala Harris?” .

BIDEN DIGS IN WHILE DEMOCRATS LAUNCH BLAME GAME AS MUCH OF THE PARTY WISHES HE’D BOW OUT

Biden insists he’s doing nothing of the sort, but he’s had an awful couple of weeks. He has lost Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart, two anti-Trumpers, especially Colbert, who held a softball session with the president just three months ago.

More important, the White House has been caught in another coverup. The New York Post first reported that the White House physician, Kevin O’Connor, brought in a Parkinson’s specialist who visited the building 10 times between 2022 and last March. 

This neurologist, Kevin Cannard, examined the president three times, but it was buried in a report as if it were a routine part of Biden’s annual physical. What many are missing is that Cannard met with a liaison in the medical unit and was undoubtedly providing Parkinson’s guidance to Biden’s longtime doctor. 

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 9, 2024.  (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Karine Jean-Pierre was absolutely hammered at Monday’s briefing, with CBS’s Ed O’Keefe accusing her of misleading the press. O’Connor released a BS letter confirming Cannard’s role that was basically a non-denial denial.

Getting information out of this White House is like pulling teeth.

What’s more, Politico reports that O’Connor was basically in business with Biden’s brother Jim, introducing him to hospital officials in an effort to drum up business.

The leak of Biden’s comments to Democratic governors that he won’t do events after 8 p.m., so he can get more sleep, brought plenty of mockery.

The Wall Street Journal, which drew so much condemnation from the MSM a month ago for its piece “Biden Seems to be Slipping,” was back yesterday with devastating new reporting.

“The White House has limited Biden’s daily itinerary and shielded him from impromptu exchanges…and sought to make sure meetings with donors stuck to scripted pleasantries. 

THE VEEPSTAKES GOES ‘APPRENTICE’: WILL TRUMP REALLY PICK RUBIO, VANCE OR BURGUM?

“Senior aides dismissed travel suggestions over worries the president didn’t have the stamina for them…including an idea for Biden to make weekly cross-country trips in 2022 to tout the benefits of his infrastructure law.”

Anita Dunn, who oversees communications strategy, and such longtime loyalists as Steve Richetti and Mike Donilon, are getting some of the blame.  

All of this unfolded as Biden’s slips became increasingly obvious, and his top advisers were assuring everyone the president was fine. 

Regarding Biden and Dunn’s shared disdain for the media, a spokesman said, “The president and Anita only feel that way about some of the press.”

Another telling anecdote: German officials, knowing of the fatigue issue, planned a 2022 event for Biden in the early evening. But Biden didn’t show, and Tony Blinken filled in, saying the president had gone to bed. The secretary of State denies saying this.

In this handout photo provided by ABC, U.S. President Joe Biden speaks with This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos on July 05, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin. The president sat down with Stephanopoulos while on the campaign trail in Wisconsin, a few days after a debate with former President Donald Trump.  (Photo by ABC via Getty Images)

Having fumbled the Stephanopoulos sitdown, when he could have been doing five interviews, Biden faces one more test: A solo press conference tomorrow at the NATO summit in Washington. It’s his chance to show he’s quick enough to deal with aggressive questioning. And a supposed revolt by congressional Democrats hasn’t materialized.

After lying low, Trump will seize the spotlight again with his veep announcement. And his expectation that he’ll win easily has given a boost to Vance, who is backed by Don Jr.

The Ohio senator, despite being in office less than two years, has become perhaps the most forceful advocate of a populist version of the MAGA agenda, one that favors tariffs and America First isolationism over traditional Republicanism. Although the “Hillbilly Elegy” author opposed Trump in 2016, even likening him to Hitler, they have long since mended fences. And Vance is a veteran who served in Iraq. 

If Trump sees himself coasting to victory, it’s easier to go with Vance.

The other alternative appears to be Marco Rubio, who spoke at a Trump rally in Florida last night. Rubio is a nationally known figure and foreign policy expert who guided Trump on Latin American affairs. He would energize at least part of the Hispanic community and is a plausible president who could take over if necessary.

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES

The downside is that Rubio would start running for the 2028 nomination on day one, which could draw coverage from a boss who likes to be the center of attention. 

Vance is the ideological pick; Rubio is the governing pick.

Trump told me in our interview that it doesn’t matter who he selects, that people vote for the top of the ticket. And he’s right about that.

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But after insisting in several interviews that his only retribution would be success, he was back to making threats yesterday, seeming to target Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg:

“We will pursue Election Fraudsters at levels never seen before, and they will be sent to prison for long periods of time. We already know who you are. DON’T DO IT! ZUCKERBUCKS, be careful!”

Former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is releasing all of her delegates to next week’s Republican National Convention and urging them to support former President Trump.

“The nominating convention is a time for Republican unity,” Haley said in a statement on Tuesday. “I encourage my delegates to support Donald Trump next week in Milwaukee.”

