Live updates: House Democrats discuss Biden's political future as president campaigns in Pennsylvania

Multiple reports have revealed the names of Democratic leaders who called on Biden to step down as the party’s presidential nominee during a private call with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday.

According to CNN, one senior House Democrat spoke to “dozens” of colleagues following the call who said that Biden should be replaced. Another source familiar with the nearly two-hour call also reportedly told CNN that the number of lawmakers who said that Biden should not be the Democratic nominee outnumbered those who spoke up for him to stay.

According to multiple reports across outlets, those who opposed Biden as the nominee on the call include Rep. Susan Wild from Pennsylvania, Jim Himes from Connecticut, Jamie Raskin from Maryland, Jerry Nadler from New York, Adam Smith from Washington, Don Beyer from Virginia, Mark Takano from California and Joseph Morelle from New York.

Reps. Maxine Waters from California and Bobby Scott from Virginia reportedly spoke in support of Biden on the call, according to CNN.

None of the lawmakers cited have publicly called for the president to withdraw from the race. That may change on Tuesday, per CNN, when members will hold a planned caucus meeting with Jeffries.

President Biden spoke to a crowd of volunteers and organizers at the Biden-Harris campaign headquarters in Harrisburg, Pa., on Sunday.

“I make no apologies. I’m the most pro-union president in American history. Unions build the middle class," he said, according to the White House press pool. He compared himself to former President Donald Trump who, Biden said, “has the largest debt of any president in U.S. history.”

Biden then handed the microphone to Pennsylvania Rep. Madeleine Dean, who expressed her support for the president, telling the crowd: “This man knows exactly what he’s doing and we cannot risk going back."

According to CBS News White House Correspondent Ed O'Keefe, two Democratic leaders have expressed skepticism about President Biden's chances of beating Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

Reps. Jim Himes, of Connecticut, and Jamie Raskin, of Maryland, reportedly said on a private call today with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries that they're doubtful of Biden's chances.

Multiple news outlets have reported the names of other Democratic leaders on the same call who, according to an anonymous source on the call, endorsed Biden stepping down as the party's nominee for the White House. Those lawmakers reportedly include Reps. Jerry Nadler and Joseph Morelle from New York, Adam Smith of Washington, Don Beyer of Virginia and Mark Takano of California.

None of the lawmakers cited have publicly called for the president to withdraw from the race.

Only five Democratic leaders thus far — Reps. Angie Craig of Minnesota, Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Mike Quigley of Illinois — have publicly called for Biden to bow out of the 2024 presidential campaign.

According to CNN, President Biden will be hosting several campaign events in Texas and Las Vegas next week, at the same time the Republican National Convention will be taking place in Milwaukee from July 15 to July 18.

• July 15 in Austin, Texas: Biden will deliver remarks commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act

• July 16 in Las Vegas: Biden will deliver remarks at the NAACP National Convention

• July 17 in Las Vegas: Biden will deliver remarks at the UnidosUS Annual Conference

According to multiple reports, Democratic leaders expressed strong support for Biden to step down as the party’s nominee during a private call this afternoon with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

An anonymous source who was on the call reportedly told the Washington Post that Reps. Jerry Nadler from New York, and the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, was the first to call for Biden’s exit. Rep. Adam Smith from Washington also reportedly spoke in favor of the idea.

Meanwhile, journalists from Punchbowl News reported that Reps. Don Beyer from Virginia and Mark Takano from California have also expressed support, with most Democrats on the call saying that Vice President Kamala Harris should replace Biden as the nominee.

The New York Times also reported that Joseph Morelle from New York, the top Democrat on the Committee on House Administration, also supported Biden stepping down.

None of the five lawmakers cited have publicly called for the president to withdraw from the race.

To date, only five Democratic leaders — Reps. Angie Craig of Minnesota, Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Mike Quigley of Illinois — have publicly called for Biden to bow out of the 2024 presidential campaign.

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden are now in Harrisburg, Pa., continuing the Sunday campaign blitz at an ice cream social at the Biden campaign's headquarters in the statecapital city.

According to PennLive, the invitation-only event will be Biden's first visit to the area since Labor Day 2020.

WURD Radio, which aired the first postdebate interview with President Biden, says it has parted ways with the host who conducted the interview, after confirming that she had accepted pre-written questions from the Biden campaign.

A statement from the radio station's president and CEO, Sara Lomax, said that the Biden interview was "arranged and negotiated independently by WURD Radio host Andrea Lawful-Sanders without knowledge, consultation or collaboration with WURD management," and the decision to feature questions provided by the White House in advance "violates our practice of remaining an independent media outlet accountable to our listeners."

"As a result, Ms. Lawful-Sanders and WURD Radio have mutually agreed to part ways, effective immediately," the statement read.

In an interview with CNN on Saturday, Lawful-Sanders revealed that Biden's team provided her with prewritten questions ahead of their July 3 interview.

On Sunday, House Oversight Chairman James Comer sent a letter to President Biden's physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, requesting an interview amid concerns from both parties about the president’s mental acuity.

Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, alleged that O’Connor’s medical assessment of Biden was influenced by “private business endeavors with the Biden family,” according to CNN.

In the request, Comer pointed to a story published by Politico in February claiming that O'Connor introduced Biden's brother, James Biden, to Americore Health, a firm that reportedly paid James Biden for consulting services during the time Joe Biden was vice president. Comer requested for O’Connor to provide documents related to James Biden and Americore Health.

Some Republicans have accused James Biden of benefiting from his deal with Americore Health simply because he was the vice president's brother, though prior investigations showed no evidence that Joe Biden was involved with any transactions or business that benefited his brother, according to CNN.

Americore Health filed for bankruptcy in 2019.

While campaigning in Pennsylvania on Sunday, President Biden made reference to the viral “Dark Brandon” meme, an image that began circulating in 2022 showing a tough image of the president, with glowing red eyes or in aviator sunglasses.

Biden was shaking hands with supporters during a visit to the Roxborough Democratic Coordinated Campaign Office in Philadelphia when a woman said to him, "We need dark Brandon back," according to the White House press pool.

"Dark Brandon is coming back," Biden reportedly said in response.

Initially created to poke fun at right-wing conspiracy theories, the Biden campaign leaned hard into the "Dark Brandon" meme earlier this year. The phrase began trending on X when a broadcaster mistook chants of “F*** Joe Biden” to be “Let’s Go Brandon” in 2022, according to TechCrunch.

During Biden's visit to the Roxborough Democratic Coordinated Campaign Office in Philadelphia, Sen. John Fetterman emphasized his support for the president while addressing the crowd.

“There’s only one person in this country who has kicked Trump’s ass in an election, and that is your president,” the Pennsylvania Democrat said before acknowledging Biden’s debate performance on June 27.

“I know what it’s like to have a rough debate and I’m standing here as your senator," said Fetterman, who went on to be elected to the Senate following his own poor debate showing in 2022. "We already knew this was going to be close. We knew it was going to be close in 2016, [and] it's gonna be close in 2024. Nothing has changed."

Fetterman continued, saying, “There is only one guy that has ever beaten Trump. And he is going to do it twice and put him down for good.”

Between campaign stops in Pennsylvania, President Biden visited the Roxborough Democratic Coordinated Campaign Office in Philadelphia, where he greeted supporters and volunteers before they set out to canvass for him and other Democratic candidates in the state.

“Pennsylvania is a critically important state,” he said, according to the White House press pool. “This election is going to be about block and tackle and simple, basic politics. We’re going to build this economy from the middle out and the bottom up.”

President Biden was greeted by a number of Democratic leaders upon his arrival at Philadelphia International Airport this morning.

.Those present included Pennsylvania Sens. John Fetterman and Bob Casey, according to the New York Times. Others reportedly included Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, Reps. Brendan Boyle and Madeleine Dean, and former Reps. Patrick Murphy and Bob Brady.

During an appearance on CBS’s Face the Nation, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said he’s “very concerned” about President Biden’s mental fitness and suggested that both Biden and former President Donald Trump should take neurological tests.

“All nominees for president, going into the future, should have neurological exams as part of the overall physical exam,” said Graham, a supporter of Trump.

"We need to make sure that people who are going to be in the line of succession are capable of being commander in chief in dire circumstances," he added. "I’m offended by the idea that he shouldn’t take a competency test, given all the evidence in front of us. He is not only in denial, this is a dangerous time for the American people to have somebody leading the ship ... who seems to be compromised."

President Biden ended a nearly 10-minute speech at Mount Airy Church of God in Christ in Philadelphia on Sunday with no mention of his debate performance on June 27 or the growing calls from within his party to step down from the 2024 presidential race.

Biden's next stop will be at an ice cream social at Pennsylvania's capital city of Harrisburg. According to PennLive, the invitation-only event will be Biden's first visit to the area since Labor Day 2020.

Biden ended his speech at Mount Airy Church of God in Christ in Philadelphia on Sunday by making a joke about his age.

"I don’t look like I’m 40 years old, but I’ve been around a little bit," he said, eliciting some laughter from the crowd.

While speaking to attendees at Mou Airy Church of God in Christ in Philadelphia on Sunday, President Biden spoke about his faith and his administration's record on supporting Black and brown communities.

"In life and as your president, I’ve tried to walk my faith to get us through the [COVID-19] pandemic that claimed a million loved ones and left 8 million people with an empty chair at dinner or breakfast because of someone they lost," he said from the podium. "To ensure that the economy has the lowest Black unemployment and more Black small businesses in decades."

"While there are those who want to erase history, Kamala and I want to make it because Black history is American history," he added.

President Biden has taken the stage at Mount Airy Church of God in Christ in Philadelphia.

After greeting attendees to mounting applause, he paused before saying, "It's good to be home."

In an appearance on CBS's Face the Nation, Sen. Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, defended President Biden against growing criticism from Democratic leaders calling on him to step down.

