July 10, 2024, presidential debate and election news

Our live coverage has ended. Follow the latest 2024 election news or read through the updates below. 

President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the 2024 NATO Summit in Washington, DC on July 10.

A Democratic delegate from California told CNN on Wednesday that he received a call from an aide working to reelect President Joe Biden that he interpreted as an effort to “shut down any further discussion” among Democratic delegates about replacing the president. 

The delegate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly about the call, said he spoke with an official who identified himself as part of the “Biden-Harris delegate operations” team, and said the official called to remind him of his responsibilities as “a Biden-Harris pledged delegate.”  

The delegate, who has also served as a delegate in previous Democratic conventions, said he told the campaign official he was aware of his obligations. 

The delegate said he’d spoken to another delegate from California who received a similar call from the same campaign staffer. He said the official told him he was reaching out to all the California Democratic delegates. But he found the call “unsettling” given that he’d shared concerns about Biden’s candidacy with other delegates. 

A request for comment to the Biden campaign was referred to a spokesperson for the Democratic National Convention who told CNN that while they didn’t have any information on the specific calls referenced by the delegate, “the Democratic National Convention Committee has been engaging regularly with state parties and their delegations in a variety of ways beginning in 2023.”

CNN’s Nikki Carvajal contributed to this report.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks during a Biden-Harris 2024 campaign press conference in Miami, Florida, on November 7, 2023.

Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker was heard Wednesday saying, “I don’t like where we are,” in what appeared to be a reference to the presidential election.

During an event on community violence intervention in Chicago, Pritzker was heard on a nearby microphone during an exchange about how he feels about “everything.”

“I mean, we’re just going to keep fighting, I don’t know what to say,” Pritzker answered. “You know, gotta go what we have to do.”

Jordan Abudayyeh, deputy chief of communications for Pritzker’s office, told CNN affiliate WBBM that it “sounds like (Pritzker) was talking about the state of the presidential race.”

CNN has also reached out to Pritzker’s office for comment.

Speaking directly to reporters on Wednesday, Pritzker said of Biden:

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers remarks at the SelectUSA Investment Summit in National Harbor, Maryland, on May 4.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday “it wouldn’t hurt” for President Joe Biden to take a cognitive test, a move that could quell mounting concerns over his mental fitness following a poor debate performance in June.

While Whitmer acknowledged that the debate was “not a great success” for Biden, she pushed back on calls for the president to step aside from his 2024 campaign.

“We have a field, and unless one person, Joe Biden, makes an alternative decision, this is the field, and we’ve got to go,” Whitmer said.

The governor’s comments come as Democrats wrestle with the potential for Biden’s reelection bid to hurt the party in down-ballot races this fall.

Read more about Whitmer’s comments

Sen. Chris Coons speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on July 08.

Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware attempted to tamp down comments Wednesday from Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi that suggested President Joe Biden needs to decide on his political future, saying that she wasn’t urging him to make another decision.

The former Speaker told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that “it’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run. We’re all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short.”

“He’s gonna be our nominee at the convention. He is gonna be our candidate for president in the fall. He is going to be our next president of the United States,” Coons reiterated. 

“I think Nancy Pelosi is fully capable of speaking clearly if she thinks that he should make a different decision.” 

Asked if he has spoken to Biden and how he feels about congressional members reactions, Coons said that after the debate, Biden spoke to lawmakers in search of input and “he was optimistic that he could turn this around and still win.”

“Joe Biden’s never been a flawless, smooth and perfect speaker, but he’s always spoken from the heart,” Coons said. “What my colleagues needed to see was him engaging and fighting and that’s what they’re seeing.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks during a House Republican Leadership news conference at the US Capitol on July 9.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said that Democrats are in “total disarray” in reaction to his predecessor Nancy Pelosi’s comments surrounding her support for President Joe Biden.

Pelosi, in comments that raised fresh concerns about Biden’s support among Democrats, told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Wednesday that “it’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run. We’re all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short.”

Johnson also said that NATO leaders meeting in Washington are “deeply concerned.” 

“All those NATO leaders are here on the hill, as you know, these foreign leaders are coming in — prime ministers, heads of state — and they are telling us privately that they’re deeply concerned a weak America is bad for the whole world and we’re not projecting strength,” Johnson said.

President Joe Biden speaks as he hosts a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (out of frame) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 10.

Many anxious Democrats who have been holding their breath and waiting to see what happens to President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign have been stunned by the past 24 hours.

One widely shared view had been that everything was likely to come to a head after this week’s NATO conference that the US is hosting just blocks away from the White House. Instead, a series of devastating headlines have come out in rapid succession as Biden has been juggling various engagements on the global stage.

Here’s what’s happened in recent days:

Trouble may continue.

When Biden heads to Michigan on Friday, swing-district Rep. Elissa Slotkin will not be appearing alongside him. And Slotkin declined to say Wednesday night whether she still supported him.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer arrives for weekly Democratic Party luncheons at the US Capitol on July 9.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reiterated his support for President Joe Biden Wednesday night, following a report saying he suggested to donors that he’d be open to dumping Biden from the ticket.

Democratic superdelegate Bart Dame speaks to CNN on July 10.

A Democratic superdelegate appeared conflicted about supporting President Joe Biden on CNN Wednesday as he has recounted hearing from many people wary of supporting the president’s reelection.

Following Biden’s poor debate performance last month, Bart Dame said he “started getting phone calls, text messages emails, I get stopped on the street — or since I’m in Hawaii, stopped on the beach — and people say, what can we do to save this situation?”

Dame, a Democratic National Committee Convention delegate and Hawaii committeeman, is a “superdelegate,” a group of about 700 senior party leaders and elected officials who are automatically delegates to the convention based on their position.

If Biden was to drop out of the campaign during this point in the election process, individual delegates would need to select the party’s nominee on the convention floor (or, potentially, during a virtual roll call). Those delegates are approved by the Biden administration and, as CNN has reported, have largely stuck by the president’s side in the aftermath of the debate. Dame, as a superdelegate, can’t vote on the first ballot when delegates are picking a candidate during the convention if the superdelegates could swing the nomination, but they’re free to vote on subsequent ballots, according to party rules.