Haley, who was the final challenger against Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination before ending her White House bid four months ago, charged in her statement that “Joe Biden is not competent to serve a second term and Kamala Harris would be a disaster for America.”

“We need a president who will hold our enemies to account, secure our border, cut our debt, and get our economy back on track,” she urged.

TRUMP DROPS A MAJOR HINT ON HIS RUNNING MATE – AND ON THE TIMING 

Nikki Haley announces she is suspending her campaign, in Charleston, South Carolina, March 6, 2024. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)

Haley launched her presidential campaign in February of last year, becoming the first major candidate to challenge Trump, who had announced his candidacy three months earlier. She was the final rival to Trump, battling the former president in a contentious two-candidate showdown from the New Hampshire primary in late January through Super Tuesday in early March.

AFTER MONTHS OF SILENCE, HALEY SAYS WHO SHE’LL VOTE FOR IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 

Haley announced that she was suspending her White House campaign on March 6, the day after Trump swept 14 of 15 GOP nominating contests on Super Tuesday.

As she departed the race, Haley made it clear that she intended to keep speaking out. And Haley continued to grab up to 20% of the vote in Republican presidential primaries in the months after she dropped out.

Nikki Haley gives an address at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank, on May 22, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Hudson Institute)

In late May, in her first public comments since announcing the end of her 2024 campaign, Haley said she would vote for Trump.

“Trump has not been perfect on these policies. I have made that clear many, many times. But Biden has been a catastrophe. So, I will be voting for Trump,” Haley said.

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Haley won a total of 97 delegates during the Republican presidential primaries.

Nikki Haley speaks at a campaign town hall in Rye, New Hampshire, Jan. 2, 2024. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)

Haley is not planning on attending next week’s convention in Milwaukee, aides told Fox News.

“She was not invited, and she’s fine with that,” Haley aide Chaney Denton said. “Trump deserves the convention he wants. She’s made it clear she’s voting for him and wishes him the best.”

Word of Haley’s move on Tuesday was first reported by Politico.

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

As doubts grow about President Biden’s mental acuity, the spotlight turns to whether he can step down as the presidential nominee while completing his first term, and what that would mean for Vice President Kamala Harris’ political future.

“Vice President Kamala Harris owes the American people an explanation as to why she has not been honest about President Biden’s steep decline into incapacity,” Mike Howell, executive director of the conservative advocacy group Heritage Action, told Fox News Digital.

“She chose politics over national security and history will judge her for that decision.”

Howell added that Democratic lawmakers are unlikely to call for Biden to retire immediately and allow Harris to take the helm, because “to admit that is that they’ve basically been complicit in a lie for the last three and a half years,” referring to Biden’s declining health.

MULTIPLE RANKING DEMOCRATS ON HOUSE COMMITTEES WANT BIDEN TO STEP ASIDE

 President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on the Truman Balcony of the White House on July 4, 2024. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Him stepping down is an implicit endorsement of Kamala Harris being the nominee, because she would be the incumbent president at that point, and so I think that factors into it,” Howell said. “What’s happening right now is there’s just going to be a series of rounds of people increasingly calling for it, and obviously President Biden’s trying to resist those calls as much as possible. But I think it’s unavoidable that more and more do call.”

Despite the growing chorus of concerned lawmakers calling on Biden to suspend his re-election campaign due to his poor debate performance and fading vitality, Biden has repeatedly said he is not dropping out of the race.

“Most of the Democrats who are questioning whether or challenging President Biden should run are in either swing districts or tough re-election races of their own, or they need independent and Republican votes,” Democratic strategist Mustafa Rashed told Fox News Digital in an interview.

“It’s tough,” Rashed continued. “The advantage that the vice president has is that she’s been adjacent to the Oval Office for the last three and a half years, which is something that no one else can say. I would also say that she’s the only person that’s been nationally, publicly and thoroughly vetted right now, like some of the other candidates have not gone through the sort of vetting process that’s required to run for national office.”

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

Other potential Democratic candidates who have been floated as options to replace Biden include Gov. Gavin Newsom, of California, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, of Michigan.

When asked at a Biden-Harris campaign event in New Hampshire this week, Newsom said Harris would likely win in a hypothetical matchup against former President Trump. 

“I have no doubt about that. And that’s from someone that’s also known her longer than most, before we were both in politics,” Newsom said, The Associated Press reported. “But I don’t expect it’s going to come to that.”

Democrats also met behind closed doors Monday as pressure mounted on Biden to drop out of the race. 

Fox News learned that multiple Democrats on House committees expressed concerns about the viability of Biden continuing to run for re-election against Trump after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., held a virtual meeting with ranking Democrats on House panels Sunday afternoon.

Fox is told the consensus among most Democrats on the call who suggested Biden should abandon the race was that the party should focus on Harris as a potential successor.

