Joe Biden walks tightrope after rocky debate with Donald Trump: Replay

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden continued walking a tightrope on Tuesday after a disastrous debate performance raised new concerns among voters about whether he can defeat former President Donald Trump in November.

Democrats in Congress weren't out for blood as a debate rages in the party over whether Biden should stay in the 2024 presidential election – but concerns remain following pivotal, private meetings between members.

An example: Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., told reporters that he believes Biden is a great president but declined to say whether he also thinks the 81-year-old incumbent is the best candidate for Democrats to defeat former President Donald Trump this fall.

“He’s the nominee,” McGovern said when asked if Biden is the strongest Democratic option. “I think if he’s the candidate, we will prevail.”

Still, Biden has already publicly lost the support of more than a handful of prominent or vulnerable Democrats since his stumbling debate performance.

The president has doubled down on his refusal to step aside. He sent a public letter on Monday to congressional Democrats, saying that he has secured the delegates necessary to be nominated and that he still believes he is the only person who can win against Trump.

The White House also said Tuesday that Biden plans to serve his full second term in office, which would make him president at 86 years old, if he’s reelected in November.

Catch up with the USA TODAY Network's live coverage.

Biden bashes Putin's invasion of Ukraine during NATO speech

Joe Biden called NATO "The single greatest, most effective defensive alliance in the history of the world," during his address to the defensive alliance, saying leaders from Europe and North America should "Look back with pride at all we've achieved" and "look ahead to our shared future."

But Biden also attacked Russian President Vladimir Putin during his address over his bloody invasion of Ukraine. He announced that the United States would be providing new air defenses to Ukraine, saying that the country "can and will stop Putin."

– Marina Pitofsky

Cook Political Report update marks bad news for Biden

Election prognosticator group Cook Political Report shifted six states toward Donald Trump Tuesday, including several that must win states in order for Democrats to hold the White House.

The group stated in an analysis that the change is due in part to the seismic conflict within the Democratic Party over whether to replace Joe Biden as the party’s nominee following a debate performance that raised questions about his ability to serve as president.

Lawmakers grumbling quietly on Capitol Hill about Biden’s chances have pointed to internal polling showing massive swings in voter opinion of Biden after the debate. The Cook Political Report’s non-partisan analysis is one of the most public signs of that shift.

The changes include Arizona, Georgia and Nevada from their toss up category to lean Republican, meaning they consider the states more likely to choose a Republican rather than being among the most competitive in the country.

Cook Political Report also shifted Minnesota, New Hampshire and Nebraska’s second congressional district from likely voting for Democrats to leaning toward voting for Democrats.

– Sarah D. Wire

Seventh House Democrat calls on Biden to step aside from race

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J. became the seventh House Democrat to call on Joe Biden to exit the 2024 presidential race, signaling that discontent within congressional Democrats over Biden's candidacy remains.

“I am asking that (Biden) declare that he won’t run for reelection and will help lead us through a process toward a new nominee," Sherrill said in a statement.

– Ken Tran

What has Joe Biden said about Project 2025?

Joe Biden slammed Donald Trump last week over his connections to Project 2025, the highly detailed and controversial 900-page “Mandate for Leadership” that lays out a plan and personnel to reconstruct the country's executive branch.

The 2025 Presidential Transition Project, as it is otherwise known, is a product of The Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank. Several of those who have worked to construct the administration-in-waiting for the next conservative president to adopt are former Trump administration officials. The project contains a 180-day transition plan and includes a domestic and foreign policy agenda.

The focus on Project 2025 comes as the Biden campaign has been doing damage control for the last week after his first debate against Trump June 27 prompted several Democratic calls for him to drop out of the race. In a statement Saturday, Biden emphasized one of the conservative project's main targets is abortion, an issue known to mobilize voters.

"Project 2025 should scare every single American," Biden said. "It would give Trump limitless power over our daily lives and let him use the presidency to enact 'revenge' on his enemies, ban abortion nationwide and punish women who have an abortion, and gut the checks and balances that make America the greatest democracy in the world."

– Rachel Barber

Whitmer says 'never say never' if she was asked to launch 2024 bid with Harris

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she'd "never say never" to a hypothetical scenario in which Joe Biden exited the 2024 presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris took his place at the top of the ticket and she was asked to serve as Harris' running mate.

