July 12, 2024, presidential campaign news | CNN Politics (2024)

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Rep. Norma Torres speaks on Capitol Hill on June 13.

California Rep. Norma Torres told CNN’s Pamela Brown on “NewsNight” that it was time for her fellow Democratic lawmakers to support President Joe Biden as the party’s nominee and that its time to “step aside and let Biden be who he is.”

More than a dozen Democratic House members and at least one Democratic senator have publicly called on Biden to withdraw from his reelection campaign. Biden met with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on call on Friday, and Torres said he “was upfront about his commitment to be in this race and to run the best race that he could.”

Radio hostEarl Ingram appears on CNN on July 12.

A Milwaukee radio host on Friday apologized for agreeing toa request from the Biden campaign tomake edits to an interview he recordedwith the president earlier this month.

In an exclusive interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett that will air on “Laura Coates Live,”WAUK-AM host Earl Ingramsaid ifhe had to do it all over again, he would have said “absolutely not” to the campaign.

When asked if he felt pressured by the campaign,he described being flattered when presented with the “opportunity to interview the most powerful man in the world.”

Ingram told CNN that he used four out of five questions given to him by the campaign, butcouldn’t say whether he asked them word-for word. He said the questions were largely about the Black community.

Civic Media, the Wisconsin-based radio network that hosts Ingram’s show, released the edited clips and the entire unedited interview on Thursday. A Biden campaign spokesperson acknowledged it had asked the station to edit the interview.

The edited clips, it said, included Biden saying: “…and in addition to that, I have more Blacks in my administration than any other president, all other presidents combined, and in major positions, cabinet positions.”

A reference to former President Donald Trump’s call for the death penalty for the so-called Central Park Five was also removed. “I don’t know if they even call for their hanging or not, but he–but they said […] convicted of murder,” Biden said.

Ingram, who noted that the station has put things in place that will prevent a similar situation from occurring going forward, said Friday that he doesn’t understand how the things Biden said would be “met with so much consternation as it is today.”

When asked whether he was offended by Biden’s comments, the radio host insisted that the president is working to address disparities between Black and White Americans.

“President Biden, even with those faux pas, is a guy who’s making an effort and attempting to do something to address those issues,” he continued. “So, no, those things did not irritate me or upset me, or I think most Blacks.”

President Joe Biden sought to draw policy contrasts Friday night with former president Donald Trump, directly tying him to the conservative policy blueprint known as “Project 2025.”

He attacked Trump in a number of new ways, including explicitly saying that Trump raped a woman. Biden read from a judge’s ruling against Trump in the defamation case of E. Jean Carol.

Among his other direct attacks on Trump, Biden called the former president a “loser,” and a “convicted criminal.” He accused Trump of “riding around in his golf cart, filling out a scorecard before he hits the ball,” and said he “filed for bankruptcy 6 times.”

“He even went bankrupt running a casino,” Biden said. “I didn’t think that was possible. Doesn’t the house always win in a casino?”

Biden also pointed out Trump’s own verbal slips – the day after Biden himself called Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky “President Putin” and referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump”

“I guess they don’t remember that Trump called Nikki Haley ‘Nancy Pelosi,’” Biden said.

The president mostly spoke using a teleprompter but did seem to veer off script at several points in the speech.

President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign rally at Renaissance High School in Detroit on July 12.

President Joe Biden charged forward with his campaign before an enthusiastic crowd in Detroit on Friday, declaring unequivocally, “I am running.”

He attacked Donald Trump in a number of new ways, including explicitly saying that Trump raped a woman.

“I am running and we’re going to win,” he said to cheers.

Supporters attend President Joe Biden's campaign rally at Renaissance High School in Detroit on July 12.

The speech at a Detroit high school comes as the president has remained defiant in the face of growing calls from Democratic lawmakers and donors for him to step aside in the race. The Michigan crowd encouraged Biden to stay in the race, breaking out in a chant of “Don’t you quit!”

For the first time, Biden also laid out what his priorities would be for the first 100 days of his second term, which included codifying Roe v. Wade, making the child tax cuts permanent, expanding Medicare and Medicaid, raising the minimum wage and banning assault weapons.

Biden was clearly engaged with the crowd throughout his lengthy remarks which ran for 36 minutes.

President Joe Biden is interviewed by ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 5.

When President Joe Biden told George Stephanopoulos more than a week after his disastrous debate performance that only “the Lord Almighty” could get him to exit the 2024 race, some Democrats were furious.

Biden’s response was received as a clear message that nothing – even detrimental polling – could make him change his mind.

A Biden ally, who has spoken with the president multiple times since the June 27 debate, tells CNN that since that ABC News interview, concerns about those specific comments have been conveyed to the president.

That may help explain why – when asked at a news conference at the NATO summit Thursday night if he would reconsider his decision if he were presented with data showing that Vice President Kamala Harris would perform better against Donald Trump – Biden showed a little more openness than in his initial answer to Stephanopoulos.

“No,” Biden said. “Unless they came back and said there’s no way you can win.”

The source acknowledged that Biden heard the criticism of the “Lord Almighty” comments and appears to be shifting his approach by trying to turn down his instinct of: “You’re not going to push me aside.”

“He heard that level of fierce determination was misread by folks and he’s not an arrogantman,” the source says, adding, “he was genuinely surprised” by the criticism.

The only dynamic that this source believes could change Biden’s mind is if Democratic governors and senators came to Biden with strong and reliable polls showing a shocking collapse in support and if fundraising fell off dramatically. While some post-debate polls show movement toward Trump, the Biden campaign has been more focused on polls showing him within the margin of error, especially the recent NPR/PBS/Marist poll showing Biden and Trump in a tight race within the margin of error.