Additionally, a recent CNN/SSRS poll shows Harris performing slightly better than Biden in a matchup against Trump.

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

President Biden speaks during a campaign event in Philadelphia on April 18, 2024. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

House Republicans are already on the offense against Harris as a possible replacement for Biden’s candidacy should he step down from the race.

GOP lawmakers – in both safe red seats and swing districts being targeted by the left – dismissed Harris as a political threat to their chances in November, arguing she’s still tied to the same progressive Biden policies they believe are unpopular with voters.

Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., who served as longtime chair of the New York Republican Party before coming to Congress, previously told Fox News Digital, “Kamala Harris is just as responsible for this administration’s failures, but she’s more incompetent.”

A swing-seat Republican who asked not to be named told Fox News Digital they were skeptical Harris would do better on the debate stage than Biden. 

“I would say she’s the weakest part of the ticket right now, as bad as Biden is,” that GOP lawmaker said.

NEWSOM DOUBLES DOWN ON SUPPORT FOR BIDEN IN MICHIGAN: ‘I BELIEVE IN HIS CHARACTER’

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally on June 28, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Reps. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., Mark Takano, D-Calif., Don Beyer, D-Va., and Adam Smith, D-Wash., reportedly expressed privately that Biden should exit the presidential race as the Democratic nominee on Sunday. Most of them also reportedly said Harris should be the nominee, two people familiar with the meeting told The Associated Press. 

Following reports on the meeting, Beyer issued a statement saying he backs the president staying in the race. 

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“I support President Biden. I support the Biden-Harris ticket, and look forward to helping defeat Donald Trump in November,” the representative said. “I was proud to host an event this week in Northern Virginia with the President, and will continue doing all I can to support the Biden-Harris campaign in Virginia and across the country.”

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

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind, Greg Wehner and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

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

What’s happening…

-Biden phone banking in battle to save re-election bid

-AOC endorses Biden

-Trump drops major hint about VP pick

No Consensus Reached

House Democrats are still at odds with each other over how to handle President Biden’s re-election campaign after a closed-door meeting on Tuesday morning, as concerns grow over his viability as a candidate and his mental fitness for office.

Left-wing lawmakers were largely evasive when leaving the meeting at Democratic National Committee headquarters on Capitol Hill, telling crowds of reporters they had “no comment” on what went on. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., avoided reporters by departing through an alternate entrance.

Others who have publicly expressed concerns about Biden’s candidacy said they did so during the meeting as well. Democrats who spoke with Fox News Digital characterized those discussions as “respectful.” …Read more

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries avoided reporters after a House Democratic meeting on President Biden (Getty Images)

White House

‘QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO GET ASKED’: Warner says questions are being raised on Biden candidacy after seeking meeting on ‘path forward’ …Read more

‘MUST DO MORE’: Patty Murray pressures Biden after discrediting report on his decline …Read more

‘MORE THAN JUST ONE MAN’: Ex-Obama official defends keeping Biden at top of ticket …Read more

‘HIGHLY DOUBTFUL’: Experts reveal VP Harris’s role in 25th Amendment and how would it work to remove Biden …Read more

DEMS COME HOME: Biden ‘working the phones’ in battle to save re-election bid …Read more

President Biden is seen speaking in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Capitol Hill

‘YOU’VE HAD MY BACK’: Biden courts Congressional Black Caucus in virtual meeting amid party turmoil …Read more

‘I SUPPORT HIM’: AOC endorses Biden’s re-election campaign: ‘The matter is closed’ …Read more

BREAKING NEWS: Longtime Sen. James Inhofe dead at 89 …Read more

‘LEGACY’ IN DOUBT: Third in line to presidency calls on Biden to ‘seriously consider’ the future …Read more

BLUE WALL OF SILENCE: House Dems calling on Biden to step aside won’t say if they’ll back him as nominee …Read more

Tales from the Campaign Trail

TRUMP DROPPING HINTS: Trump lets loose major hint on his running mate, and timing of announcement …Read more

TURNING UP THE VOLUME: Trump and his allies turn up the volume on Biden amid Democratic turmoil following disastrous debate …Read more

‘I UNDERSTAND THE EMOTION’: Harris defends anti-Israel protests amid speculation of presidential run …Read more

‘PAINFUL DECISION’: Where they stand: Dems who have called for Biden to drop out, expressed concern …Read more

Trials and Tribulations

Across America

‘EXTREME RISK’: Homeland Security has given Yemeni nationals an extension to stay in the US, raising security concerns …Read more

‘THE RECORD IS CLEAR’: Nixon Foundation fires back at Dem mayor for blaming deceased president for skyrocketing gun violence …Read more

‘CONCISE’: Party’s blueprint is readable for everyday Americans says GOP platform chair …Read more

Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox.