President Joe Biden, right, listens as Sen. John Fetterman speaks at a campaign office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 7.

On the heels of Vermont Sen. Peter Welch becoming the first Democratic senator to call on President Joe Biden to step aside, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman told CNN that Welch is “a good friend” but he strongly disagrees with him.

Biden is “the only person to ever beat Trump’s ass in an election,” Fetterman told CNN’s Erin Burnett on “Outfront.”

As Democrats try to figure out the best path forward amid growing calls for Biden to reconsider his campaign, Fetterman said it “will be a disgrace to discard and push out an amazing president.”

Fetterman added that he has Biden’s back 100% and advised him to stay in the race “if that’s what you believe.”

The senator’s comments come as top Biden campaign officials are set to meet with Senate Democrats Thursday to address their concerns about Biden’s ability to lead the ticket.

“I’m showing up tomorrow with brass knuckles,” Fetterman said.

Sen. JD Vance speaks to reporters in the spin room following the CNN Presidential Debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on June 27.

Republican Sen. J.D. Vance said Democrats who link Project 2025 to Donald Trump’s campaign are using the “craziest fear tactic” and continued to distance the former president from the playbook crafted by the Heritage Foundation.

As CNN previously reported, Project 2025’s partners include several leading conservative groups with close ties to Trump’s campaign. 

Vance, who is one of the top contenders to be Trump’s running mate, also said Democrats are being hypocritical for calling the former president a threat to democracy, while several Democrats, donors and Hollywood actors are urging President Joe Biden to step out of the race. 

President Joe Biden speaks at the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations headquarters in Washington, DC, on July 10.

Asked if President Joe Biden would be the best candidate to beat Donald Trump this November, the response for many Democrats on Capitol Hill today was along the lines of “the president has to make a decision.”

But Biden has already made his decision: He’s staying in the race. He sent a letter to Congressional Democrats on Monday saying so, but many Democrats are pushing for the president to make a decision, despite him already making one.

Democrats are still wary about Biden’s viability. Several have employed this line with reporters, circumventing a question that typically provides Democrats with an opportunity to vehemently support their party’s presumptive presidential nominee.

Here’s what some Democrats have been saying:

Sen. Peter Welch walks through the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on April 10.

Vermont Sen. Peter Welch became the first Democrat in the chamber to publicly call on President Joe Biden to step aside, writing in an op-ed Wednesday that he doesn’t believe Biden is the best candidate to beat former President Donald Trump. 

While he noted his “great respect,” for the president, Welch said the “stakes could not be higher,” urging Biden “to put us first, as he has done before.”

Welch’s call follows Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet’s comments Tuesday that he doesn’t believe Biden is capable of winning reelection, though he stopped short of calling for the president to withdraw.

President Joe Biden and his advisers keep issuing unequivocal declarations that he’s staying in the 2024 race, but Democrats aren’t hearing it.

The number of House Democrats publicly calling on Biden to step aside grew to nine Wednesday, and just a day prior, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet became the first Democratic senator to publicly say he doesn’t believe Biden is capable of winning reelection.

Democrats are already in a difficult position in the race to control the Senate, since they are defending a larger number of seats than Republicans this cycle. About a third of the Senate is up for election every two years.

CNN’s senior political analyst Ronald Brownstein argued Tuesday that a Biden loss could cost Democrats the Senate, which would reverberate for decades since it would give aging conservative justices on the Supreme Court, like Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, cover to resign and solidify the court’s conservative majority.

Read more here on Democrats’ concerns over Biden’s reelection bid and winning control of Congress.

The Executive Council of the AFL-CIO unanimously voted Wednesday to reaffirm its support of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a press release from the group.

Biden earlier Wednesday dropped by a meeting of approximately 60 union leaders at the AFL-CIO before the first working session of the NATO Summit. The event marked another effort by the president to do more off-the-cuff engagements. He spoke freely without a teleprompter, according to pool reporters in the room, but reporters were escorted out before a question-and-answer session with attendees. 

Addressing Biden’s visit to the AFL-CIO Wednesday, the Council said: “The president’s fighting spirit was on full display, and he reiterated his deep commitment to workers and our families and to taking on corporate greed. He was that ‘Scranton Joe’ that we all know and love.” 

“The labor movement understands, as Joe Biden does, that solidarity is how we win. The message from today’s meeting couldn’t have been clearer: Right now, it’s time to come together around a vision of a country where everyone has a fair shot with a living wage, affordable health care, retirement security, and time to do the things we love like spending time with family and friends and pursuing our interests and passions,” the statement also said.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon leaves a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus about the candidacy of President Joe Biden at the Democratic National Committee on July 9.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon on Wednesday joined the calls for President Joe Biden to step aside from the 2024 campaign, becoming the ninth House Democrat to do so.

“The question before the country is whether the president should continue his candidacy for re-election. This is not just about extending his presidency but protecting democracy,” Blumenauer said in a statement. “While this is a decision for the president and the first lady, I hope they will come to the conclusion that I and others have: President Biden should not be the Democratic presidential nominee.”

“It is a painful and difficult conclusion but there is no question in my mind that we will all be better served if the president steps aside as the Democratic nominee and manages a transition under his terms. He has earned that right.”

Democratic donors are deeply concerned about President Joe Biden’s viability as a candidate as the party continues to wrestle with the path forward—and holding back big checks, according to multiple sources familiar with the effort. 

“Everything is frozen because no one knows what’s going to happen. Everyone is in wait and see mode,” one Democratic strategist told CNN, noting that donors are hyper-focused on what Biden is doing, including interviews and his news conference Thursday. 

Donors often operate behind the scenes and, according to sources, have grown increasingly anxious about Biden’s candidacy following his halting debate performance last month. And on Wednesday, George Clooney, who had been among Biden’s biggest supporters and donors in Hollywood, took the remarkable step of publicly calling for him to bow out of the presidential race. 