Dan Pfeiffer, Jon Lovett, Jon Favreau and Tommy Vietor pose for a portrait in the green room minutes after filming Pod Save America's live HBO show on Friday September 28, 2018, in Los Angles.

Two co-hosts of the “Pod Save America” podcast on Friday fired back at Biden campaign staffers who have reportedly dismissed theircalls for the president to consider stepping downfrom the Democratic ticket.

In anepisodereleased Friday, Dan Pfeiffer called it “infuriating” to think that he and co-host Jon Favreau, both former Barack Obama aides, are questioning whether Joe Biden can win out of “personal animus.” It’s the latest episode of Democratic infighting since the president’sdisastrous debate performancein June kicked off a flurry of calls for the president to withdraw.

ANew York Times reportWednesday described Biden’s advisers as dismissing the “Pod Save America” co-hosts as “operatives who worked for a cerebral, cool-guy president and never understood the world according to the scrappy kid from Scranton.”

“What are you spending time on us for? Go f**king just beat Donald Trump or … help your candidate be on message,” he said.

Independent presidential candidate Cornel West submitted signatures on Thursday to qualify for ballot access in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state.

West’s campaign announced on Friday it “exceeded the required signature threshold” in Pennsylvania. Independent presidential candidates are required to submit 5,000 valid signatures to qualify in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Department of State confirmed to CNN on Friday the West campaign did submit its petitions on Thursday.

West’s push to qualify for the Pennsylvania ballot is part of a renewed effort to qualify for the ballots specifically in battleground states. The campaign submitted signatures last week to qualify for the ballot in Georgia, another battleground state.

West is currently on the ballot in four states: South Carolina, Alaska, Oregon and Colorado

President Joe Biden attends a campaign event at Renaissance High School in Detroit on July 12.

The editorial board of the Washington Postis callingon President Joe Biden’s allies to have a “candid conversation with him” but is not outright calling on him to leave the race.

“Based on his comments Thursday, Mr. Biden seems to be somewhat oblivious to the political furor surrounding him and in denial about his frailty, personally and politically,” the Post wrote in a Friday opinion piece. “He needs to come to grips with reality,” the headline reads.

The board ended by calling for those close to the president to speak with him.

“Mr. Biden said on Thursday he’s ‘not in this for my legacy.’ Well and good. What, then, is he in it for? The only right answer is the good of the country. And those with influence and access to the president need to explain forcefully and candidly what that calls for now.”

Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York is downplaying the mounting pressure from a group of lawmakers calling on President Joe Biden to step down.

More than a dozen Democratic House members and at least one Democratic senator have publicly called on Biden to withdraw from his reelection campaign.

Espaillat did not participate in the president’s call with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Friday, but said he plans on participating in the Congressional Progressive Caucus’ call Saturday. He added that he supports Biden’s decision to continue to run for reelection.

“He was there for us during the pandemic, the biggest crisis of my lifetime. He was there for us and saved lives. I believe strongly that he’s fit now. I think that he can beat Donald Trump. I think that when voters make a decision and they compare them, they will see a vast difference between the both candidates,” he told CNN.

President Joe Biden speaks during a stop at Garage Grill and Fuel Bar in Northville, Michigan, on July 12.

President Joe Biden promised a group in Detroit, Michigan, that he’s “okay,” following weeks of speculation about his health.

“I promise you I am – I’m okay,” Biden said, speaking at a previously unannounced stop at a diner in Michigan Friday. He spoke without a prompter, mic in hand, and moved around the room.

Biden quipped about his age, saying he was “only 41,” but adding that “for the longest time I was too young.” He still said he was “not too old” but that he hoped “with a little bit of age comes a little bit of wisdom.”

“In this moment, I think the alternative is not much of an alternative,” Biden said. “And I do think ethics matter. I do think decency matters. I do think we should reflect with the American – we are an optimistic – we are a decent, we are an honorable country.”

The president spoke for over 15 minutes – longer than many of his other off the record stops, where he generally greets people without giving formal remarks.

Throughout the event Biden joked with Rep. Debbie Dingell.

“I don’t want to ruin her reputation but … seriously, when she and I are together, she looks like my wife, Jill,” Biden said. “And they go, ‘Are you married?’ and I say, ‘Yeah.’ I don’t tell them to who.”

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain speaks at the UAW conference in Washington, DC, on January 24.

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain on Friday urged the Democratic Party to not “put our heads in the sand and hide from reality” during remarks at a progressive conference on Friday but stopped short of directly criticizing President Joe Biden or calling on him to step aside.

Fain told an audience gathered at Netroots Nation in Baltimore, Maryland that he believes Democrats are not “meeting the moment” ahead of November’s election. He drew comparisons to the 2016 election when then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump.

Fain’s remarks come a day after CNN reported members of the UAW board, including Fain, have expressed concerns about Biden’s ability to win reelection. The UAW formally endorsed Biden in January, a significant moment for Biden’s campaign as he courts working class voters in Michigan and Wisconsin. CNN reported Thursday that the union is not considering rescinding its endorsem*nt.

Fain nevertheless made clear in his remarks he isn’t afraid to break from the Democratic Party even if it’s “inconvenient” for Biden, although he did not do so on Friday.

“Real democracy is when everybody gets a say, even when it’s inconvenient, whether in the Democrat Party, whether in labor unions or in our workplaces,” Fain said.

