WASHINGTON
\nUS President Joe Biden was back out on the campaign trail Sunday, desperate to salvage his reelection bid as senior Democrats meet to discuss growing calls that he quit the White House race.
\nThe 81-year-old Democrat kicks off a grueling week with two campaign events in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, before hosting the NATO leaders\u2019 summit in Washington.
\nHe will do so under an increasingly unforgiving spotlight, as pressure mounts for him to drop out after his disastrous debate against Donald Trump last month ignited panic over his age and fitness to serve another four years.
\nBiden has remained defiant, unequivocally declaring \u2014 at a rally, to reporters and on social media \u2014 that he is fit to serve, the only one who can defeat Trump, and staying in the race.
\n\u201cI beat Trump in 2020. I\u2019m going to beat him again in 2024,\u201d his campaign social media account posted Saturday.
\nBut a televised interview with ABC News on Friday has failed to quell concerns. His next major test in the public eye after Sunday\u2019s forays will be a press conference scheduled for Thursday, during the NATO summit.
\nSo far, five Democratic lawmakers have called on Biden to drop out, with the drumbeat of dissent slowly rising.
\nDemocratic Senator Chris Murphy, a close Biden ally, stressed he believes Biden can still recover and win. But he said \u201cthe president needs to do more,\u201d including unscripted events like town hall gatherings, to reassure voters he has the mental acuity and physical fitness for a second term.
\n\u201cI think this week is going to be absolutely critical,\u201d Murphy told CNN\u2019s Sunday talk show \u201cState of the Union,\u201d adding he believes there are many voters who need to be convinced of Biden\u2019s capabilities.
\n\u201cIf he can\u2019t do that, then of course he\u2019s going to have to make a decision about what\u2019s best for the country.\u201d
\nThose comments came as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has scheduled a virtual meeting of senior Democratic representatives for Sunday to discuss the best way forward, and Democratic Senator Mark Warner is reportedly working to convene a similar forum in the upper chamber.
\nFirst Lady Jill Biden, who \u2014 according to some US media reports \u2014 is urging her husband to stay in the race, is scheduled to campaign for him Monday in Georgia, Florida and North Carolina.
\nBut after Sunday\u2019s stops in Philadelphia and Harrisburg, the president will have to step away from the trail for the NATO summit beginning Tuesday.
\nHere, too, he will find himself having to reassure allies at a time when many European countries fear a Trump victory in November.
\nThe 78-year-old Republican has long criticized the transatlantic defense alliance as an unfair burden on the United States, voiced admiration for Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, and insisted he could bring about a quick end to the fighting in Ukraine, where Moscow\u2019s invasion is in its third year.
\nFor now, Democratic heavyweights are largely keeping a lid on any simmering discontent with their leader \u2014 at least in public.
\nBut with election day just four months away, any move to replace Biden as the nominee would need to be made sooner rather than later, and the party will be scrutinized for any signs of more open rebellion.
\nMeanwhile, for Biden and his team, the strategy seems to be to ride it out.
\nThe campaign has unveiled an intense battle plan for July, including an avalanche of TV spots and trips to all the key states.
\nThat includes a visit to the US Southwest during the Republican convention July 15-18, at which Trump is set to be anointed the party\u2019s official presidential nominee.
\nIn what had been billed as a make-or-break Friday interview with ABC News, Biden flatly dismissed his falling poll numbers and concerns over his fitness triggered by his dismal June 27 performance against Trump.
\nBut some of his answers were tentative or meandering, even as he deflected questions about his mental acuity and dismissed the notion his party would consider replacing him.
\n\u201cIf the Lord Almighty came down and said, \u2018Joe, get out of the race,\u2019 I\u2019d get out of the race,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the Lord Almighty is not coming down.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WASHINGTON US President Joe Biden was back out on the campaign trail Sunday, desperate to salvage his reelection bid as senior Democrats meet to discuss growing calls that he quit the White House race. The 81-year-old Democrat kicks off a grueling week with two campaign events in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, before hosting the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":416988,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-416972","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n