The Clooney op-ed, the strategist said, is “going to sting.”

“Major donations have slowed remarkably since the debate,” a Democratic fundraiser told CNN, adding that small dollar donations are proceeding at pace, but noted the campaign is too vast to live on small donations alone.

CNN has reached out to the Biden campaign for comment. 

Biden’s attempt to reassure donors by maintaining in a call earlier this week that he’s staying in the race hasn’t calmed everyone’s nerves. 

The incoming money is “drying up,” another source close to fundraising efforts tells CNN, describing donors as very, very frustrated, and very, very worried. 

That’s already come through in fundraisers held after the debate: A fundraiser held at New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s home following the debate raised $3.7 million – less than half of the haul raised at a pre-debate fundraiser held at the Virginia home of former Gov. Terry McAuliffe the week before the debate. 

Top officials from the Biden campaign – including senior Biden advisers Mike Donilon, Steve Ricchetti, and Biden Campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon – will brief Senate Democrats during a special meeting Thursday, according to a Senate Democratic leadership source.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer invited Biden campaign officials so they can directly address senators’ outstanding concerns about Biden’s ability to lead the ticket, according to a source familiar.  

This post has been updated with additional information.

New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado speaks at an election night watch party in New York on June 28, 2022.

New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado on Wednesday called for President Joe Biden to step aside in favor of a “nominee capable of reinvigorating and re-energizing Americans who are determined to protect our democracy.”

Delgado’s announcement was a rare, stunning departure from other New York Democratic leaders, most notably New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has been one of Biden’s most vocal supporters in the aftermath of his debate fiasco. 

In response to Delgado’s call, Hochul’s office reiterated her position.

Delgado’s move was also surprising because of his previous relationship with Biden, who campaigned for him during Delgado’s successful 2018 House run.

Former President Donald Trump, nearing an announcement of his running mate, said Wednesday that “it’s an issue” that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum signed a near-total abortion ban in his state.

Asked about Burgum as a potential pick, Trump told Fox News Radio, “It’s a little bit of an issue. It’s a pretty strong ban.”

Last year, Burgum signed a six-week abortion ban that only allows exceptions for rape or incest within the first six weeks of pregnancy.

Trump, who wants abortion to be left to the states to legislate, has said he thinks Republicans who support hardline bans on the procedure have suffered at the ballot box in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, though he regularly champions his role in building the conservative court majority that made that decision.

President Joe Biden arrives at the NATO 75th anniversary celebratory event during the NATO summit in Washington, DC, on July 9.

The GOP-led House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed three White House aides for depositions later this month to discuss President Joe Biden’s health, according to the committee.

The subpoenas were sent to Anthony Bernal, Annie Tomasini and Ashley Williams, according to a news release. 

The subpoenas are the latest attempt from Republicans to continue to drill down on the mental acuity of the president that has left Democrats in turmoil since Biden’s disastrous debate performance.

In a statement to CNN, White House spokesman Ian Sams called out the Oversight Committee chair, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, and dismissed the subpoenas as “a baseless political stunt intended for him to get media attention instead of engage in legitimate oversight.”

“His partisan attacks on the President have been discredited, and now he continues to debase the House by weaponizing subpoenas to get headlines instead of seeking information through the proper constitutional process,” the statement continued.

Republicans have also requested an interview with Biden’s doctor, Kevin O’Connor, and continue to try and push to get the audio tapes of the president’s interviews with former special counsel Robert Hur.  

This post has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s MJ Lee contributed to this post.

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman criticized former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for suggesting Biden needed to decide on his political future, calling Pelosi’s remarks “strange.”

“Well it’s been very clear, he said it, ‘I’m in.’ It’s closed. It’s a strange thing for her to say,” Fetterman said.  

Fetterman also downplayed concerns voiced by some of his Democratic colleagues about Biden’s electability, telling CNN that “there’s a small, small number of people that have different kinds of views throughout all that.”

When asked about a meeting scheduled for tomorrow with Senate Democrats and lead Biden campaign advisers, Fetterman said he would be “showing up with brass knuckles.”

“I’m all in on Joe Biden, and I’m going to make my views very, very clear on that. And I guess we’ll see, perhaps there’ll be different kinds of views, but mine – mine’s not going to change,” Fetterman said.

Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat, also spoke to reporters about concerns with Biden’s White House bid.

 “The contrast between these two people couldn’t be sharper. And it’s the work of campaigns to continue to make that case,” Warnock said. “And obviously, there’ve been issues that have been raised as a result of the debate, and we’ll, you know, I’ll be listening here.”

When asked if he thought there should be a change at the top of the ticket, Warnock left the door open. 

“I think that I’ve already stated that I support the president, very proud of the work that we’ve been able to do together. But there is a conversation that’s clearly happening, right, in the public. And part of the process of democracy is you listen, which the president is doing, and responding in kind,” Warnock said.

Signage is attached to security fencing ahead of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 10.

Seven battleground states are sending fake electors and others who worked to upend the 2020 election results to represent their state parties at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where they will officially anoint Donald Trump as their presidential nominee.

The fake electors and other election deniers identified by CNN include several who are currently facing criminal charges for their efforts in helping Trump try to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 victory.

The Arizona delegation includes three fake electors who have been charged in that state for their alleged roles in the plot, including state Sen. Jake Hoffman who was recently elected to be a Republican National Committee member. Hoffman has pleaded not guilty.

In Georgia, Amy Kremer – who helped organize the January 6 rally on the Ellipse ahead of the Capitol attack but has not been accused of any criminal activity – was chosen to serve on the Republican National Committee.

Michigan’s delegation counts four individuals facing criminal charges brought by prosecutors in that state. The group includes former Michigan GOP co-chair and fake elector Meshawn Maddock, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and state Supreme Court candidate Matthew DePerno, who faces criminal charges for allegedly plotting to access and seize voting machines. DePerno has denied any wrongdoing.