Fain, who briefly praised Biden for the “incredible gains” made on behalf of the labor movement during his administration, sharply criticized Trump. He pointed towards his ties to wealthy donors to portray another Trump administration as “a disaster for the working class” while imploring the audience to unify against him.

“The dream and the scheme of a man like Donald Trump is that the vast majority of working class people who literally make our country run will remain divided. That’s how they win,” he said.

President Joe Biden's news conference plays on television July 11 at The New Fashioned bar in Milwaukee, which sits across the street from the Republican National Convention venue.

President Joe Biden’s highly anticipated Thursday evening news conference was watched by 24.2 million viewers across eight broadcast and cable television networks, according to Nielsen data.

Biden’s nearly one-hour news conference on the sidelines of the NATO summit was carried by the broadcast networks NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox and Univision, which broke into regular programming to air special reports, as well as cable networks CNN, MSNBC and Fox News.

Biden took nearly a dozen questions from the press corps amid mounting scrutiny over his health and a growing number of Democrats calling on the president to exit the 2024 race in the wake of his disastrous debate performance last month.

CNN’s June 27 debate with Biden and former President Donald Trump was watched by 51.27 million viewers across 22 networks, making it the most watched non-sports program of the year so far on television.

The debate and ensuing news cycle have provided a much-needed jolt in viewership in what has otherwise been a lackluster year for television news ratings despite a high-stakes presidential election.

President Joe Biden will tie former President Donald Trump directly to “Project 2025” and lay out his most comprehensive plans yet for a possible second termwhen he speaks at a campaign event in Michigan, according to excerpts of his remarks released by the Biden-Harris campaign Friday.

CNN reporting earlier this week verified that more than 140 people who worked in the Trump administration also worked on Project 2025, the conservative blueprint for the next Republican president that has attracted considerable blowback in his race for the White House.

Biden will also call on the country to “stop treating politics like its entertainment or a reality TV show,” a new line he had not used in recent campaign speeches.

Biden is also expected to detail his plans for a second term, including introducing — as his first piece of legislation — a bill to codify the protections provided by Roe v. Wade and a pledge tosign the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act into law.

Other goals he’ll outline include passingthe PRO Actto “end union-busting once and for all,” banning assault weapons and investing more in clean energy.

Former president Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Philadelphia on June 22.

Meta announced Friday that it would remove restrictions placed on former President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts ahead of the Republican National Convention next week.

The company said the decision was made to ensure that Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, would have equal standing with DemocratPresident Joe Biden.

Trump’s accounts on both Facebook and Instagramwere reinstated in early 2023, following a two-year ban in the wake of the January 6, 2021, insurrection. At the time, Meta said it would place additional guardrails on Trump’s accounts to “deter repeat offenses.”

On Friday, Meta said thepenalties placedon Trump’s accounts have not had to be deployed.

President Joe Biden holds a news conference in Washington, DC, on July 11.

The Biden campaign acknowledged President Joe Biden made a few gaffes during Thursday’s NATO summit, but insisted the president’s misspeaks — including moments where he referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” and Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump” — pale in comparison to proposals from Donald Trump.

In remarks earlier this year, Trump warned of a “bloodbath” if he lost the 2024 election, but his comments were specifically referring to the auto industry domestically and overseas.

On a call Friday with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, President Joe Biden at one point received pleas from California Democratic Rep. Lou Correa to “help with Latino voters.”

The congressman went on to ask Biden for a “strong message of hope,” as he lamented the plight of many undocumented families in his community who do not have a pathway to American citizenship.

Biden responded: “I strongly agree with every word you just said, not a joke. I’m being deadly earnest.”

The president then went on to blast Donald Trump for preventing a bipartisan immigration compromise proposal on Capitol Hill from getting across the finish line and touted executive actions he has taken on immigration.

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Convention announced more people expected to speak at next week’s convention in Milwaukee.

The convention’s Committee on Arrangements released on Friday a list of “everyday Americans” slotted to give remarks.

Included in the list of speakers are a teacher, a veteran, a rancher who has property on the US-Mexico border, a small business owner, the head golf professional at Trump International and the golf general manager at Trump National Doral, according to a statement.

Also scheduled to speak is a sibling of Rachel Morin who was allegedly murdered by a manwho illegally crossedthe border in 2023.

No lawmaker who participated in a call organized by the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus with President Joe Biden this afternoon directly asked the president to abandon his reelection campaign, according to two sources briefed on the call.

Some background: As CNN reported, in a meeting with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Rep. Mike Levin directly called on Biden to step down as the nominee.

President Joe Biden’s campaign acknowledged the “anxiety” on Capitol Hill as more Democratic members of Congress join the growing chorus calling for Biden to drop his reelection bid.

Still, Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler insisted the president will continue outreach to lawmakers to shore up his support.

Tyler declined to weigh in on Biden’s virtual meeting Friday with the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, following reports Biden was an hour late and faced tough criticism from lawmakers on the call.

“I’m not going to read out private conversations between the president and Congressional leaders,” Tyler said, adding that he thinks House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other lawmakers have showed support. Jeffries said in a letter that he met with Biden Thursday night but did not offer an endorsem*nt of the president.

President Joe Biden holds news conference in Washington, DC, on July 11.

AfterDemocratic Rep. MikeLevincalled on President Joe Biden to drop out of the race, Biden responded by saying that it was important for him to be in front of people and let them know that he was still moving well and healthy, according to a source briefed on a call with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Biden touted the work he has done over the last three years. He added that he understands people are worried about how he is feeling, and so being in front of people to prove he’s doing well is important.

