More Democrats called for Biden to bow out of the race.
President Joe Biden faced a critical point in his reelection bid as Democratic calls for him to exit the 2024 race continued to mount despite his efforts to shut them down.
A poor debate performance against Donald Trump in June reignited questions about Biden's age and fitness to carry out his campaign and serve another four years. While Biden defiantly insisted he was staying the course, he later announced on July 21 that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.
Click here for the latest live updates on the 2024 election.
In his first public event since taking questions from reporters in an open presser on Thursday night, President Joe Biden is heading to the Motor City.
Biden will head to Detroit, Michigan, for campaign-related activities on Friday.
After a day of events, Biden will then travel to the Dover, Delaware, airport as he makes his way to his home in Rehoboth Beach.
Former Democratic House Rep. Jane Harman called President Biden's press conference Thursday night a "solid" performance.
"I thought Biden's performance tonight was solid. Yes, there was one gaffe and there was a gaffe earlier today. I don't think it's been a secret for 40 years that he is gaffe prone, so I wouldn't judge him that way. I thought his answers on China and on Ukraine were nuanced and thoughtful and proved what experience he has and what a nuanced mind he has," Harman told ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis. "Having said that, I'm not going to pretend that the poll numbers are great, and I'm not going to pretend that some of the concerns are invalid, but ... I think we have to be pretty practical here."
Harman then pointed out Biden's desire to stay in the race, his record, which she called "excellent," and the uncertainty of what would happen with the Democrats if he left the race.
"Chaos plays right into Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump's playbooks. And let's not forget, there could be malign influence going on here," she told Davis. "And a lot of the information out there could be domestically driven, or it could be foreign, malign influence."
Regardless, Harman said she thinks Democrats will have a "private conversation soon."
"I'm guessing Nancy Pelosi will be in the room, and she's a highly respected vote counter," Harman continued. "I give her a lot of credit. I served with her for a long time, and we're still in active touch. And we'll see; I mean, he said if he can't win, he will leave the race. If he can't win, he has to be persuaded of that. But if he can't win, who can win? This is not a conversation about Biden leaving. It's a conversation about the Democratic ticket winning."
Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, the first sitting House member to call for President Biden to step aside, told ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis that following Thursday's press conference, his opinion hasn't changed.
"I thought the president did a good job. I think he clearly is the most qualified person to handle our international relations. But the question before us -- is he the most qualified person to turn around the undecided and the independents who have refused to join him over the past year and now complicated by the setback when we needed a surge that he had during the debate," Doggett said. "Every time there's a slip, a Vice President Trump instead of Harris, a Putin instead of Zelensky, people will focus on something that might not have even been noticed at past times. And to the extent over the coming months that all the attention is on whether he is fit and able to do this job instead of on Trump's lies, we will be set back."
Doggett, directing his comments to Biden, said the polls don't support a top-of-the-ticket win.
"And, Mr. President, just as you deal with the reality of conflict around the world, deal with the reality of the numbers here. And when you look at those numbers, we don't see a path forward for a Democratic Congress and a White House that is occupied by someone of President Biden's skill, but is instead occupied by a criminal and his gang."
A source familiar with the thinking at the Biden campaign Thursday night told ABC News that following the president's presser in front of the media, staffers were reminded why they moved to Wilmington, Delaware, to work on his campaign. They believe no one will fight harder for the American people than Biden. Those at the campaign believe the press conference showed off Biden's deep policy experience, going above and beyond expectations, the source expressed.