“I have never looked at opportunities in Washington, D.C. with a lot of excitement because I love Michigan. I love state government,” Whitmer cautioned during an interview on ABC's "The View."

“But, you know, I’ll never say never, but that’s not something that I am angling for in the slightest,” she added.

– Marina Pitofsky

Joe Biden commits to serving full second term if reelected, White House says

Joe Biden plans to serve his full second term in office, which would make him president at 86 years old, if he’s reelected in November, the White House said Tuesday.

“Yes,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked whether Biden commits to serving his full second term if he defeats Donald Trump.

Biden has faced intense scrutiny over his mental fitness since a disastrous debate last month raised alarm among Democratic supports.

Yet while six House Democrats have said publicly that Biden should withdraw from the campaign, Biden has so far held off widespread calls for him to drop out.

– Joey Garrison

Biden faces a test at NATO summit this week. Here's why.

Joe Biden is hosting more than 38 leaders for a NATO summit in Washington this week amid growing scrutiny toward his reelection campaign.

The summit was already a pivotal opportunity for the president to reaffirm America’s commitment to NATO after former President Donald Trump questioned the country’s role in the organization. Now, as some Democrats call for the president to step aside in the 2024 race, eyes are also on his performance this week to see if he can stabilize his campaign.

—Rachel Barber, Joey Garrison and Francesca Chambers

Is there going to be a second Democratic debate?

After Joe Biden's rocky debate performance last month, some political observers are wondering if there will be a second debate between Biden and Donald Trump at all. If all goes as planned, the political rivals will have their second presidential debate in just over nine weeks.

ABC News will host the presidential candidates as they face off for a final time on Sept. 10, moderated by anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis, but a location has yet to be confirmed.

Qualifications for the second debate are similar to the first, including candidates receiving at least 15% in four separate national polls, appearing on enough state ballots to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold, and agreeing to accept the debate's rules and format, which have yet to be announced.

– Victor Hagan

When was Joe Biden born?

We currently have the oldest president in U.S. history. There’s a minimum age to run for president, but there isn’t a maximum, as evidenced by the past two commanders in chief. Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump set the record for the oldest elected president during their respective terms.

President Biden is 81 years old. He was born on Nov. 20, 1942 and is part of the Silent Generation, the generation that precedes baby boomers.

– Claire Mulroy

Nate Silver: Joe Biden should step down, let Kamala Harris become president before November

Nate Silver, political pollster and founder of FiveThirtyEight, called for Joe Biden to hand the presidency over to Vice President Kamala Harris before the November election after his defiant and first post-debate television interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos last week.

When Stephanopoulos asked Biden about polls showing his low approval ratings and poor chances of beating former President Donald Trump this fall, Biden said "The New York Times had me down 10 points before the debate, 9 now, whatever the hell it is."

Silver posted a clip of the Biden's remarks to social media and called it a "pretty incoherent answer," adding that the Times had him down three or four points before the debate. Trump now leads Biden by six points, according to the Times-Siena College poll.

"I wimped out in today's column and deleted a line saying he should formulate a plan to transition the presidency to Harris within 30-60 days, but I'm there now. Something is clearly wrong here," Silver said in a follow-up post on X, formerly Twitter. "The most generous way to put it is that he doesn't seem in command, and that's an extremely hard sell when you're Commander in Chief."

– Rachel Barber

Biden 'can't win' in November, Illinois Democrat Mike Quigley says

One of the six House Democrats who is publicly calling for Biden to leave the 2024 race doubled down on his views about the president's chances in November when heading into an important closed-door party meeting Tuesday morning just off Capitol Hill.

"He can't win," Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., said of Biden. The eight-term lawmaker who represents a Chicago-based district also took issue with Biden's push back in writing to congressional Democrats on Monday that he wasn't dropping out of the race.  "A dismissive letter is not going to change any minds."

– Darren Samuelsohn

Sen. Joe Manchin says it's a 'crucial week' for Biden

Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.V., who recently left the Democratic Party said Tuesday that it's "crucial week" for

"Seeing what happens this week -- there are going to be polls coming out, there are going to be senators that are up in very tough areas for re-election and they're going to have their input -- so we'll just have to digest to see what comes out," Manchin said.