CNN has not reviewed the exact question that Levin asked which prompted Biden’s response.

Signage is displayed during a walkthrough of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on May 22.

Chicago has begun moving residents of an encampment near the downtown area into shelters ahead of the Democratic National Conventionnext month, the city confirmed to CNN.

The site is one of the city’s most visible encampments and can be seen from the busy Dan Ryan Expressway, less than 3 miles from the United Center where the DNC will be held from August 19 to August 22.

Residents are being moved into one of two city shelters, where they will receive counseling, medical treatment, and access to resources to obtain additional long-term housing, Berg said.

Democrat Rep. Mike Levin of California is the latest Democrat to call on President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.

While he thanked Biden for his leadership, Levin wrote: “Once again, our national mettle must be forged in the crucible of history.It is time to move forward.With a new leader. Together.”

Levin told Biden to exit the race during a call with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, according to someone briefed on the call. The lawmaker went public with his position shortly after.

This is the first instance CNN has reported of a sitting member of Congress directly telling Biden to step aside.

Biden took more questions than planned, the source added.

The headline and the post have been updated with additional details about Biden’s call with lawmakers.

Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Rep. Judy Chu said in a statement after Asian American lawmakers met virtually with President Joe Biden on Friday that caucus members took the opportunity to share their “concerns.”

Youth climate group Sunrise Movement issued a statement Friday calling for President Joe Biden to “pass the torch to a new nominee.”

Sunrise was key in organizing youth voters for Biden in the 2020 election, and the White House has worked with the group on some of Biden’s biggest climate initiatives.

Shiney-Ajay encouraged young people to mobilize around the Democratic nominee and defeat former President Donald Trump in 2024, saying Trump represents a grave threat to the climate.

“For the future of our democracy and our planet, we must defeat Trump this November,” Shiney-Ajay said. “Another Trump presidency would cause catastrophic and irreversible damage to our climate. In order to fight for our generation and our future, we must vote for the Democratic nominee.”

President Joe Biden arrives at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan, on July 12.

President Joe Biden is campaigning today in the critical swing state of Michigan, which he needs to win to get re-elected, according to his campaign.

The trip comes as the president has vowed to move forward with the 2024 campaign, even as a growing number of Democratic lawmakers — including Rep. Hillary Scholten of Michigan — have called for Biden to exit the race.

Where things stand: More than a dozen Democratic House members and at least one Democratic senator have publicly called on Biden to withdraw from the presidential race. In addition, the New York Times reportedFriday that donors are holding back around $90 million from a pro-Biden Super PAC due to concerns about the president’s reelection viability.

What lawmakers are saying today:

Trump reacts: The former president said on a radio program that he thinks Biden’s news conference Thursday wasn’t “a total disaster,” adding he doesn’t believe it’s “the end for him.” He also said he thought he and Biden have an “obligation” to the American public to debate again and suggested he and Biden undergo cognitive testing together.

Inside Biden’s circle: Biden’s teams were pleased with his solo NATO news conferenceperformance, but his campaign acknowledged it won’t end all the questions about his candidacy. A senior administration official said the event represented “progress” after two weeks of setbacks. Another senior Democrat told CNN by text that it was “better, but not a home run.”

Coming up: Biden will hold virtual meetings with groups of Democratic lawmakers on Friday and Saturday, several sources familiar told CNN. Biden is also expected to continue his on-the-road push next week, heading to Texas and Nevada. Meantime, the Republican National Convention will get underway on Monday in Milwaukee where Trump is expected to become the official nominee.

Former President Donald Trump on Friday posted a video from his meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at Mar-a-Lago and praised the authoritarian leader on social media.

Trump regularly praises Orbán on the campaign trail and previously hosted the autocrat at his Florida estate in March.

Former President Donald Trump praised several people who are under consideration to be his vice presidential pick.

“The people are fantastic. Like I watched Tim Scott on television yesterday. He was fierce and great. He was great. I watched Marco over the weekend on television. He was incredible. JD has been great. You have a man named Burgum, who’s a fantastic governor in North Dakota, and you know, it’s a state that’s very, very prosperous, very successful, and he’s done a good job there. There you have — you have some terrific people,” Trump said on “The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show.”

He again said he would like to announce his running mate during the Republican National Convention next week.

“I’d love to do it during the convention … or just slightly before the convention, like Monday. Love to do it on Tuesday or Wednesday, actually, but for a lot of complex reasons that you people understand, pretty much don’t do that,” Trump said of when he’d make the announcement.

Former President Donald Trump said Friday he thinks President Joe Biden’s news conference on Thursday wasn’t “a total disaster,” adding he doesn’t believe it’s “the end for him.”

Biden mistakenly said “Vice President Trump” when discussing if his Vice President Kamala Harris could beat the former president.

Trump said he thought running against Harris “may be easier” than going against Biden.

“I think in many ways, she may be easier than Biden, but we don’t think too much in terms of anyone else, until he gets out,” Trump said, adding that if Biden does step aside, only Harris can be her party’s nominee. “Because I think you’d have a very big problem in the Democrat Party if it were somebody other than her.”

The former president said he thought he and Biden have an “obligation” to the American public to debate again as well.

He also suggested he and Biden undergo cognitive testing together.

“I am cognitively great, perfect, and I’ve had tests. I do routine, you know. … I just did a physical, by the way, and I came out perfectly. We’ll announce those numbers soon,” Trump said.“I suggest that we go in together and do a cognitive test. We’ll do cognitive tests, we’ll do it together, like a team.”