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

President Biden delivered a strong opening address to welcome foreign leaders to NATO’s 75th anniversary summit in Washington D.C. Tuesday evening — a highly-anticipated speech as members of his own party and foreign leaders expressed concerns over his fitness for the presidency and continued re-election campaign. 

Biden spoke Tuesday evening to welcome foreign leaders to the summit, touting the strength of NATO, looking ahead to the future, and seeking to show strength amid chaos within the Democratic Party over his plans to continue running for re-election. 

BIDEN ‘WORKING THE PHONES’ IN BATTLE TO SAVE RE-ELECTION BID, WITH DEMOCRATS STARTING TO RETURN TO HIS CAMP

Biden seemingly bounced back Tuesday evening, delivering a strong address without any major stumbles or setbacks. 

President Joe Biden speaks at a church service at Mt. Airy Church of God in Christ, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Philadelphia  (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

“Today, NATO is more powerful than ever,” Biden said Tuesday evening. “It’s good that we’re stronger than ever because this moment in history calls for our collective strength. Autocrats want to overturn global order, which is by and large, kept for nearly 80 years and counting. Terrorist groups continue to plot evil schemes, cause mayhem and chaos and suffering in Europe. Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues and Putin wants nothing less than Ukraine’s total subjugation to end Ukraine.” 

The Russia-Ukraine war began under the Biden administration.

“Ukraine can and will stop Putin,” Biden said. “Russia will not prevail. Ukraine will prevail.” 

Biden, during the address, announced a historic donation of air defense equipment to Ukraine. The U.S., Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, and Italy are coming together to provide Ukraine with equipment for five additional strategic air defense systems. 

Biden also gave NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg the Presidential Medal of Freedom Tuesday night as he opened the summit in Washington D.C. 

FILE – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, right, speaks with United States President Joe Biden during a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council during a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, July 12, 2023. U.S. President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts are meeting in Washington this week to mark the 75th anniversary of the world’s biggest security organization just as Russia presses its advantage on the battlefield in Ukraine.  (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)

“So much of the progress we made in the Alliance is thanks to the secretary,” Biden said, adding that Stoltenberg has guided NATO through “one of the most consequential periods in its history.” 

BIDEN NOTES ‘WORLD’S LOOKING TO AMERICA’ AS HE FACES SCRUTINY BEFORE HOSTING NATO SUMMIT

“The whole world will reap the rewards of your labor for years to come in the form of security, opportunity and greater freedom,” Biden said. “For these reasons, I am pleased to award you the highest civilian honor the United States can bestow—a Presidential Medal of Freedom.” 

The three-day summit, which began Tuesday, will focus on ways to reassure Ukraine of NATO’s enduring support and offer some hope to its war-weary citizens that their country might survive the biggest land conflict in Europe in decades. NATO’s day-to-day work is led by Stoltenberg, the former prime minister of Norway, until he is replaced as secretary-general on Oct. 1 by outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

A reporter works in the media center at the NATO Summit on July 9, 2024, in Washington, DC. NATO holds its annual summit in Washington this week to mark the 75th anniversary of its founding.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Biden’s address Tuesday night came at a consequential time for the future of his presidency and a potential second term. 

Biden and the White House have maintained that he will continue running his 2024 re-election campaign. 

Sources told Fox News Digital that Biden has been personally working the phones to call Democratic colleagues, supporters and donors to quell concerns — and the strategy appears to be working. 

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., came out in support of the president, along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. 

Rank-and-file Democrats in the House also rallied behind the president, as well as a number of top Democratic senators. 

Biden also saw support from the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Monday night. 

However, Democratic sources told Fox News Digital that “the reality” is that Election Day is just four months away, and the Democratic Party “can’t just parachute a replacement in that can beat Trump this late in the game.”

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“The reality is, it is too late in the game to replace the guy if we want to win — that’s it,” the source told Fox News Digital.

Additionally, despite reports of top donors considering pulling their support, the source told Fox News Digital that those donors “have a multi-decade personal relationship” with Biden.

“There is loyalty there, and he has delivered on many pieces of the Democrat agenda,” the source told Fox News Digital. “Kamala has not proven that she is a viable replacement — even though Biden has given her years of world leader meetings and more.”

The White House was pressed Tuesday about whom the Pentagon would contact if a nuclear missile were fired toward the U.S. after 8 p.m., which is when President Biden has said he needs to call it a day.

Last week, Biden told Democratic governors during a private meeting at the White House that he would stop scheduling events after 8 p.m. so he can get more sleep, according to a report by The New York Times.

At a press briefing Tuesday, Fox News’ Peter Doocy pressed White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about the president’s mental health and being at his sharpest before 8 p.m.

“Well, he also says he’s sharpest before 8 p.m. So, say that the Pentagon at some point picks up an incoming nuke. It’s 11 p.m. Who do you call? The first lady?” Doocy asked.