Other fake electors and election deniers who have been tapped as delegates or alternates hail from Pennsylvania, Nevada, New Mexico and Wisconsin, according to lists published by state parties and other documents obtained by CNN.

Read CNN’s full report here.

Amid questions of whether President Joe Biden will remain the Democratic nominee, there is also uncertainty around when delegates will vote to make his nomination official.

The party announced May 28 it would hold a virtual roll call ahead of the convention to comply with Ohio law. That decision — made well before the June 27 debate — could now help tamp down on efforts to convince the president to step aside after a disappointing performance last month.

But it has also led to a flood of questions about when and how Biden will be nominated.

As of now, it’s not clear how long delegates – including the nearly 4,000 pledged to Biden — will have to vote for the nominee, or when the process will start or end.

According to convention nomination talking points circulated by the DNC last week, the electronic roll call vote will happen by August 7, but no decisions have been made on the format or timing of the vote. 

A DNC spokesperson told CNN that no date has been decided for the electronic roll call.

Earlier this year, the office of Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose informed Democrats that the Democratic National Convention, which will take place from August 19 to 22, would fall after the state’s deadline for submitting the party’s official nominee. LaRose said he would not accept a provisional certification and efforts to push back the deadline in the state’s Republican controlled legislature dragged. 

After weighing possible options, including litigation, the DNC opted to hold a virtual roll call vote. The committee stuck with the plan even after Ohio enacted a law on May 31 that would push back the deadline to after the convention.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby expressed confidence in President Joe Biden’s abilities amid continued questions around the president’s health and said that he is confident in Biden’s ability to protect the nation. 

“If I felt that there was something amiss and there was a real issue here with the ability of the commander-in-chief to protect our national security interests, of course, that would be of concern to me. And I would do the appropriate thing. But I haven’t seen that. That hasn’t been my experience. And the national security team is proud to be standing behind this president as he defends our interests around the world,” Kirby said on Fox News Wednesday. 

When pressed about recent concerns from donors, including megadonor George Clooney just this morning, Kirby said that the president has been clear he intends to stay in the race. 

When asked by Fox whether he had experienced any of the lapses or frailties that have been pointed out by others, Kirby reiterated that those don’t represent his personal experience.  

“From my experience over the last two-and-a-half years — those representations that you’re talking about are not indicative of the man that I have spent time with and that I have briefed, and that I have travelled with. They’re not indicative of my own personal experiences,” he said, adding later: “He is in every meeting, asking the tough questions, asked me questions yesterday I couldn’t answer and had to go back and do the homework assignment for him. He’s also challenging his team to do more, to think more broadly,” Kirby said. 

And ahead of what is expected to be a critical news conference for Biden on Thursday, Kirby said that it conference will be “substantial” when asked how long he expected it to last. 

“I can’t give you a time certain but it will be a substantial press conference with multiple reporters and him by himself calling on them,” he said. 

Sen. J.D. Vance told CNN on Wednesday he doesn’t know if he’ll go to Pennsylvania this weekend, where former President Donald Trump is poised to hold a rally.

Trump will hold a campaign rally on in Butler, Pennsylvania, a battleground state neighboring Vance’s native Ohio. Vance is one of the top contenders to be Trump’s vice presidential pick.

 On Tuesday night, Trump held a rally in Florida, attended by Sen. Marco Rubio, who represents the state and is also on the shortlist to be the GOP vice presidential nominee.

An attendee waits for the start of a rally for Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on May 13 in Austin, Texas.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign submitted signatures to qualify for ballot access in Georgia, a key battleground state, the campaign announced on Wednesday. 

The campaign said in a news release they submitted more than 21,000 signature to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office on Tuesday. Independent presidential candidates must submit 7,500 valid signatures to qualify for the state’s ballot. 

The Georgia’s Secretary of State’s office will review Kennedy’s petition before making a final determination. 

Kennedy’s petition comes less than a week after fellow independent candidate Cornel West submitted signatures in Georgia, potentially expanding the ballot and complicating the electoral dynamic in a state that President Joe Biden flipped in 2020 to help him defeat former President Donald Trump. 

Kennedy is currently on the ballot in eight states: Minnesota, Michigan, Tennessee, California, Utah, Hawaii, Oklahoma and Delaware. 

President Joe Biden will sit down with “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt for an interview that will tape and air next Monday, the network announced.

The interview will take place in Austin, Texas, and will air in its entirety as part of a primetime special and on NBC’s streaming service at 9 p.m. ET, the network said. 

Portions of the interview will first air on “NBC Nightly News” on Monday at 6:30 p.m. ET

Actor Michael Douglas said fellow actor George Clooney made a “valid point” in his op-ed, in which Clooney calls on President Joe Biden to step aside and for Democrats to pick a new nominee, and added that he’s “deeply concerned.”

Douglas and his wife Catherine Zeta Jones hosted a fundraiser for Biden in New York in April and have supported Biden. During his appearance on The View, Douglas said he “adores” Biden but also stressed that this election against former President Donald Trump is “so crucial.” 

“This is such a tough one, but I adore the guy. You know, 50 years of public service … a wonderful guy. And this just happens to be one of those these elections that is just so crucial. And it’s really hard,” he said.

He said that debate against Trump should have been “relatively simple,” suggesting that his team should’ve applied “a little makeup” on Biden, told him where to look, and advised him to deal with Trump’s “lies.”

Florida Sen. Rick Scott will address the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, a source familiar with the planning told CNN.

Scott’s speaking slot will give him a prime opportunity to court the party faithful ahead of his campaign to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell as the Republican leader in the Senate during the next Congress. The two others pining for the job, Senate Minority Whip John Thune of South Dakota and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, are not currently scheduled to address the convention, the source confirmed.

Scott is a close ally of former President Donald Trump, whom he endorsed for president over his home state governor Ron DeSantis in the GOP primary. Scott previously said he spoke with Trump before he announced his plans to jump into the leadership fight and asserted that the former president was “excited I’m getting into the race.”