As he battles to save his 2024 campaign, President Joe Biden is returning to a place where he delivered one of the key lines from his 2020 campaign: promising to be a “bridge” to the next generation of Democratic leaders.

The president is setto speak at the same high school in Detroit where he stood hand-in-hand with then-Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Cory Booker and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as he cast himself as a link to the future.

The event marked Biden’s final major rally before the Covid-19 pandemic sent Americans into isolation and transformed how he would campaign for the remainder of the 2020 race.

The 81-year-old president is now facing serious doubts within the Democratic Party about his ability to beat former President Donald Trump in November, prompting some to call for him to step aside.

When asked at a news conference Thursday what changed since he made his “bridge” comments four years ago, Biden said:

“I realized was my long time in the Senate equipped me to have the wisdom on how to deal with the Congress to get things done,” Biden added.

An Arizona judge is allowing several people facing criminal charges for allegedly conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results to travel to Milwaukee next week for the Republican National Convention.

TheArizona delegation to the conventionincludes three fake electors who have been charged in that state for their alleged roles in the 2020 plot. Now they will help officially anoint Donald Trump as the GOP’s 2024 presidential nominee.

Earlier this month, Superior Court Judge Bruce Cohen, who is overseeing Arizona’s election subversion case, approved a request from defendant Nancy Cottle to travel to the RNC. She has been charged with multiple felonies in connection with her role as a pro-Trump fake elector from Arizona four years ago.The order also included permission for “any other named defendant in this matter who may need a similar order” to travel to the convention.

Arizona Sen. Jake Hoffman, who was recently elected to serve as the Arizona GOP’s national committeeman, and state Sen. Anthony Kern also will be allowed to travel to Wisconsin for the convention.

Cottle, Hoffman and Kern have all pleaded not guilty. All three defendants were required to obtain the court’s permission to travel under their pre-trial release conditions.

Six other battleground states also are sending fake electors and others who worked to upend the 2020 election results to represent their state parties at the RNC in Milwaukee. It is unclear whether those charged with election-related crimes in other states have received — or need — permission to travel to the convention.

President Joe Biden will hold virtual meetings with a few groups of Democratic lawmakers on Friday and Saturday, several sources familiar with the meetings told CNN.

Friday:

Saturday:

The meetings come as Biden’s support among House Democrats is slowly eroding, with more Democrats calling for him to step aside in the 2024 race.

This post has been updated with additional information.

Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen would not say whether she believes President Joe Biden should stay in the race for president, neither endorsing his continued candidacy nor calling for him to drop out.

Pressed again on whether she believes Biden is the strongest candidate to beat former President Donald Trump, Shaheen reiterated, “I think that those discussions are ongoing.”

Shaheen, who is a co-chair of the US Senate NATO Observer Group, said she thought Biden did well at his press conference on Thursday evening.

Joe Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon acknowledged to staff in a call Thursday that the period after the president’s disastrous debate performance late last month have been “hard,” “very bad” and “bad f**king weeks,” a source who was on the call told CNN.

O’Malley Dillon, known by colleagues for freely dropping expletives, acknowledged when she fumbled words that she had not slept much recently. She tried to rally the troops on this call after first bluntly accepting that the most recent stretch has been deeply challenging, the source said.

She laid out both external and internal polling numbers and made the case that the data still backs up that Biden can defeat former President Donald Trump.

O’Malley Dillon argued to her team that the Biden reelection campaign is going through a moment that they are “built for,” and that it is because of the team that the president would ultimately win.

Some of the details of what O’Malley Dillon said werefirst reportedby Axios.

President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speak to reporters before participating in a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on July 10 in Washington, DC.

Keir Starmer, Britain’s newest leader, wants to force lawmakers in his country’s upper chamber to step down at age 80. Does this mean he thinks octogenarians likePresident Joe Bidenshould step back from politics?

“Obviously in America, it’s for the American people to decide who they want to be their president,” Starmer toldCNN’s Jake Tapperin an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, a week after he became prime minister of the United Kingdom.

Despite growing questions aboutBiden’s mental acuityand fitness for a second term, Starmer said the 81-year-old president had been “in good form” when the two met for talks and that “of course” he would say if he were concerned about Biden.

Starmer, 61, is the latest in a series of world leaders who have been asked whether Biden is too old to campaign and govern effectively. But he spoke positively about their discussions at the summit on Wednesday.

On his plan to force lawmakers in the House of Lords — which scrutinizes the government and makes recommendations on laws — to step down after turning 80, Starmer said the policy was “more to do with the size” of the unelected upper chamber than the fitness of elderly politicians. “We’ve got over 800 members,” he said.

Starmer is not alone in trying to downplay concerns about Biden’s age. French President Emmanuel Macron also said Biden remained “in charge” and “clear on the issues he knows well.”

Read more from the interview with Starmer.

One thing that House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries did not offer President Joe Biden during their meeting Thursday night at the White House: his endorsem*nt.

A person familiar with the meeting tells CNN that Jeffries “bluntly” shared the views of the caucus — as he stated in his letter — but intentionally did not offer an endorsem*nt or say publicly that the decision to step aside from the campaign is Biden’s to make.

While it is uncertain if Biden directly asked Jeffries for his tacit endorsem*nt, a person familiar with the matter said, Jeffries did not extend it at the meeting or in the public letter Friday.

Democratic donors plan to withhold around $90 million to a pro-Biden super PAC, Future Forward, the New York Times reported Friday, in the latest fallout resulting from concerns about Biden’s reelection viability.

The pause on contributions — which include multiple eight-figure commitments, the Times’ sources said — follow a disastrous debate performance from the president last month and a growing list of Democratic officials calling for him to step aside.