If the polls keep showing Biden struggling? "You're speaking in hypotheticals," he responded, saying everyone will know more by the end of the week. "Basically we're to the point where it's, do you stick with plan A or is there a plan B? We don't know."

– Riley Beggin

Poll shows Harris, not Biden, could beat Trump

A new poll shows Vice President Kamala Harris could beat Donald Trump in November, while President Joe Biden trails the presumptive Republican nominee.

The Bendixen & Amandi Inc. national poll of 1,000 people conducted this month found Harris leads Trump 42% to 41%, with 12% undecided and 3% going to third-party candidates. Biden, however, was one point down to Trump, 42% to 43%, with 10% undecided and 3% going to third-party candidates. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

—Rachel Barber and Francesca Chambers

Sen. Sherrod Brown says Ohioans have 'legitimate questions' about Biden

A Democratic senator who faces a tough 2024 reelection campaign in the otherwise red state of Ohio told reporters on Monday that he's hearing from voters who are indeed concerned about Biden continuing his presidential run.

"I'm not going to judge people in my party, what they're saying or what Republicans are saying," Sen. Sherrod Brown told reporters in Youngstown, according to his campaign. "I'm not a pundit. I've talked to people across Ohio. They have legitimate questions about whether the president should continue his campaign, and I'll keep listening to people."

Brown has been reluctant to wade into presidential politics as he runs this November for a fourth term against GOP businessman Bernie Moreno. The senator is one of two Democrats running in a state Trump won in 2020, making him one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the country.

House Democrats stand by Biden despite internal dissension

As Democratic members leave a caucus meeting at the DNC this morning, most are publicly stating their support for President Joe Biden.They largely acknowledge there was not consensus in the meeting but maintain that Biden was the candidate chosen by voters — and that he will beat former President Donald Trump in November.— Riley Beggin

Jon Stewart slams Democrats for not considering other candidates

Jon Stewart, the host of 'The Daily Show,' called out Democrats for not pursuing other candidates after Biden’s rocky first debate performance and said four months is enough time to find a replacement for him on the party’s November ticket.

“Can’t we open up the conversation? Do you understand the opportunity here?” Stewart said in his monologue Monday. “Do you have any idea how thirsty Americans are for any hint of inspiration or leadership, and a release from this choice between a megalomaniac and a suffocating gerontocracy?”

—Rachel Barber

Nadler says he will support Biden after calling for him to drop out

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., on Tuesday reversed his previous stance that President Joe Biden should step aside as the Democratic presidential nominee.

“Whether or not I have concerns is besides the point. He is going to be our nominee and we all have to support him,” Nadler, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, told reporters.

On Sunday, Nadler during a private call with top House Democrats said 81-year-old Biden should exit the presidential race against Donald Trump. Reps. Adam Smith of Washington, Mark Takano of California and Joe Morelle of New York, also said Biden should exit the 2024 presidential race.

Biden on Monday sent a letter to congressional Democrats on Monday saying that he would not drop out of the 2024 race.

While Nadler declined to comment on his remarks on the call, he said that Democrats have to stand by Biden.

“I am not going to comment on what I said in a private meeting, but what I will say is the president made very clear yesterday that he’s running and for me that’s positive. We have to support him,” Nadler said.

– Rebecca Morin

Lara Trump says Democrats are in disarray

Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump said the GOP has never been more united while the Democratic party is “fractured” and in “disarray” ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week.

“You have never seen a more united Republican party than we have right now, and it is in stark contrast to what is going on on the other side of the aisle,” Trump told Fox News host Ainsley Earhardt Tuesday. “They are fractured. They are in disarray on the Democrats' side of the aisle, talking about whether they have to get rid of Joe Biden.”

—Rachel Barber

Parkinson disease expert's recent trips to White House not to meet with president

President Joe Biden has not seen a neurologist outside of his three annual physicals since entering the White House, his physician said in a letter Monday night, clarifying that recent trips to the White House by an expert on Parkinson's disease weren't to meet with the president.

