Biden sweats ‘extreme heat’ on climate talks, dodges question of whether to withdraw from race as pressure mounts from angry Democrats

For the second day in a row, President Joe Biden has remained silent on whether he should withdraw from the presidential race.

Biden, who was at the Emergency Operations Center in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, ignored a shouted question from reporters on the topic. He also ignored a similar question on Monday night, which was shouted at him at the White House after he spoke about a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.

The president has been in the spotlight to talk about extreme weather and the dangers of heat. He is also facing political heat himself, as many Democrats are pushing for him to drop out of the presidential race after his disastrous debate performance with Donald Trump.

His comments came shortly after Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas became the first sitting Democrat to demand that Biden resign.

“I represent the heart of a congressional district that was once held by Lyndon Johnson,” Doggett said in a statement. “Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to retire.”

“President Biden should do the same,” he continued.

Biden’s campaign has made it clear that the president isn’t going anywhere and plans to remain the Democratic nominee.

But Biden still faces a demoralized staff and donors who are threatening to shut down his campaign.

And even some Democrats argue his age is a legitimate issue.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told MSNBC on Tuesday that she believes “it’s a legitimate question” whether Biden’s faltering performance is just “an incident or whether it’s a condition.”

“When people ask that question, it’s legitimate — from both candidates,” Pelosi said. Trump is 78.

Pelosi said she had not spoken to Biden since the debate, but she stressed that the president is “at the top of his game because he knows the issues and the stakes.”

Biden noted in his speech on Tuesday that heat can be deadly.

“Extreme heat is the number one weather-related killer in the United States. More people die from extreme heat than from floods, hurricanes and tornadoes,” he said.

He also warned of the signs of heat exhaustion.

“Be aware of the signs: headaches, nausea, and always have water with you when you go out,” he said.

Biden returned to the White House on Monday night as the 81-year-old president has been plagued by questions about whether he should remain in the 2024 presidential race.

After the Atlanta debate debacle, Biden traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina, where he delivered a powerful comeback speech.

“I know what millions of Americans know: When you get knocked down, you get back up,” the president said, admitting, “I don’t debate as well as I used to.”

Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas was the first Democratic lawmaker to call on President Biden to withdraw from the race

Donald Trump leads in presidential race polls

But Democratic donors and other party members remained up in arms about Biden’s sometimes incoherent performance.

The president spent the weekend fundraising in New York and New Jersey before returning to Camp David, where he had spent a week preparing for the debate.

The Biden family posed for photos with celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz as they encouraged the 81-year-old to stay in the fight, The New York Times reported on Sunday.

Staff were blamed for failing to properly prepare the president for his confrontation with Trump.

But former employees rejected that blame game.

Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended former White House chief of staff Ron Klain and Biden’s top adviser Anita Dunn, noting that “preparation doesn’t always determine outcomes.”

“Biden was bad,” Psaki posted to X. “Important conversations about what happens next. But when you focus your anger on ‘prep,’ you’re not talking about the right things.”

Meanwhile, Biden will have lunch with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on Wednesday and has also invited all Democratic governors to meet that day, in an effort to shore up his support within the party.

Reports indicate that many governors will be attending virtually, given the short notice of the event.

The meeting comes after Democratic governors previously held a phone call asking Biden to speak with them, CBS News reported.