The Times also reported that another donor said the super PAC has approached him multiple times since the debate, but he is “holding off.” An adviser for Future Forward said the group expects donations to resume when the presidential ticket uncertainty is resolved.

Biden has vowed to continue his reelection campaign and his staff remains publicly adamant he will stay in the race. During a news conference on Thursday, Biden said, “There’s a long way to go this campaign, and so I’m just going to keep moving.”

More than a dozen Democratic House members and at least one Democratic senator have publicly called on President Joe Biden to withdraw from his reelection campaign.

That list includes multiple House members in the nation’s most competitive congressional districts, but also senior Democrats on influential committees and members in safely Democratic seats.

Dozens of other Democrats have stopped short of calling for Biden to end his campaign, but have either expressed concerns about Biden’s chances, said he’ll lose outright or remain publicly undecided. Still, more than 70 members of the House and Senate have publicly reaffirmed their support for Biden as the party’s presidential nominee following his disastrous debate performance late last month.

The top Democrats in Congress — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries —made aseries of public statements supporting Biden’s bid this weekahead of Biden’s news conference Thursday.Jeffries met with Biden after the president’s news conference to convey what he’d been hearing from his members, and he notably did not offer an endorsem*nt of Biden’s plan to stay in the race.

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi — who remains in Congress and is among the most influential members of the party — has privately expressed her concerns, CNN reported Thursday night.

This post has been updated with new reporting.

Rep. Brittany Pettersen speaks during the the Mother's Day Press Conference calling for action on Care and Reproductive rights on May 8, in Washington, DC.

Colorado Rep. Brittany Pettersen is the latest congressional Democrat to call on President Joe Biden to step aside from the 2024 campaign in a new statement posted to X.

In her statement, she said that Biden “is a big reason I went down the path of public service myself.”

The freshman representative joins more than a dozen members of Congress to call on Biden to step aside.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a letter to his colleagues Friday morning that he met with President Joe Biden on Thursday night.

“That meeting occurred yesterday evening. In my conversation with President Biden, I directly expressed the full breadth of insight, heartfelt perspectives and conclusions about the path forward that the Caucus has shared in our recent time together,” Jeffries said in a letter to his colleagues Friday morning.

The meeting occurred after Biden’s presser, according to a source familiar with the meeting.

President Joe Biden’s closest advisers are promising frustrated and anxious Democrats that they are conveying the deep concerns about Biden’s political viability directly to the president himself.

When a group of some of the president’s closest aides — including campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon and advisers Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti — met with senators behind closed doors Thursday, a number of lawmakers demanded to know how they could be sure that the worries they were airing in that private meeting would actually reach the president, one person in the room told CNN.

Ricchetti told the members that he had taken “copious notes” from their meeting and pledged that their views would in fact make their way to Biden himself.

After the meeting of Senate Democrats disbanded Thursday, lawmakers coming out made clear there was no consensus among the members about the president’s political future. Biden’s closest aides remain adamant for now that he’s staying in the race.

In the aftermath of his disastrous debate performance last month, Biden is said to have privately asked allies for input and advice on what he should be doing, CNN has previously reported.

CNN reached out to the White House for comment.

Gov. Doug Burgum walks through the spin room following the CNN Presidential Debate between US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump at the McCamish Pavilion on the Georgia Institute of Technology campus on June 27 in Atlanta.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who is on the shortlist to be Donald Trump’s running mate, said on Friday that only Trump knows who his vice presidential pick will be, suggesting that he hasn’t been told whether he is the former president’s running mate.

“Nobody knows, except President Trump,” he said on Fox News when asked whether he knows yet or whether Trump has asked him.

Asked about his having signed a six-week abortion ban in his state, Burgum said that there’s “zero daylight between (Trump’s) position and mine” and insisted the two are “aligned” on the issue of abortion.

“So if he’s going to pick someone to run with, pick someone who’s already had the position he’s landed on, which is, I’m absolutely and totally opposed to (a) federal abortion ban,” he said. “I ran on that as president when I was running for president last fall.”

Trump on Wednesday said that “it’s an issue” that Burgum signed the abortion ban.

On Joe Biden, Burgum accused the president’s team of conspiring to hide his decline, likening it to “an old Soviet thing.”

President Joe Biden is expected to continue his on-the-road push next week as he looks to show voters he’s up for a second term.

As the Republican National Convention gets underway on Monday, the president will deliver remarks at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, as part of an event celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. Biden will also use the remarks to “lay out proposals to address the role of the Supreme Court moving forward,” a campaign official said. The president has become increasingly critical of the Supreme Court in recent months, including following its decision in the presidential immunity case.

While in Austin, the president will also sit down for another high-stakes national interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt.

The president will spend Tuesday and Wednesday in Las Vegas, Nevada, courting Black and Latino voters at NAACP and UnidosUS conferences. He’s also expected to talk about efforts to “make housing and rentals more affordable,” the official said.

Sen. Chris Coons speaks to reporters at the US Capitol on July 8, in Washington, DC

A key Biden ally said Friday that he’s encouraging Democratic lawmakers to privately air grievances with President Joe Biden, who he said “has been listening.”

“I’ve been urging my colleagues to keep this a family conversation and not work through their emotions and concerns in editorials and public speeches, but to convey their concerns to our president. He has been listening,” Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a Biden campaign co-chair, said in an interview with CNN.

Biden “has decided he’s running for reelection,” Coons said, also pointing to recent new polling reflecting “no big movement” in the race.