The letter from Dr. Kevin O'Connor followed reports from USA TODAY and others on Dr. Kevin Cannard, an expert on Parkinson’s disease, who visited the White House eight times during an eight-month period ? including once with O'Connor, the president's physician ? according to official visitor logs.

Cannard serves as the neurology specialist supporting the White House Medical Unit. His White House visits included one meeting with O’Connor and two others at the White House residence clinic on Jan. 17, the New York Post first reported.

--Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Joey Garrison and Sudiksha Kochi

Congressional Hispanic Caucus throws support behind Biden

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus released a statement Monday affirming their support for President Joe Biden.

“We stand with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris,” caucus chair Rep. Nanette Barragán, D-Calif., and deputy caucus chair Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., said in the statement. 

“President Biden and his Administration have worked closely with House Democrats to make historic investments to positively impact communities across the country, including Latinos, such as investments to combat climate change, lower healthcare costs, expand access to healthcare for our veterans and create jobs with the Infrastructure bill,” the group added.

– Sudiksha Kochi

Mark Warner backs off secret meeting, still skeptical of Biden

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., had reportedly tried to organize a meeting with Democratic senators about President Joe Biden’s status as the presumptive nominee in the November election.

On Monday, after news of that meeting leaked and members of Congress returned to Capitol Hill, Warner appeared to soften his stance. The reported meeting was canceled in favor of a discussion during the Senate Democratic Caucus’ regular lunch on Tuesday, and Warner issued a softer but still skeptical statement about Biden on his X account Monday.

In that post, Warner argued that another term under former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, would be “perilous for rule of law and for our democracy.”

“President Biden has made America stronger, guiding the nation through some of our most difficult days,” Warner wrote.

“With so much at stake in the upcoming election, now is the time for conversations about the strongest path forward. As these conversations continue, I believe it is incumbent upon the President to more aggressively make his case to the American people, and to hear directly from a broader group of voices about how to best prevent Trump’s lawlessness from returning to the White House,” he said in the post.

--Elizabeth Beyer

AOC throws her support behind Biden

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told reporters Monday that she supports President Joe Biden’s decision to stay in the 2024 race.

“I have spoken with him extensively. He made clear then and he has made clear since that he is still in this race. The matter is closed,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “He had reiterated that this morning. He has reiterated that to the public. Joe Biden is our nominee. He is not leaving this race. He is in this race and I support him.”

Ocasio-Cortez, a member of “The Squad” made up of progressive congressional Democrats, said she’s communicated to Biden that what he needs to do to win in November is “increasingly commit to the issues that are critically important to working people across this country.”

--Sudiksha Kochi

Sen. Patty Murray says Biden 'must do more' to prove he's strong enough to beat Trump

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Monday that Biden still hasn't proven he is up for the job to defeat Republican rival Donald Trump, suggesting the incumbent Democrat must consider dropping out of the 2024 race to "preserve his incredible legacy and secure it for the future.”

Murray is the highest ranking member of the Senate to indicate she needs to see more from Biden if he is going to be the party's nominee.

“More than a week since the debate, and after talking with my constituents, I believe President Biden must do more to demonstrate he can campaign strong enough to beat Donald Trump," Murray, a six-term veteran of the Senate who serves as the upper chamber's president pro tempore, said in a statement.

Will Biden be replaced?

Barring a very messy intra-party revolt, the Democratic presidential nomination is Biden's to accept – or decline. And so far the president has pushed back on growing calls for his exit with seemingly no intention yet of stepping away.

If Biden were to change his mind and drop his bid for reelection, focus would then turn to finding a replacement for the top of the ticket. Vice President Kamala Harris, already first in line for the presidency, is a favored candidate for the position.

– Savannah Kuchar

Where does Biden stand in the polls?

Joe Biden has slipped further behind Donald Trump in most polls taken since the two faced off last month in the first 2024 presidential debate.

According to an exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk University survey conducted immediately after the debate, Trump edged ahead of Biden 41% to 38%. Prior to the debate debacle, the two contenders were tied at 37% of the vote.

A recent New York Times and Siena College poll found that Trump's lead against Biden increased by 3% after the debate

– Elizabeth Beyer and Karissa Waddick

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Biden walks tightrope after rocky debate with Donald Trump: Replay