“What we are talking about now is not a Grammy Award contest for best singer," he said. "Biden is old. He is not as articulate as he once was. I wish he could jump up the steps on Air Force One. He can’t. What we have got to focus on is policy — whose policies have and will benefit the vast majority of the people in this country.”

During an appearance on CNN's State of the Union Sunday, Rep. Debbie Dingell, of Michigan, implored the media to "stop talking" about Biden's age and the growing number of Democrats who are questioning his presidential future.

"We need to get back to talking about Donald Trump and his performance and all the issues that are at stake and the contrast," the Democrat told the panel, which also included GOP strategists Scott Jennings and Shermichael Singleton. "How he wants to be a dictator and how he thinks Roe was the greatest thing he ever did, how he wants to give your billionaire tax friends a tax cut and how he thinks January 6 was a great thing."

Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t address President Biden’s political future during an appearance at the 30th annual Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans on Saturday, according to the Associated Press.

“This is probably the most significant election of our lifetime,” she said at the event, before rebuking former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric about making the Supreme Court more conservative and promising to punish his political opponents. “In 122 days, we each have the power to decide what kind of country we want to live in.”

It was a slight shift in tone from the vice president’s statements in the last few days, in which she’s fiercely defended Biden against growing concerns from Democrats about his future following his debate performance on June 27.

For his part, Biden has publicly remained committed to being the Democratic presidential nominee.

During an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, Rep. Adam Schiff of California said Vice President Kamala Harris could “overwhelmingly” beat former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race — but it’s up to President Biden to decide if he wants to cede the nomination.

“I think she has the experience, the judgment, the leadership ability to be an extraordinary president,” Schiff told moderator Kristen Welker, before stressing, “Before we get into a decision about who else it should be, the president needs to make a decision whether it’s him.”

Schiff isn't the only Democrat to suggest that Harris would be the best option to replace Biden, should he decide to drop out of the 2024 race for the White House.

Reps. James Clyburn of South Carolina, Gregory Meeks of New York and senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Maxine Waters of California and Summer Lee of Pennsylvania have expressed similar support for Harris, according to Reuters. Biden has thus far indicated that he has no plans to suspend his campaign.

Former Ohio congressman Tim Ryan also made the case for Harris in an op-ed for the New York Times.

House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York has scheduled a virtual meeting this morning with senior House Democrats to discuss President Biden’s candidacy for a second term.

Since Biden’s shaky presidential debate performance on June 27, Jeffries has taken a neutral approach in publicly acknowledging Biden’s presidential future, reports the New York Times.

To date, five House Democrats — Reps. Angie Craig of Minnesota, Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Mike Quigley of Illinois — have called for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.

Meanwhile, Democratic governors Gavin Newsom of California and Wes Moore of Maryland, as well as Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman and others, have vowed to stand behind Biden.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom reiterated his support for President Biden during a rally in Bucks County, Pa., on Saturday, saying, “If Donald Trump succeeds, God help us, we will roll back the last half century.”

The Democratic governor — who has been floated as a possible replacement for Biden as the party's 2024 presidential nominee — has publicly stood behind the president since the June 27 debate, when he promised to "never turn my back" on Biden.

When pressed about the growing number of Democrats calling for Biden to step down, Newsom told reporters, “Look, there’s a handful of folks that may have different opinions,” adding, "the vast majority of the caucus remains solidly behind the president.”

Two radio hosts say President Biden's team provided them with questions ahead of their respective interviews with the president.

Andrea Lawful-Sanders, host of The Source on WURD in Philadelphia, and Earl Ingram of The Earl Ingram Show in Waukesha, Wis., told CNN’s Victor Blackwell on Saturday that the questions were given to them by Biden's campaign aides.

“The questions were sent to me for approval; I approved of them,” Lawful-Sanders said of her July 3 interview with Biden. “I chose questions that were most important to the Black and brown communities we serve in Philadelphia.”

Ingram, who appeared in the same CNN interview with Lawful-Sanders, nodded his head and seemed to not dispute Lawful-Sanders’s experience of how the questions were sent for his own Biden interview on July 4.

Soon after the CNN segment was aired, Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt told the New York Times that it’s “not uncommon” for campaign aides to send over preselected questions to interviewers, stressing that officials “do not condition interviews on acceptance of these questions” by the interviewer and that “hosts are always free to ask the questions they think will best inform their listeners.”

On Saturday, Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota called on President Joe Biden to end his campaign after his shaky debate on June 27 against former President Donald Trump.

"There is simply too much at stake to risk a second Donald Trump presidency," Craig said in a statement on X. “That's why I respectfully call on President Biden to step aside as the Democratic nominee for a second term as President and allow for a new generation of leaders to step forward."

She added, "If we truly believe that Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans must be stopped, there is only a small window left to make sure we have a candidate best equipped to make the case and win."

Craig is the fifth House Democrat to call on Biden to step aside from the presidential race. Reps. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Mike Quigley of Illinois have taken similar stances in the wake of the first presidential debate.

Read more: Here are the Democrats who are calling for Biden to step down or voicing concerns about his candidacy