Coons downplayed the lawmakers calling on the president to step aside: “In my view, the vast majority of Democrats in the House and Senate recognize that Donald Trump is an existential threat to our democracy,” he said.

Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont has publicly called on Biden to step aside, while Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado has said that he believes Trump could win in a landslide.

People wait to listen to California Gov. Gavin Newsom speak as he campaigns for President Joe Biden at the Van Buren County Democratic Party's "BBQ for Biden-Harris" event on July 4, in South Haven, Michigan.

President Joe Biden will be joined Friday in Michigan by a slate of elected officials and leaders representing key coalitions — labor, Black voters, Latino voters, gun control advocates and reproductive rights advocates — the campaign said, as he looks to highlight support he has maintained in the wake of the debate.

Academy Award-winning actress Octavia Spencer will be a special guest speaker.

The president will be introduced by Pastor Cindy Rudolph of Oak AME Church. LT. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Detroit Mayor Michael Duggan, and Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes also will speak at the event.

Michigan Reps. Haley Stevens, Debbie Dingell and Shri Thanedar will also attend the event.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Biden campaign co-chair who was on a press tour for her book earlier in the week, was not included in the list of guests.

Ahead of the trip, top Biden campaign officials argued Biden’s most direct path to victory runs through the Blue wall states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Michigan will mark the fourth battleground state the president has visited since the debate following travel to North Carolina, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

President Joe Biden plans to lean into tying former President Donald Trump to the conservative Project 2025 blueprint as he campaigns in the battleground state of Michigan on Friday, a campaign official said, his latest effort to shift the focus back to his GOP rival as he looks to turn around his own campaign amid serious doubts within his party about his path forward.

The president’s remarks in Detroit will “contrast the dangers of Trump’s Project 2025’s agenda with the promise of what America can accomplish in the first 100 days of a second Biden term,” the official said.

Trump has said he has “no idea who is behind” Project 2025. But a CNN review found at least 140 people who worked in the Trump administration had a hand in it.

The trip comes as the president has vowed to move forward in the 2024 campaign, even as a growing number of Democratic lawmakers — including Rep. Hillary Scholten of Michigan — have called for Biden to exit the race.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is running for Senate in Michigan, has sidestepped questions about whether she still supports the president. Slotkin is not expected to attend the president’s event due to previously scheduled travel in the state, an official with her campaign said.

US President Joe Biden presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to US Representative James Clyburn, left, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 3, 2024.

South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, a top congressional ally of President Joe Biden, said that the conversation about replacing Biden as Democrats’ 2024 nominee should not continue, though he noted later that “we have until the 19th of August to open our convention.”

During an interview on NBC’s “Today” show Friday morning, Clyburn faced pointed questions about Biden’s political viability.

When asked again whether “the conversation should be over,” Clyburn answered, “No, the conversation should focus on the record of this administration, on the alternative to his election, and let Joe Biden continue to make his own decisions about his future.”

Clyburn continued:

Clyburn was also asked whether he thought Biden was “the same man” to whom the South Carolina Democrat had offered a pivotal endorsem*nt four years ago during his 2020 presidential bid.

“No — I’m not the same Jim Clyburn that I was a few years ago,” he responded. But, Clyburn added, “I am a bit wiser than I was before.”

Clyburn conceded that Biden has physically aged, but insisted that“mentally … He is still grasping what this country is all about.”

He suggested that Biden hold more town hall-style events with voters to allay concerns.

The congressman also said he’d “absolutely” endorse Vice President Kamala Harris if Democrats replaced Biden with her at the top of the ticket.

While President Joe Biden’s teams were pleased with his Thursday solo NATO news conference performance, sources inside the White House and the campaign acknowledge it won’t end all the questions about his candidacy, which top Democrats tell CNN will continue mounting.

One White House official described the mood was one of relief when the president exited the stage after 59 minutes — in which he had few gaffes and a bit of charisma.

A senior administration official said the event represented “progress” after two weeks of setbacks.

Yet senior Democrats say the bar was higher for Biden, whose debate performance spurred a crisis of confidence within the party, now seeing more than a dozen House Democrats call for the incumbent to step aside.

Biden performed well, all things considered, said one senior Democratic strategist, “but not enough to stem the mounting pressure.”

Sources within both the White House and the campaign say they expect to hear from additional Democrats who say they need to see more from Biden. The president pledged in the news conference to campaign harder in order to “allay their concerns.”

Lawmakers who have objected to Biden’s candidacy have said they don’t want to hold their breath each time Biden steps on stage.

Now, Biden heads to the critical swing state of Michigan, which his campaign says is a requirement to win if he were to get elected. Michigan’s Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has suggested it wouldn’t hurt for Biden to takea cognitive test.

The latest update to the CNN Poll of Polls finds former President Donald Trump with an average of 49% support in polls conducted after the presidential debate, ahead of President Joe Biden’s 45%. The average holds steady after the addition of a new poll fromNPR/PBS News/Marist College,which finds no clear leader in the race, with Biden at 50% to Trump’s 48%.

The NPR/PBS/Marist poll, conducted July 9 to 10, finds little change in the contest compared with their pre-debate poll in mid-June, which found the race tied. The new poll finds 55% of voters nationwide feel Biden should not be the Democratic candidate for president this year, with an identical 55% saying Trump should not be the Republican candidate. Almost two-thirds, 64%, say Biden does not have the mental fitness to serve as president, and that drops to 49% for Trump. Trump is more widely seen as not having the character to serve as president (56% say so compared with 46% who say the same about Biden).