ANONYMOUS DEMOCRATIC SENATOR SAYS EVERYONE’S KNOWN FOR YEARS BIDEN HAS MENTAL LAPSES

Fox News’ Peter Doocy pressed White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about whom the Pentagon would notify if a nuke were fired toward the U.S. after 8 p.m., when President Biden reportedly said he needs to stop working. (Fox News)

Jean-Pierre told Doocy the president has a team to let him know of any news that is “pertinent and important” to the American people.

She also said Biden has someone he appointed to get the news from the National Security Council should that scenario ever happen.

Who that person is, Jean-Pierre did not say.

Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy said when he was speaker there were many times he attended meetings in the Oval Office and the first lady was there.

CAMPAIGN CRISIS: DEMS WHO HAVE CALLED FOR BIDEN TO DROP OUT OR RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT HIS HEALTH

President Biden smiles alongside Vice President Kamala Harris. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Doocy asked Jean-Pierre if Jill Biden was making decisions or advising the president while attending the meetings.

“No, the president is the president of the United States. He makes decisions,” Jean-Pierre said.

The questioning came after Doocy asked Jean-Pierre if the president was committed to serving a full second term if elected. The press secretary answered, “Yes.”

The correspondent then told Jean-Pierre the president said his health is fine, but “it’s just his brain and that he’s as sharp as before.”

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

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told Fox News’ Peter Doocy the president would still make the decision if a nuclear weapon was fired toward the U.S. after 8 p.m. despite President Biden reportedly saying he wants to be done with events at 8 p.m. so he can get more sleep.  (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

The press secretary quickly jumped in to tell Doocy that Biden was “joking,” to set the record straight.

“What’s the joke?” Doocy asked, before being told by Jean-Pierre that Biden was making a “lighthearted joke.”

“That he has a problem with his brain?” Doocy asked.

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

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House Jan. 3, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“He was speaking off the cuff and making a joke,” Jean-Pierre said. “You know the president. He likes to joke a lot. He’s the same guy who says, ‘I know I look 40,’ right? So, he likes to make jokes.”

Doocy questioned how that was a joke and was told people laugh when Biden says it.

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Biden’s poor performance during the late June presidential debate against former President Trump reinforced concerns about Biden’s age and fitness for office, which have been growing for months.

Biden is facing growing pressure to drop out of the 2024 race.

Three former advisers to President Obama took aim at President Biden Tuesday as longstanding rumors of tension between the two men’s camps continue to linger.

Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor, who were often referred to as the “Obama bros” during their tenure in the White House, dedicated the majority of their latest “Pod Save America” episode to ganging up on Biden following his poor performance in the first presidential debate, and in a subsequent interview.

“I thought it was bad, and, at times, very hard to watch,” Vietor said, referencing Biden’s sit-down interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos last week that came as part of an effort by the president to quell critics calling for him to exit the presidential race.

BIDEN ‘WORKING THE PHONES’ IN BATTLE TO SAVE RE-ELECTION BID, WITH DEMOCRATS STARTING TO RETURN TO HIS CAMP

Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor at Politicon at Pasadena Convention Center on July 29, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (John Sciulli/Getty Images for Politicon)

“In fairness to Biden, I don’t think that interview could have solved the political problem that stemmed from the debate,” he said, adding the interview made him “more concerned” because Biden “struggled to speak in a clear, coherent way.”

Vietor argued Biden didn’t articulate a compelling second-term agenda that would sway swing voters to support him over former President Trump, and that his explanations for his recent poor performance, such as travel and sickness, didn’t fully answer for “how bad the debate was.”

Lovett agreed and said the interview “was a hard setting for him to succeed, even at his absolute best, because it’s hard to justify why it was more than a week after the debate, that it was so brief, and he was only doing one.”

“The debate was just a bad night. We all saw it,” he said. “The explanations are kind of vague… That doesn’t do enough to assuage our concerns about what we saw that night. Right? So, the explanations don’t offer anything.”

BIDEN’S FORMER PRESS SECRETARY JEN PSAKI ADMITS ABC INTERVIEW WAS ‘JUST OKAY’

Former President Barack Obama and President Joe Biden. (Getty Images)

“If you’re going to raise the stakes on one interview, it can’t be another example of you being hard to understand, not because he’s soft, not because he’s mumbling, but because his train of thought doesn’t make sense,” he said. “The stakes are incredibly high. Trump is an incredible threat, but either he will prosecute that case, or someone else will, and right now, we get neither.”

Favreau said that although Biden’s interview was “more coherent than the debate,” he was “worried” Biden’s lack of urgency and message meant he might not be able to make up for the debate going forward. He cited recent polling showing Biden trailing Trump in every key swing state.

“What are you going to do to win over voters who are undecided between Biden and Trump when you have that message with George Stephanopoulos?” he asked.