“I am a change agent. I was a change agent in business. I did turnarounds. I changed Florida,” Scott said in May. “We’re going to change the Senate. We’re going to be the Senate that helps Donald Trump get his conservative agenda done.”

Scott will address the convention on the second night, which has been given the theme “Make America Safe Once Again.”

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority members at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on July 10, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday delivered the keynote speech at Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.’s biennial convention, issuing a call to action for Black women voters as she seeks to mobilize the key demographic amid a crucial week for the Biden-Harris reelection campaign.

“I do believe this is the most existential consequential and important election of our lifetimes, sorors. Sorors, this is a serious matter,” Harris said to thousands of her sorority sisters at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas.

Harris’s appearance comes as she’s traveling to several states this week, including Nevada and North Carolina, following Biden’s poor debate performance and hoping to rally key constituencies including Black, female and young voters.

Harris highlighted that AKA – the sorority she pledged at Howard University and oldest historically Black sorority in the country – is “a big part of me” and underlined the role Black women played in Biden’s victory in 2020.

The vice president touted the administration’s record on several policy issues including healthcare and the economy, and also announced the Biden administration’s creation of national health and safety standards for maternal care during her remarks.

Workers prepare the area around the Fiserv Forum on July 10 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

As former President Donald Trump continues to mull his decision over who to select as his running mate, his team has already scheduled two large donor events featuring his vice presidential pick at the Republican National Convention next week, according to copies of the invitations obtained by CNN. 

Both events are being hosted by the Trump 47 committee, a joint fundraising operation that includes Trump’s campaign, the RNC and state party committees. 

The first event, being billed as a “Strength in Unity” reception featuring “the nominee for vice president,” will take place on Wednesday. Tickets range from $3,300 per person to $50,000, or $100,000 raised for the committee. 

On Thursday, Trump will appear alongside his running mate for a fundraiser titled the “Freedom First Event” prior to him accepting the GOP presidential nomination. Those tickets cost attendees anywhere from $5,000 to $200,000, or as much as $300,000 raised for the committee.

Donors who have raised or given $100,000 to the committee are given complimentary attendance to both events.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has told Democrats in meetings this week, including on Wednesday morning, that he is going to relay the concerns he is hearing from lawmakers to President Joe Biden, two sources familiar told CNN.

Jeffries – who has publicly backed the president – has been largely in listening mode as Democrats from across the caucus have privately expressed their issues with Biden remaining at the top of the ticket in various meetings over the last two days. 

His promise to convey the apprehension he is hearing to the president directly is the latest sign that House Democrats are not unified behind Biden, even though the president has been adamant that he is remaining in the race.

A spokesperson for Jeffries declined to comment on private meetings with lawmakers. 

Jeffries brushed off questions over whether Biden is the most effective nominee and said he has no plans to meet with him on Wednesday.  

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holds a town hall at Wally’s in Hampton, New Hampshire, on January 17.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump’s former political foe turned endorser, is now expected to speak next week at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, despite previously being given no role at the event, a source familiar with the plans told CNN.

It is unclear which night he is expected to deliver remarks, the source added.

The decision came shortly after CNN reported on Tuesday that DeSantis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley had been left out of the program, sparking backlash from their supporters. 

A senior DeSantis official told CNN they had always been told they would have a speaking slot at the convention and had not been told differently. 

A separate source familiar with the matter, however, said a DeSantis speaking role came into serious consideration within last 24 hours. 

NBC was first to report DeSantis’s role in the convention.

Kit Maher contributed to this post.

Organizers for at least one Chicago fundraiser scheduled during the Democratic National Convention have decided to not to proceed with the mid-August event, a source with knowledge of the discussions told CNN.

In the immediate wake of President Joe Biden’s debate performance, organizers paused conversations on planning the fundraiser until after the July 4 holiday to allow the dust to settle. This week, the host committee decided not to proceed with the event, citing a disagreement over how to proceed given the continued erosion of support for Biden’s candidacy. 

The event, designed as a lunch for a few dozen wealthy Windy City denizens, is just one of many events planned in conjunction with the party’s Convention, when the campaign was expecting to tap into high-dollar supporters’ enthusiasm and wallets for the home stretch of the race.  

While the lunch itself was expected to bring in less than $1 million for the campaign, the mood of the participants – many of whom had given millions to Biden’s 2020 campaign and associated entities – serves as a warning sign among some deep-blue corners of the donor class. 

CNN has reached out to the Biden campaign for comment.

Donors elsewhere in the country have told CNN their events are on hold until Biden’s path is clearer. 

Biden’s team is currently planning to host fundraisers in Austin, Denver, and two in California – one in Laguna Beach and another in Northern California - in the month of July, according to a source familiar with the plans.

John Morgan, a Florida trial attorney and longtime Biden supporter, had been working with the campaign to host a fundraiser in the state likely in early September, but he said the event is “all up in the air” at this point.

“I don’t even bother them,” he said about reaching out to campaign officials on the status of the event. “I’m not going to call them because they have bigger fish to fry than an event in Florida in September. They’ve got to get past all the naysayers.”

For his part, Morgan said he remains committed to backing Biden and is willing to hold a fundraiser “only if he’s the candidate.”

“Some of the elite donor class is cutting and running. That’s a huge mistake,” Morgan said.

Rep. James Clyburn said he “has no idea” if President Joe Biden’s decision to stay in the race is final. “You’ll have to ask him.”

A top Biden ally, Clyburn previously told CNN’s Dana Bash: “I do not believe that Joe Biden has a problem leading for the next four years, because he’s done a great job of leading for the last three-and-a-half years.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries brushed off questions over whether President Joe Biden is the most effective nominee and said he has no plans to meet with him today. 

Jeffries said his public statements on the matter haven’t changed when asked if Biden is the best candidate for the job. 

“My conversations right now are focused on the caucus and making sure that everyone has an opportunity to be heard,” he said.

Jeffries added that they have not discussed whether Biden will speak to the Democratic caucus as some members have indicated they would like to hear from him directly. 