The NPR/PBS/Marist survey also finds several other Democrats running about even with Trump in hypothetical matchups with no clear leader: Vice President Kamala Harris holds 50% to Trump’s 49%, California Gov. Gavin Newsom holds 50% to Trump’s 48%, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Trump are tied at 49%.

Biden’s approval rating in the NPR/PBS/Marist poll stands at 43% among adults, significantly higher than the 37% found in anaverage of recent polls.

Protecting Social Security is among the top promises that former President Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee say they’ll “accomplish very quickly” if they win control of the White House and Congress in November’s election.

“FIGHT FOR AND PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE WITH NO CUTS, INCLUDING NO CHANGES TO THE RETIREMENT AGE,” the platform reads.

However, this promise leaves Trump and the GOP with few options to address the looming shortfalls in both entitlements programs. The solutions floated typically include cutting or slowing the growth of benefits, raising the retirement age or hiking payroll taxes either by increasing the rate for everyone or lifting the threshold on income subjected to the levy – though Republicans have generally been opposed to raising payroll taxes.

Congress doesn’t have a lot of time left to figure out how to save the beloved programs. The combined Social Security trust funds – which help support monthly payments to the elderly, survivors and people with disabilities – are expected to be exhausted in 2035, according to itstrustees’ annual report. After that, payroll tax revenue and other income sources will only be able tocover 83% of benefits owed. Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund, known as Medicare Part A, will only be able to pay 89% of scheduled benefits in 2036.

Keep reading.

President Joe Biden’scritical news conference didn’t end his reelection campaign on Thursday night. But it showed why it will be so hard for him to save it.

Biden endured his latest agonizing, public test of cognition as he faces a growing torrent of calls from Democrats, worried that he’s destined to lose toformer President Donald Trump, to step aside.

The president’s deepening reality is that every halting step he takes to tackle his biggest liability — his age and diminished condition — the more he highlights it. And his defiance suggests he may be one of the last people to realize it.

But as soon as he finished speaking, he suffered yet another Democratic defection — from senior House Democrat Jim Himes — that showed that much of his divided, anxious party doesn’t believe him. Other lawmakers followed before the night was over.

The president is therefore at another fateful moment, teed up by one of his most respected political friends, Nancy Pelosi.

The former House speaker, who remains one of the most powerful Democrats, suggested earlier this week that despite Biden’s adamant declaration that he’s in the race for good, the summit’s end should usher in new reflection.CNN reportedThursday evening that Pelosi and former President Barack Obama have spoken privately about Biden and the future of his campaign.

Another decisive moment is now at hand, and Biden is looking increasingly exposed.

Read the full analysis.

Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi have spoken privately about Joe Biden and the future of his2024campaign.

Boththe former president and ex-speaker expressed concerns about how much harder they think it’s become for the president to beat Donald Trump.Neither is quite sure what to do.

Democrats are desperate for the dispiriting infighting to end so they can get back to trying to beatthe former president.And they’re beggingeither Obama or Pelosito help them get there, aware that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumerdoesn’t havethe trust of Bidenandthat House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries doesn’t have the depth of relationship to deliver the message.

CNN spoke withmore thana dozen members of Congress, operatives and multiple people in touch with both Obama and Pelosi, many of whom say that the endfor Biden’s candidacyfeels clear and it’s just a matter of how it plays out.

Many of Pelosi’s colleagues are hoping that she can bring an end to the turmoil that has engulfed Democrats for the last two weeks.Andto a good chunk of them,that endcan come if and when she tells Biden that he has to drop out.

Pelosi has made clear that she does not see Biden’s decision to stay inthe raceas final.

Obama’sdecision not to make any public comment for two weeks has left a number of leading Democrats feeling like he has left them flailing by holding to the same posture that has largely defined his post-presidency. After the debate, he posted on X,“Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know,” reiterating that sentiment at a fundraiser the night after Biden’s performance.

But Obama’s deepening skepticism about his friend’s ability towin reelection is one of the worst kept secrets in Washington.

Read the full story.

President Joe Biden on Thursday, aimed to convince his detractors and supporters that he is able to serve another four years in office.

Here are some takeaways:

A Rorschach test for nervous Democrats

Biden’s performance likely won’t change many minds – Democrats who want Biden to step down are able to jump on a notable verbal gaffe he made at the beginning of the news conference, while Biden’s supporters will point toward the time he spent deftly answering a variety of questions on foreign policy.

Biden mistakenly referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as former President Donald Trump. It was exactly the type of slip-up the White House and Biden’s campaign presumably would have feared amid mounting questions surrounding his mental acuity.

He made a similar mistake earlier in the day, accidentally calling Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky “President Putin” while introducing him during a NATO event.

Biden eagerly takes on Trump

Biden told reporters that foreign leaders he’s met at the conference have expressed concern over the prospect of a second Trump term.

Biden brushes off concerns about his campaign

“I think I’m the most qualified person to run for president. I beat him once and I will beat him again,” Biden said, referring to Trump.

Pressed on whether he might reconsider his stance if he were shown data showing Harris performing better against Trump, he offered some openness to that possibility.

That’s a much different answer from last week.

Read more of the takeaways.

Donald Trump Jr. is scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday —shortly before his father’s pick for vice president does, a source familiar with the schedule tells CNN.

The schedule is notable given how involved the former president’s eldest son has been in the vice-presidential selection process. Trump Jr. has been one of the most – if not the most — ardent supporters of Ohio Sen. JD Vance.

Given this was scheduled weeks ago, it doesn’t indicate who Trump will pick as his running mate, a source told CNN, as many of those around him remain unsure about what his final decision will be.