Vietor later said it “seems like a clear-cut choice that we’d have a better chance with someone else,” while Lovett argued Biden wasn’t “delivering the message effectively.”

HALEY URGES HER CONVENTION DELEGATES TO SUPPORT TRUMP: ‘REPUBLICAN UNITY’

President Joe Biden speaks at a church service at Mt. Airy Church of God in Christ, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Philadelphia  (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

“That George Stephanopoulos interview was painful to watch,” Lovett said. “It was a terrible interview. He did a terrible job articulating why he’s in the race, what happened at the debate, and why he’s the person to beat Trump. He’s doing a terrible job.”

The comments come just a day after former Obama adviser David Axelrod said during an appearance on CNN that Biden was “certain” to lose the race to Trump.

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“There are certain immutable facts of life,” Axelrod said while discussing Biden’s age and leadership. “Those were painfully obvious on that debate stage. The president just… hasn’t come to grips with it. He’s not winning this race.”

Relationships between former and current advisers from the Biden and Obama administrations have reportedly been strained in recent years given the level of criticism aimed at the current president, as well as that he was passed over for the Democratic presidential nomination in favor of Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Obama has, however, spent time defending Biden following his debate performance.

Fox News’ Brian Flood and Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report.

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Most Democrats are still remaining mum on whether President Biden is fit to serve out the rest of his term amid growing concerns over his mental competency.

Various lawmakers on Capitol Hill refused to respond when asked by Fox News Digital whether Biden should remain in office, while others expressed confidence in his abilities now and in the future.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and representatives Mark Takano, D-Calif.; Steny Hoyer, D-Md.; Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; Maxwell Frost, D-Fla.; Lou Correa, D-Calif.; Rob Menendez, D-N.J.; Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo.; Jim Himes, D-Conn.; and Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., did not respond to Fox News Digital when asked whether Biden is fit to serve the remainder of his first term.

But Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., one of the first Democratic representatives to publicly call on Biden to withdraw his candidacy as the nominee, said he was not concerned about the president’s ability to serve the remaining five months in office.

JON STEWART CALLS OUT DEMOCRATS’ ‘BULLS—’ EXCUSES FOR BIDEN’S ‘SHOCKING DISPLAY OF COGNITIVE DIFFICULTY’

Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York told Fox News Digital he is “staying with” Biden in his re-election bid. (Fox News Digital)

It comes as Democrats continue to raise doubts, mostly in private, whether Biden is the best-suited candidate to beat former President Trump in November after his disastrous debate performance against the presumptive Republican nominee late last month. 

“I’m wearing my aviators today, right? I’m staying with papa,” Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., told Fox News Digital outside the Democratic National Committee before House Democrats held their first meeting since calls to replace the president as the nominee overwhelmed the conversation on Capitol Hill.

“Absolutely,” said Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., when asked if Biden is fit to serve. “He’s been one of the most effective presidents ever.”

THIRD IN LINE TO PRESIDENCY CALLS ON BIDEN TO ‘SERIOUSLY CONSIDER’ THE FUTURE

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said he does not have any concerns about Biden’s fitness, while Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., said Biden is “certainly” fit to serve the rest of his term.

“Yes, of course,” Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, said.

Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., told Fox News Digital Biden is “certainly” fit to serve the rest of his term. (Fox News Digital)

Sinema walked away when asked the same question. 

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., told Fox News Digital Biden is “absolutely” fit to be president right now.

“I believe the president has already made a decision about what he’s doing. He’s the president,” Sen. Laphonza Butler, D-Calif., said.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., spoke about concerns over Biden’s fitness. (Fox News Digital)

“A lot of folks are raising questions that need to be asked, but, at the end of the day, we need to beat Donald Trump,” said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.

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“I have not heard a single Democratic senator say that President Biden is anything other than our nominee, and he’s going to win,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said. “There may be some concerns, but he is addressing it.”

Biden, for his part, has insisted on multiple occasions he is staying in the race and is the best positioned person to beat Trump.

Three GOP-led states are asking the Supreme Court for emergency intervention to temporarily block the implementation of President Biden’s latest effort to provide a student loan handout to millions of borrowers.

The time-sensitive appeal was sent to Justice Neil Gorsuch, who could make the decision himself or ask his colleagues to weigh in.

Most likely, the court will ask the government to file a response brief, and an order from the court could be issued in the days or weeks that follow.

On Sunday, a federal appeals court in Denver issued a temporary stay to a lower court ruling against the Biden administration on the matter.

AFTER URGING RESPECT FOR JUSTICE SYSTEM, BIDEN CLAIMS SCOTUS’ TRUMP CASE RULING IS ‘ATTACK’ ON ‘RULE OF LAW’

Alaska, Texas and South Carolina are asking the Supreme Court for emergency intervention to temporarily block implementation of the Biden administration’s latest effort at a student loan handout. (Fox News)

The states filing the emergency application — Alaska, Texas and South Carolina — are now asking the high court to lift the stay.

The Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan announced by the administration last year would help millions of borrowers enrolled in a federal student loan program to lower their monthly debt payments and provide a path to debt forgiveness.

The lower payments were expected to kick in July 1 for an estimated 8 million borrowers enrolled in the SAVE program.

BIDEN URGES RESPECT FOR LEGAL SYSTEM AFTER TRUMP CONVICTION WHILE PUBLICLY FLOUTING SCOTUS RULINGS

President Biden speaks about student loan debt at Madison College April 8, 2024, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

In the application to Gorsuch, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor said because of the administration’s “intransigence,” the court must “unfortunately step in again.”

“Time is of the essence. Not only do the States and the public at large need to know as soon as possible whether the SAVE Plan is lawful, but the Biden Administration is not done,” the attorneys general wrote. “On April 17, 2024, the Department announced yet another rule to spend hundreds of billions of dollars waiving student debt. 89 Fed. Reg. 27654. 

“That Proposed Rule is expected to be final well before this litigation concludes absent intervention from this Court. Legal certainty from this Court is essential whenever hundreds of billions of dollars are at stake, but it is particularly critical where, as here, commentators across the political spectrum have observed that federal government is flouting this Court’s decision in Nebraska.

“The Court should thus grant review and summarily reject the SAVE Plan or set the case for briefing and argument to ensure that federal law retains its integrity and to prevent the Department from unilaterally giving away hundreds of billions of dollars.”

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

Student loan borrowers stage a rally in front of the White House to celebrate President Biden canceling student debt. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

Earlier this year, Biden announced the SAVE plan that cancels debt for enrolled borrowers who have been in repayment for at least 10 years and have $12,000 or less in student loan debt. Those with larger debts will receive relief after an additional year of payments for every additional $1,000 they borrowed.

In June 2023, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that federal law does not allow Biden’s Secretary of Education to cancel more than $430 billion in student loan debt.

Biden promised at the time that his administration would continue to push for his student debt relief plan.

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Shortly after the court’s ruling, Biden said, “I think the court misinterpreted the Constitution.”

A new public opinion poll in the crucial Midwestern swing state of Wisconsin that was conducted entirely after the June 27 debate between President Biden and former President Trump indicates the Republican challenger with a five point advantage over the Democratic incumbent in the White House.

And the survey, released on Tuesday by AARP, indicates Biden’s support in Wisconsin, running behind Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who leads GOP challenger Eric Hovde in their crucial Senate race.

According to the poll, which was conducted by Republican pollsters Fabrizio Ward and Democratic pollsters Impact Research on behalf of AARP, Trump tops Biden 50%-45% among likely voters in Wisconsin.

When third party and independent presidential candidates are included, Trump leads Biden 44%-38%, with Democrat turned independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at 9% and Green Party candidate Jill Stein at 3%.

TRUMP AND HIS ALLIES TURN UP THE VOLUME ON BIDEN 

President Biden speaks at a campaign rally in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 5, 2024. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

The AARP survey indicates Trump ahead of Biden in a head-to-head matchup by seven points among voters 50 and older. Among voters under 50, the two candidates are within the margin of error, while Baldwin leads Hovde by 14 points among the same pool of voters.

The poll was conducted June 28-July 2, after the debate but before last Friday’s rally by the president in Madison, Wisconsin.

HALEY URGES HER GOP CONVENTION DELEGATES TO SUPPORT TRUMP

The new poll’s release comes a couple of days after a Bloomberg/Morning Consult survey in Wisconsin suggested Biden held a lower-single digit edge over Trump.

Wisconsin, along with Michigan and Pennsylvania, made up the so-called blue wall of states that helped carry the Democrats in presidential elections for three decades until Trump narrowly carried all three of the states in his 2016 presidential election victory.

Republican presumptive presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump walks to the podium at a campaign event Tuesday, June 18, 2024, in Racine, Wisconsin. (Jeffrey Phelps/Associated Press)

But Biden won all three states by razor-thin margins in 2020, as he defeated Trump to win the White House.

The release of the poll comes less than a week before the start of the Republican National Convention, which will take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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The new survey is the latest with warning signs for Biden. A handful of national polls conducted entirely after the debate and released last week contained plenty of red flags for the president — including Trump widening his single-digit edge over Biden and deepening concerns of Americans about whether Biden was up to the task of running the country.

President Biden and former President Trump face off at a debate in Atlanta, Georgia on June 27, 2024. (Getty Images)

Following his extremely rough debate performance a week and a half ago in his first face-to-face showdown Trump, Biden has been attempting to prove that he still has the stamina and acuity to handle the toughest and most demanding job in the world. And he’s trying to prove that he has the fortitude to defeat Trump.

