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.
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The Trump campaign is preparing new ads to attack Harris' record, and is compiling opposition research books and conducting polling to test her weaknesses in a general election matchup, sources familiar with the plans tell ABC News.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed Sunday, Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn. and former long-shot Democratic presidential candidate, called on Congressional Democrats to hold a confidence vote on President Joe Biden as the party's nominee.
Phillips said that this method would be democratic, because those lawmakers were elected by Americans across the country.
"That’s why I believe House and Senate Democrats, directly elected by voters from across the country, must hold an immediate vote of confidence and share the results directly with Mr. Biden," Phillips wrote in the op-ed. "It can be done by secret ballot, as fear of political retribution still prevents many members from speaking publicly. But a poll of elected Democrats whose electoral fates are closely tied to the president is far superior to one of unelected members of the Democratic National Committee."
If the vote of "confidence" wins, then Democrats should coalesce their support behind the president, Phillips wrote.
"But if ‘no confidence’ is the consensus, the president must end his candidacy," he added.
In the case of a "no confidence vote," Phillips said he thinks Vice President Kamala Harris would become the party's candidate, but Phillips proposed a method to selecting the party's ticket.
"The president and the party could then either endorse and elevate Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket or promote a one-month ‘miniprimary,’” he wrote.
Phillips also called on Biden to "pass the torch" during an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday.
Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., who caucuses with Democrats but left the party earlier this year, told "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz on Sunday that he came to the decision "with a heavy heart," but that the swell of Democrats issuing similar calls after last month's debate made the current situation untenable for President Biden.
Manchin argued that dropping out now would allow Biden to tackle a litany of issues he's prioritized, including uniting the country, ending fighting in Gaza and helping Ukraine fend off Russia's invasion, on top of being "able to show the rest of the world the orderly transfer of power from the superpower of the world."
"He will go down with a legacy unlike many people, as one of the finest and truly a [patriotic] American," Manchin said. "So, with that, I come with a heavy heart to think the time has come for him to pass the torch to a new generation."
-ABC News' Tal Axelrod
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton are privately supporting Biden and have been encouraging donors to continue giving and stick with the president, two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
One source described the Clintons’ support as "encouraging," "supportive" and "deferential" to Biden’s decision to stay in this race.
Several members of Biden's senior staff including, deputy chief-of staff Annie Tomasini and Steve Richetti, the president's counselor, are in Rehoboth, Delaware where he is recovering from COVID-19.
As they have been since the debate, Richetti and Biden’s senior staff continue to “listen” and “hear out” concerns from donors, lawmakers and party leaders, but "not agreeing" with their views, according to the source.
Their message to those skeptics is that the president has a “hardened perspective” and is committed to this race. The source added that they’re telling skeptics the president is eager to make the contrast with Trump and get back out on the campaign trail.
-ABC News' Selina Wang and Justin Gomez