Vermont Democratic Sen. Peter Welch told reporters Wednesday that the chances of President Joe Biden capturing reelection now represents an “up-mountain race” and urged the president to “really evaluate the evidence.”

Former President Donald Trump speaks during his campaign rally at the Trump National Doral Golf Club on July 9, 2024 in Doral, Florida.

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the GOP platform before the new Trump-centered platform was adopted had “gay bans” and “other things that are ridiculous,” and praised the changes as “common sense.” 

Asked if the new platform, which softened language on abortion and same-sex marriage, was “targeting moderates,” Trump said, “It’s not targeting moderates. It’s common sense.”

Republicans adopted a new platform for Trump’s third White House run that mainlines the former president’s policies and makes Trump himself a focus of the party. 

Trump praised the overturning of Roe v. Wade and said it put the issue “back into the states.” 

“I was able to get that out. That was a great service,” Trump said of Roe v. Wade.

Former President Donald Trump said “it’s an issue” when it comes to choosing his running mate that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum signed a near-total abortion ban in his state. 

Trump responded to a question about Burgum signing a near-total ban in North Dakota into law, saying: “Well, it’s a little bit of an issue. It’s a pretty strong ban. You know, I think Doug is great. But it is a strong, he’s taken a very strong stance, or the state has, I don’t know if it’s Doug, but the state has, so it’s an issue.”

Trump was asked if Sen. Marco Rubio being from Florida would stop Trump from picking him as his vice president. 

“No, but it does make it more complicated. You know, you do that, and it makes it more complicated. There are people that don’t have that complication. Now, it’s fairly easily fixed, but you have to do something with delegates, or there has to be a resignation, you know, etc, etc. So it’s not like picking some people where it’s very easy, where there is none of that. Florida, meaning two people can’t be running on the same ticket. You actually can, but they take delegates, and taking delegates is very risky thing to do, right?” Trump said. 

Trump was also asked about Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance’s facial hair.

“No, I’ve never heard that one,” Trump said, adding that Vance “looks good” and that Vance “looks like a young Abraham Lincoln.”  

Vanity Fair has previously reported that Vance’s beard could be an impediment to him being chosen as Trump’s running mate.

Rep. Pat Ryan speaks during a press conference for the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force on June 13, 2023 outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.

New York moderate Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan is calling for President Joe Bide to step aside “for the good of the country.” 

He is the eighth congressional Democrat to do so. His decision was first reported by The New York Times.

In the Poughkeepsie Journal op-ed, Ryan lays out constituent frustrations with both parties, and says if Biden is on the ballot, he will vote for Biden. However, he adds, “I’d be doing a grave disservice to the hundreds of thousands of people I have the honor to represent if I said Biden was the best candidate to face Trump this fall.”

Ryan ends his op-ed saying, “I hope with all my heart he’ll listen; not just to me, but to the many Americans yearning for a leader who will put country over party. Who will give us reason to be hopeful and optimistic about our politics again. And who will ensure we decisively defeat Trump and all he stands for.”

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said he was “very concerned” about President Joe Biden’s chances in November, but downplayed Democratic defections and said that he’ll support Biden going forward. 

Asked if he thought Biden should step aside as Democrats’ nominee, Durbin maintained his support.

“Well you know at this point I think he has a strong campaign and a strong message to deliver. And I believe he’s going to move forward, I’m going to support him,” he said.

Speaking to reporters, Durbin was also asked to react to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s comments from this morning, issuing support for “whatever” Biden decides to do.

Durbin said he hadn’t seen the comments, but responded, “The honest answer is he is our nominee for president. He’s been clear he’s going to continue in that capacity. I think our highest priority has to be defeating Donald Trump.”

Durbin also bristled at press coverage of Democrats’ lingering divide over their presidential nominee.

“You know, the fact of the matter is, this is the number one story, it has been for 10 or 12 days. The reality is the American people, many of them, don’t understand why we’re paused and focusing on this instead of the issues that are important to their families,” he said.

Pressed on the seven House Democrats that have so far called on Biden to step down, Durbin responded, “Seven out of how many?”

And asked about Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet’s comments to CNN last night that Biden could lose in a “landslide” to Donald Trump, Durbin responded, “That’s Michael’s conclusion – I believe if we wage the right campaign and make a point of what we’ve achieved under this president, we will see him reelected.” 

Durbin urged Biden “to wage an aggressive campaign and get his message to the people,” and echoed his criticism of the media. “He’s certainly tried, but he seems at least for 12 or 14 days, there’ve been other issues,” Durbin said.

Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman told CNN that just because President Joe Biden has said he made his decision to remain in the race, it does not mean that it’s a final decision.

“It doesn’t work that way,” Huffman, who has raised concerns about Biden, told CNN. 

Huffman’s comments reflect a growing consensus in the House Democratic caucus where lawmakers like former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are saying Biden can change his decision to stay in the race even though the president has been adamant that he is not going anywhere.

To carry out the analogy, Huffman added: “You know, last night, I had totally decided to take an Uber to dinner. And then I heard about the gridlock in Washington because of the NATO traffic. And I redirected to the Metro and it was a really smart decision.”

Sen. Joe Manchin said he continues to hold concerns about President Joe Biden’s health and wellbeing Wednesday, but said it is ultimately up to Biden to make a choice. 

“The bottom line is his tremendous legacy,” the West Virginian said, speaking about the president’s decision to move forward with the presidential race. 

When asked if Biden will be a drag on the ticket for people running in a red state, Manchin said to “let this week play out,” and claimed that those people will make decisions based on whether it harms or hurts them. 

Asked if he thinks there is a possibility the president will change his mind about running, Manchin replied, “If you can’t change your mind, you can’t change anything.” 

Manchin said he has always believed “rational people do the right thing” and that “the right decision” can be made despite making “wrong ones in the past.” 

The senator made it clear that the president knows his concerns about the administration, and that although he has not talked to the president, he intends to set up a time to in the near future. 