The debate was a major setback for Biden, who at 81 is the oldest president in the nation’s history. His halting delivery and stumbling answers at the showdown in Atlanta sparked widespread panic in the Democratic Party and a rising tide of public and private calls from within his own party for him to step aside as its 2024 standard-bearer.

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

The top U.S. intel official is warning that “actors tied to Iran’s government” are providing funding and stoking anti-Israel protests on U.S. soil in an “increasingly aggressive” campaign. 

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines on Tuesday issued a statement warning U.S. citizens of “concerning Iranian activity” and that Iranian government actors have sought to “opportunistically take advantage” of anti-Israel protests.

“Iran is becoming increasingly aggressive in their foreign influence efforts, seeking to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions, as we have seen them do in the past, including in prior election cycles,” she said. “They continue to adapt their cyber and influence activities, using social media platforms and issuing threats.”

Haines claimed that in recent weeks, people with the Iranian government have sought to take advantage of anti-Israeli protests in an opportunistic fashion, using a “playbook” the U.S. government is familiar with. 

“We have observed actors tied to Iran’s government posing as activists online, seeking to encourage protests, and even providing financial support to protesters,” she said. 

NEW GOP BILL WOULD MAKE BIDEN IMPOSE MAXIMUM SANCTIONS ON IRAN

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attends a meeting with a group of students in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday, Nov. 1.  (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

“Furthermore, Americans who are being targeted by this Iranian campaign may not be aware that they are interacting with or receiving support from a foreign government,” she said, adding that all Americans should “remain vigilant as they engage online with accounts and actors they do not personally know.”

Haines added that it is “likely” Iran “will continue to rely on their intelligence services in these efforts, as well as Iran-based online influencers, to promote their narratives.”

GOP REPS RAISE ALARM BELLS OVER IRAN’S INFLUENCE IN ‘AMERICAN RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS’

Anti-Israel protesters marching in Manhattan, NYC. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

For months now, anti-Israel protests have erupted across the country on college campuses — some say in support of the brutal attacks on Israel carried out by Hamas — a terror group supported by Iran. Others argue they are protesting Israel’s retaliatory attacks in Gaza.

Tehran tried to take some credit for the attack as part of revenge for the killing of Qassem Soleimani during the Trump administration, though Hamas flatly denied the claims in a bizarre spat between close allies. 

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In November, a report by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) revealed that 15 Iran-backed militias across the Middle East that have “incestuous” ties to Tehran and are working as a “force multiplier” for the country to oppose Israel and the U.S.

Bill Roggio, senior fellow at FDD and co-author of the report, says the “root” of the problem the U.S. faces in the Middle East is “an Iranian regime that has nothing but animosity towards the United States.”

“[A]nd until we start hearing that from the administration, there will continue to be confusion,” Roggio said.

“The American public doesn’t understand these types of wars because the American government is willing to do things like negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran to treat Iran like it is a responsible actor in the international community,” he said.

Fox News Digital’s Peter Aitken contributed to this report.

A U.S. Navy sailor attempted to access President Biden’s medical records through a government database, the Navy said Tuesday, as questions and concerns about his mental capacity continue to hound the commander in chief. 

The unidentified sailor conducted the search on Feb. 23 by typing “Joseph Biden,” a Navy official told Fox News Digital. 

“On February 26, 2024, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Fort Belvoir was notified of an unauthorized access to medical records by an active-duty service member,” a Navy statement said. “A Sailor assigned to NMRTC Fort Belvoir searched the name ‘Joseph Biden’ in MHS Genesis, the Military Health System’s electronic health record, out of curiosity.”

The sailor was not able to access Biden’s medical records, the Navy said. 

WHITE HOUSE INSISTS BIDEN WILL ‘ABSOLUTELY NOT’ SUSPEND RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN: ‘HE IS STAYING IN THE RACE’

President Biden departs from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on Feb. 28. (Chris Kleponis/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service was alerted to the probe and opened an investigation that was conducted on April 24, the Navy said. The sailor was administratively punished and continues to serve in the Navy, the official said. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, but has not yet heard back.

President Biden’s performance in a recent debate has raised concerns about his mental fitness and cognitive ability. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

MAJORITY OF VOTERS THINK BIDEN IS COGNITIVELY UNFIT TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT: POLL

Two days after authorities were notified of the alleged search, Biden made an unannounced trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for a physical exam. In a letter, White House physician Kevin O’Connor stated that the Feb. 28 exam was “an extremely detailed neurologic exam [which] was again reassuring in that there were no findings which would be consistent with any cerebellar or other central neurological disorder.”

Dr. Kevin Cannard, a neurologist who specializes in Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, recently visited the White House as part of his annual physical examinations amid concerns over the president’s health and mental acuity.

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

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Biden continues to be hounded about his mental and physical health following a series of missteps and last month’s presidential debate, in which he appeared flustered and confused.