President Joe Biden is set to hold Fourth of July festivities at the White House Thursday evening with his and his party’s future on the line amid growing pressure to step down after last week’s debate performance.
It comes after the first elected Democrats came forward to urge Biden to step back, with just weeks to go before his party’s convention in Chicago. With fury over White House messaging since Biden stumbled his way through his debate with Donald Trump in Atlanta, the president reassured governors in a private meeting about his health and political viability – even telling them about a recent check up that had him in good health.
That came shortly after White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dodged direct questions during a contentious press briefing about whether Biden had been evaluated since Thursday’s debate.