Last Update July 19, 2024 03:56pm ET

Biden campaign insists he’s ‘in this race’ despite mounting Democrat calls to drop out

President Biden is reportedly “furious” as Democratic officials have ramped up calls for him to withdraw from the 2024 election. Party donors have threatened to withhold money and elected officials are openly calling on the president to step aside. Biden is self-isolating in Rehoboth, Delaware after testing positive for COVID-19.

Covered by: Chris Pandolfo, Julia Johnson, Aubrie Spady, Brianna Herlihy, Fox News Staff, Jamie Joseph and Adam Shaw

Fast Facts

•  The White House said President Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, prompting him to cancel a two-day swing through the battleground state of Nevada. 
•  In a pre-taped interview that aired on Wednesday night, Biden told BET News host Ed Gordan that he’d reconsider staying in the race, “If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody, if doctors came to me and said, you got this problem and that problem.” 
•  Biden’s disastrous June 27 debate performance against former President Trump in Atlanta has prompted a growing number of Democrats to insist the president step aside and allow for a different nominee. 

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9 min(s) ago

PINNED

VP Kamala Harris to join last-minute call with major Dem donors

Vice President Kamala Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris will address a network of major Democrat donors on short notice Friday afternoon, the New York Times is reporting, according to two people invited to the call that spoke to the outlet.

It was confirmed to Fox News Digital by a source familiar that Harris would be joining the call.

The vice president is participating in the call at the direct request of senior advisors to President Biden, a source familiar told Fox News.

It is reportedly “unclear” whether Harris “plans to encourage the restive donor base to calm down or to deliver some other message.”

The call comes as an avalanche of Democrat lawmakers have pushed Biden to step aside amid grim polling numbers and growing confidence that Biden would lose to former President Donald Trump in November.

The Biden-Harris campaign did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital.

Fox News’ Julia Johnson and Patrick Ward contributed to this report.

Posted by Brianna Herlihy Share

51 seconds ago

Democrat megadonor calls on Biden to exit race, threatens to withhold donations until he drops out

Billionaire Michael Moritz is the latest Democrat megadonor to call on President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 race.

“Sadly, President Biden has a choice — vanity or virtue,” Moritz, chairperson of Sequoia Capital, told The New York Times on Friday. “He can either condemn the country to dark and cruel times or heed the voice of Father Time. The clock has run out.”

On top of urging the president to suspend his campaign, Mortiz added that he will not contribute to any Democrat campaigns until Biden drops out.

“I would vote for Biden, but I would not give another penny to any fund-raising appeals from Democrats,” he said in a statement.

Over 30 congressional Democrats called on Biden to withdraw from the presidential race as of Friday afternoon. 

The Biden campaign has hit back against these calls, with campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon urging on Friday that “the president is in this race.”

Posted by Aubrie Spady Share

13 min(s) ago

Biden responds to 16 year sentence of American journalist in Russia

Evan Gershkovich in Russian court

President Biden released a statement on Friday after American Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in Russian prison.

“Today, Evan Gershkovich received a sentence of 16 years in a Russian prison, despite having committed no crime,” said Biden. “Rather, he was targeted by the Russian government because he is a journalist and an American.”

“We are pushing hard for Evan’s release and will continue to do so. As I have long said and as the UN also concluded, there is no question that Russia is wrongfully detaining Evan. Journalism is not a crime,” he added.

“We will continue to stand strong for press freedom in Russia and worldwide, and stand against all those who seek to attack the press or target journalists,” Biden said. “Additionally, since the very first day of my Administration, I have had no higher priority than seeking the release and safe return of Evan, Paul Whelan and all Americans wrongfully detained and held hostage abroad. Evan has endured his ordeal with remarkable strength. We will not cease in our efforts to bring him home. And Jill and I are holding Evan and his family in our prayers.”

Gershkovich was accused by the Russian government of spying. The 16-year sentence handed down to him will be spent in a high-security Russian penal colony.

In a joint statement, Almar Latour, the chief executive of Dow Jones and publisher of The Wall Street Journal, and Wall Street Journal Editor in Chief Emma Tucker said, “This disgraceful, sham conviction comes after Evan has spent 478 days in prison, wrongfully detained, away from his family and friends, prevented from reporting, all for doing his job as a journalist.” 

Posted by Julia Johnson Share

24 min(s) ago

MSNBC guest admits there is a massive ‘enthusiasm gap’ between Trump and Biden

MSNBC guest admits there is a massive ‘enthusiasm gap’ between Trump and Biden: ‘I’ve heard horror stories’

Atlantic writer Tim Alberta told MSNBC on Thursday that there is currently a massive enthusiasm gap between Republicans and Democrats heading into November.

There is a currently a massive enthusiasm gap between former President Trump and President Biden leading Democrats to scramble for support, according to one MSNBC guest.

During a Thursday appearance on “Deadline: White House,” Tim Alberta, a staff writer for The Atlantic, said the Democratic base is “entirely lacking for intensity,” and elected officials in battleground states are struggling to find volunteers.

“I’ve never seen an enthusiasm gap like the one we’re witnessing in the summer of this election year,” he said.

“I’ve heard horror stories from people on the ground in Michigan, in Pennsylvania, in Arizona, about just striking out time and time again as local Democratic Party chapters, county chapters have tried to get people to come in and phone bank, get mail going, knock on doors. They can’t do it. They can’t find people,” the reporter added.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Nikolas Lanum.

Posted by Aubrie Spady Share

34 min(s) ago

Campaign chairs say Biden is ‘more committed than ever’ to presidential race and ‘asking for input’

POLITICS

Campaign chairs say Biden is both ‘more committed than ever’ to presidential race and ‘asking for input’

Biden “weighing what he should weigh” concerning the 2024 presidential election, but is also “more committed than ever” to defeating Trump, according to top campaign advisors.

President Biden’s top campaign advisors both weighed in on Friday to comment on widespread speculation surrounding the 2024 presidential race.

The first clarification came from Campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon, who left no room for question during an interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

“The president’s in this race,” O’Malley Dillon told the hosts. “You’ve heard him say that time and time again, and I think we saw on display last night exactly why, because Donald Trump is not going to offer anything new to the American people. He’s the same person he was in 2020. He’s the same person he was at the debate stage.”

O’Malley Dillon made clear there was no question that Biden is “more committed than ever to beat Donald Trump” — pushing back yet again on weeks and weeks of leaks and speculation claiming the president was close to pulling out of the race.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Timothy H.J. Nerozzi.