Biden under pressure to drop out as Democrats question fitness.

President Joe Biden is increasingly pressured from within his party to demonstrate physical and mental fitness for office, with a Democratic lawmaker publicly urging him to withdraw his re-election bid for the first time.

Biden's candidacy has faced scrutiny since a contentious debate with Republican challenger Donald Trump, where the 81-year-old Democrat struggled with his speech and coherence.

On Tuesday, Lloyd Doggett, a Texas House Representative, became the first Democrat to publicly urge Biden to end his presidential bid.

"In representing the heart of a congressional district once held by Lyndon Johnson, who under different circumstances made the painful decision to withdraw," Doggett stated, "President Biden should make the same choice."

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Washington state House Representative, refrained from calling for Biden's withdrawal but remarked that his performance in Thursday's debate would likely cost him the November election.

"We all witnessed what happened, and that can't be erased," Perez commented in an interview with a Portland, Oregon news channel. "Honestly, I think Biden's chances against Trump are slim now. It's a hard reality."

Jared Golden, a Maine House Representative, also expressed doubts about Biden's electoral prospects.

"Many Democrats are anxious about whether President Joe Biden should step aside as the party's nominee," Golden wrote in an opinion piece. "Biden's lackluster debate showing was sadly expected."

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Representative Jim Clyburn also joined the chorus questioning Biden's condition, stating it was valid to raise concerns about his health after the debate.

"I think it's a valid question to ask, is this an isolated incident or an ongoing issue? When people raise that question, it's completely legitimate – for both candidates," Pelosi remarked in an interview.

A spokesperson for Pelosi later affirmed her "full confidence" in Biden, confirming her plans to attend his inauguration.

While Democratic insiders have privately expressed worries about Biden's fitness to media outlets for days, these public comments heighten pressure on the president to address doubts about his electability. Despite efforts by the White House and prominent Democrats like former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton to control the damage, concerns have persisted in headlines.

On Tuesday, the White House announced Biden would undertake a series of meetings and public appearances in the coming days to dispel concerns about his fitness, including a news conference and his first televised sit-down interview since May.

Biden is scheduled to meet with Democratic governors on Wednesday as his team works to shore up support within the party.

Acknowledging his lackluster debate performance, Biden's campaign has rejected calls for him to step aside and dismissed allegations of dementia or cognitive impairment.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Biden had been battling a cold during the debate and had "a rough night."

"We're eager to move past this," Jean-Pierre emphasized. "We want to engage directly with the American people."

During a fundraising event, Biden attributed his poor showing to recent travels to France and Italy, despite spending the week before the debate at the Camp David presidential retreat.

"I made a mistake. I traveled the world a couple of times," Biden quipped, joking he "almost fell asleep on stage" during the debate.

Following the debate, a poll showed three-quarters of registered voters believed Democrats would have a better shot at winning the election with someone other than Biden on the ticket. The same poll indicated Trump held a lead over Biden, 49 percent to 43 percent, while Vice President Kamala Harris polled slightly better, garnering 45 percent compared to Trump's 47 percent.

Other Democrats considered as potential replacements, such as California Governor Gavin Newsom and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, trailed Trump by similar margins as Biden.

Despite efforts by the Biden camp to portray his debate performance as an anomaly, his stumble was the latest in a series of incidents raising concerns about his age, a longstanding issue among voters.

In a News/Ipsos poll from February, 86 percent of respondents believed Biden was too old to serve another presidential term.

Pushing back against calls for Biden to step aside, Harris declared, "Joe Biden is our nominee. We beat Trump once, and we will beat him again, period," in an interview with a news outlet.