Filmmaker, actor, and prominent Democrat Rob Reiner, a Biden surrogate, has also called for President Joe Biden to step aside. 

Reiner, who attended a fundraiser alongside Vice President Kamala Harris after the debate, echoed comments from George Clooney, linking to Clooney’s op-ed. 

Those comments mark the loss of support from another Hollywood voice that the Biden campaign has leaned on in the past. 

Reiner began his calls on Biden to step down earlier this week.

“If the Convicted Felon wins, we lose our Democracy. Joe Biden has effectively served US with honor, decency, and dignity. It’s time for Joe Biden to step down,” he wrote Sunday.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi talks with reporters in the US Capitol about the presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, on Friday, June 28.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that it’s up to President Joe Biden “to decide if he is going to run” following his disastrous CNN debate.

It’s the second time in as many weeks Pelosi has signaled the effort to replace Biden is not over, and her new comments are particularly striking after the president emphatically announced earlier this week that he is staying in the race despite growing concerns among congressional Democrats that he could hurt the party in down-ballot races this fall.

“We’re all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short,” Pelosi said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” suggesting it’s an open question as to whether Biden will be the party’s nominee.

“I want him to do whatever he decides to do and that’s the way it is,” Pelosi added.

Pelosi maintained that Biden has “the overwhelming support of the caucus” and “he’s beloved, he’s respected, and people want him to make that decision.” Speaking directly to her fellow elected Democrats, she pleaded, “let’s just hold off, whatever you’re thinking, either tell somebody privately but you don’t have to put that out on the table until we see how we go this week.”

Following her morning interview, Pelosi’s spokesperson said, “Speaker Pelosi fully supports whatever President Biden decides to do. We must turn our attention to why this race is so important: Donald Trump would be a disaster for our country and our democracy.”

Former President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would “take a look” at inviting his former Republican primary rival Nikki Haley to speak at the GOP convention next week.

His comments come after Haley said she was releasing her delegates to the Republican National Convention and urging them to support Trump. 

Trump was asked on Fox News Radio, “Have you not invited her, and would you want to invite her? Is that an oversight or intentional?”  

“Well, I’ll take a look at that. I mean, I have heard that this morning, so I’ll take a look at that,” Trump said. 

“So you would like to see her go?” Trump was asked. 

Trump added, “You know, Ron DeSantis left right after Iowa. She should have left right after Iowa, she came in third. She didn’t come in second. Ron came in second, but he left after Iowa because he saw there was no way he was going to win.” 

CNN previously reported that neither DeSantis nor Haley would have a speaking role at the RNC, according to a source familiar with the planning. When Trump accepted the party’s nomination for president the first time in 2016, the two Republicans who received the second and third most delegates, Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Marco Rubio, both addressed the party’s convention. 

Democratic senators gave mixed reactions to President Joe Biden’s insistence that he will stay in the presidential race on Wednesday.

Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal told CNN’s Manu Raju that he’s “deeply concerned,” cautioning Biden that he “still has a task ahead,” and that “there will be a question mark for some time.”

Asked if he thought Biden still had a path to the White House, Blumenthal said yes, but urged Biden to ramp up his campaigning. Blumenthal also suggested Biden should continue receiving advice on the path forward, conceding that “ultimately I think it’s his decision to make.”  

Other senators maintained their support for Biden.

Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey – one of Senate Democrats’ most vulnerable members, who has said he supports Biden remaining the nominee – said “no” when he was asked if he agreed with his colleague, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, who told CNN on Tuesday that he thought Biden could lose in a “landslide” to Donald Trump.

And California Sen. Alex Padilla also said he disagreed with colleagues that thought Biden would lose and cost them congressional majorities.

“I do not. I do not. I still think there is a pathway forward for not just the president winning reelection, but Democrats retaining majorities in the Senate, and regaining the majority in the House,” Padilla said. 

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden echoed his talking points from earlier in the week, defending Biden, saying, “I will tell you what I am telling my constituents at home, it was a very rough debate night. But if you elect Donald Trump, it will be four years of horrifically rough nights.”

New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan: “He has been an excellent president, working to lower costs, there’s still more work to do. Working to preserve a woman’s citizenship and equality in our country. He gave a great speech at NATO yesterday. Donald Trump had a truly horrific presidency and is a real threat to our democracy. He has bragged about taking away a woman’s most fundamental right, he will make us less secure, and he will further divide our politics.”

Rep. Ritchie Torres is seen in the US Capitol after the last votes of the week on Friday, June 28.

Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, offered a stark warning to CNN about the potential down-ballot effect of President Joe Biden’s reelection bid Wednesday: “If we are going on a political suicide mission, then we should at least be honest about it.” 

“There must be a serious reckoning with the down-ballot effect of whomever we nominate,” Torres also said in a statement. 

His comments mark a stark reversal from Monday, when the New York Democrat said the intra-party controversy was “self-destructive” and could weaken Biden’s candidacy should he remain the nominee. They also underscore the deep-seated concerns felt among Democratic members of Congress that Biden’s candidacy could damage the party’s ability to win the House and retain the Senate.

“What matters is not how we feel but what the numbers tell us,” he said Wednesday. “An unsentimental analysis of the cold hard numbers — which have no personal feelings or political loyalties — should inform what we decide and whom we nominate.”

Torres’ latest comments follow a call between Biden and members of the CBC Monday evening that attempted to solidify the president’s support among the key bloc of Democrats. Many prominent members of the CBC have staunchly supported Biden as questions swirl around his candidacy.

Actor, activist, and major Democratic donor George Clooney added his voice to a growing chorus of Democrats calling on President Joe Biden to step aside Wednesday, professing his admiration for the president in a New York Times op-ed where he openly criticized Biden’s current state.

“I love Joe Biden,” Clooney wrote in a guest essay published in The Times on Wednesday. “As a senator. As a vice president and as president. I consider him a friend, and I believe in him. Believe in his character. Believe in his morals. In the last four years, he’s won many of the battles he’s faced.

“But,” Clooney added, “the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time.”

Clooney said the “Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal’ Biden of 2010.”

“He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.”

He continued, “Our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn’t see what we just saw. We’re all so terrified by the prospect of a second Trump term that we’ve opted to ignore every warning sign.”

He called on key Democrats – naming Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and Nancy Pelosi – to ask Biden to “voluntarily step aside.”

“We are not going to win in November with this president,” Clooney warned, adding that the lawmakers he has spoken with privately shared this view.

Clooney headlined a June 15 fundraiser with Biden and former President Barack Obama that raised about $28 million dollars for his reelection campaign.

A few weeks before that fundraiser, Biden harshly criticized the International Criminal Court’s efforts to seek arrest warrants against Israel and Hamas leaders. George Clooney’s wife, Amal Clooney, was among the group of legal experts who advised the ICC to seek those warrants.

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown deflected questions about President Joe Biden’s electoral viability on Wednesday, after he reportedly told colleagues Biden could not win in November during a meeting on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

“I’ve been hearing concerns from Ohio voters,” Brown said. “My job is to listen to them, my job is to go to hearings like this to fight for lower drug prices, to fight for Ohio workers.”

A source familiar with the Democratic Senate lunch on Tuesday told CNN’s Dana Bash that Brown, as well as Sens. Michael Bennet and Jon Tester – another vulnerable Democrat – had told colleagues they don’t think Biden can beat Donald Trump.

Brown is one of the most vulnerable Democratic senators this cycle in a state that has increasingly trended red in recent years. Presidential turnout could shape the contours of the race significantly.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday clung onto the Democratic nomination on a high-stakes day in Washington, but the risks of his refusal to step aside were laid bare when one of his party’s senators warned on CNN that Donald Trump could win in a “landslide.”

Biden’s stubbornness leaves Democrats increasingly fearful that the president could put at risk not just the White House but any chance of retaking the House or holding the Senate — already an uphill battle.

The White House did succeed in heading off rebellions in emotional meetings of Senate and House Democrats on Tuesday but even some members who back Biden expressed reservations about his tactics and capacity to run a winning campaign.

Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet was among three Democrats who privately voiced fears that Biden couldn’t win in November, sources told CNN’s Dana Bash, and then became the first of his colleagues to go public.

“The White House, in the time since that disastrous debate, I think, has done nothing to really demonstrate that they have a plan to win this election.”

Bennet’s remarks do not represent the public position of all Democratic senators but there is no doubt the debate and its aftermath have created deep concern in the party.

Read more here on Biden’s stakes as Democratic senators voice their opinions.

The Democratic Mayors Association, after a video call with President Joe Biden Tuesday night, said its “all in for Biden-Harris.”

Biden spoke with Democratic mayors across the country as part of his effort to shore up support outside of Washington while some in his party continue to voice doubts about the future of his candidacy.  

The New York Times reported that nearly 200 Democratic mayors were on the video call with Biden Tuesday night. The Democratic Mayors Association is made up of mayors in cities with a population of 30,000 or more, according to the group’s website.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally at Trump National Doral Miami, in Doral, Florida, on July 9.

Former President Donald Trump has challenged President Joe Biden to another debate this week without moderators as he mocked Biden’s debate performance.

“Tonight, I’m officially offering Joe the chance to redeem himself in front of the entire world,” Trump said Tuesday at a campaign rally in Doral, Florida.

Referencing to the debate moment where Biden and he talked about golf, he also challenged the president to “an 18-hole golf match” at Doral. 

Remember: During CNN’s debate, a question about whether either Trump or Biden are fit to lead the country turned into a dispute about who is the better golfer. Trump said Biden couldn’t drive a golf ball 50 yards, and Biden challenged Trump to a golf match, but only if Trump carried his own clubs. 

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Pete Aguilar and Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus Rep. Ted Lieu answer questions during a press conference following their weekly caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on July 9.

Democratic Caucus chairman, Rep. Pete Aguilar, said the focus of the House Democrats’ meeting this morning was not “to get on the same page,” but to discuss the best tactics to beat Donald Trump this November.

At a news conference, Aguilar and Caucus Vice-Chair Rep. Ted Lieu repeatedly sounded alarms about a Trump second term.

Aguilar also said he and his fellow Democrats will be watching Biden’s moves for the duration of the week, including a high-profile news conference he is scheduled to host on Thursday, as further evidence to be considered in the caucus’ calculation of Biden’s viability. 

Aguilar did not expressly endorse Biden, instead opting to support “the Democratic ticket.”

Aguilar also said beating Trump was one of two “twin goals” for Democrats this November, along with “getting 218 votes for Hakeem Jeffries on January 3rd,” to elect him as House Speaker.  

Some Democrats in competitive districts and states have been uncertain about publicly expressing full support for the incumbent president for fear it may cost them on election day. Biden has also been consistently polling behind Democrats in competitive statewide Senate races – a gap that many political analysts and lawmakers have deemed untenable.

The caucus chair declined to disclose the contents of conversations he’s had with candidates in vulnerable districts, but he has encouraged them “to just continue to press ahead.” 

Sen. Michael Bennet speaks on CNN on July 9.

Sen. Michael Bennet on Tuesday became the first Democratic senator to publicly say he doesn’t believe President Joe Biden is capable of winning reelection after his disastrous debate performance last month.

“Donald Trump is on track, I think, to win this election, and maybe win it by a landslide, and take with him the Senate and the House,” he told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “So for me, this isn’t a question about polling. It’s not a question about politics. It’s a moral question about the future of our country.”

Bennet, who stopped short of calling on Biden to withdraw, also warned on “The Source” about what’s at stake in the 2024 election, saying that losing the House and Senate to Republicans would be “an American tragedy.”

“The stakes could not be higher,” he said.

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Bennet said his voters have “deep concerns” about whether Biden can win and urged the White House to not ignore worries about his viability.

Bennet’s comments confirm earlier CNN reporting that Bennet told his colleagues during a private meeting between Senate Democrats on Tuesday that he does not think Biden can win.

Read the full story.