President Joe Biden’s outreach efforts to congressional Democrats haven’t quelled the party-wide panic over his future on the ticket — and the fight is about to get uglier.

Biden spoke Monday night with some of his most loyal supporters, telling a group of Black lawmakers: “You’ve had my back and I’ll continue to have yours,” according to a person in the meeting. He plans to meet soon with a rattled group of House progressives. He personally called roughly 20 individual members over the past week, according to a campaign official. And he sent a letter to Democrats Monday morning forcefully committing to staying in the race.

But the party dismay over Biden’s electability has not abated.

While just six Democrats are publicly calling for the president to end his campaign, dozens more lawmakers — even some who say they’re with Biden — are harboring serious doubts about their nominee in private, according to interviews with more than 30 lawmakers and senior aides. There’s widespread anxiety over which route would be worse: sticking with Biden or trying to toss him out.

That fight over Biden’s future, so far confined mostly to one-on-one calls with leadership and lawmaker group chats, will be the subject of a pair of high-profile meetings among Hill Democrats on Tuesday.

“Frankly, I think he has to do more than just double down,” said Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.), one of several Democrats who called for Biden to step aside on a private phone call Sunday. “I think the American public is very concerned about his ability to continue to serve as a commander in chief. He’s going to have to do more to persuade them than simply writing a letter.”

After days of privately venting about Biden’s post-debate performance, many Democrats fear the painful split over whether the president should remain in the race is only going to get worse. Even seasoned lawmakers and aides say they can’t predict whether the caucus will ultimately decide to get in line behind Biden or to try to force him out. What many say they don’t want is something in between — a stasis that means Hill Democrats will keep tearing themselves apart as Republicans crown Donald Trump at their convention next week.

Inside various staff and member-level meetings on Monday, House Democrats agreed to hold off on any talk about Biden until their full caucus meets Tuesday morning. That meeting, held at the caucus’ off-site campaign headquarters, is expected to be a tense political discussion.

Many are waiting for a sign at that meeting from their leaders. Not just House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, but also party elders like Rep. Jim Clyburn or former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. All three have generally supported Biden, but have each made at least one remark in recent days that left some Democrats privately guessing how deep that support runs.

Jeffries was unequivocal on Monday, telling reporters: “I made clear publicly the day after the debate that I support President Joe Biden and the Democratic ticket. My position has not changed.”

Top progressives are signaling they’ll wait to hear from others in the party before moving forward. Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said her bloc was getting together with the president soon but gave a noncommittal response when asked about the president: “I’m behind whoever our nominee is at the time.”

But some of the House’s best-known liberals, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), made clear they are standing behind Biden.

“I spoke with the president extensively this weekend. He has made abundantly clear that he is in this race. He has made abundantly clear that he is not leaving this race. He is the nominee. I am making sure that I support him and that I am focused on making sure that we win in November,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

“Joe Biden is the nominee,” Pressley echoed.

But even for those Democrats who believe there’s no way to replace Biden, there’s significant alarm over the tepid support elsewhere in the party — even among the president’s former colleagues. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), for instance, acknowledged he is actively discussing “alternatives” to Biden with his fellow senators.

Unlike the House, no Democratic senators have explicitly called for Biden to get off the ticket. But some voiced their skepticism outright. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is up for reelection in purple Wisconsin, said she spent a week crisscrossing the state and found “my constituents are asking a lot of questions.” Another highly endangered Democrat, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, said voters have “legitimate questions” over Biden topping the ticket.

Several more Senate Democrats declined to comment, indicating that they are waiting to talk to colleagues on Tuesday. That chamber’s Democrats will hold their own lunch meeting, their first in-person gathering since the debate.

“I think it would be a huge mistake for the Democratic Party, based on one evening and one debate, to turn aside from supporting a very seasoned and very capable president,” said Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), one of Biden’s most vocal Hill supporters. “President Biden will be the nominee of my party.”

But many more Democrats remain deeply uneasy — if not outright afraid — of what could happen if Biden remains on the ticket. Democrats who are publicly supporting Biden are still privately engaging in plenty of “what ifs,” including researching different states’ statutes about the process for selecting a new nominee this late in an election year.

The only thing Democrats seem to agree on, at this point, is that it’s harmful to the party’s electoral prospects to keep spending precious time focused on their own candidate’s vulnerabilities, instead of Trump’s. One week before Republicans will formally crown their nominee, Democrats are instead spending their time focusing on their own candidate’s biggest vulnerability — his age.

“I think whenever we send mixed messages it’s concerning, but everyone has the right to evaluate what their thoughts are,” said Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.).

Other House Democrats called on Biden to speak directly to their caucus.

“I think he needs to be here in person,” said Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), who said that lawmakers needed to consider “next steps” before reaching conclusions on the president’s candidacy.

Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), the chair of the centrist New Democrat Coalition who has headlined Biden campaign events in New Hampshire, said she’s asked Democratic leadership to invite Biden to speak privately with members.

When asked if Biden would be the strongest candidate to beat Trump, she demurred: “I think it’s all evolving. We’re getting polling information. We’re getting information from our districts. He’s been a fantastic president.”

Jordain Carney, Katherine Tully-McManus, Mia McCarthy, David Lim, Brendan Bordelon, Eleanor Mueller, Carmen Paun, Chris Marquette and Josh Siegel contributed to this report.

President Joe Biden slammed his critics as “elites” in a live interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday, daring any challengers to run against him as he doubled down on his vow to stay in the race.

“I’m getting so frustrated by the elites — now I’m not talking about you guys — the elites in the party, ‘Oh, they know so much more.’ Any of these guys that don’t think I should run, run against me. Announce for president, challenge me at the convention,” Biden told hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.

During the audio-only interview, Biden shot down Brzezinski’s description of him as the presumptive Democratic nominee. “I’m more than the presumptive, I’m going to be the Democratic nominee,” Biden said, laughing.

The surprise appearance is part of an effort from the Biden campaign to combat growing calls from party leaders that the president withdraw his candidacy. It followed a weekend of campaign travel and Biden’s interview with ABC News on Friday. The president will also be under a microscope this week, with the NATO summit in Washington, a Thursday news conference and more campaign travel at the end of the week.

Biden is leaning heavily into a strategy he’s turned to in the past: casting his critics as “elites” who aren’t in step with the average Democratic voter.

One of the primary reasons Biden has been visiting stops around the country was to “make sure my instinct was right about the party still wanting me to be the nominee,” he said. Biden boasted about his “large” and “enthusiastic” crowds and made a jab at criticism that he relies on a teleprompter, saying “I did it all extemporaneously.”

“I’m not getting any of what I was told. I wanted to make sure I was right, that the average voter out there still wanted Joe Biden,” he said. “And I’m confident they do.”

Biden appeared on “Morning Joe” shortly after sending a letter to Hill Democrats on Monday that firmly stated his commitment to staying in the race, in a bid to shut down more intraparty calls for him to step aside.

He reiterated his belief that he is the best candidate to beat former President Donald Trump in November, who he said “hasn’t done a damned thing since the debate” and is “riding around in his golf cart.”

Four senior Democrats on Sunday said in a private call with House leadership that Biden should step down. Many lawmakers have privately expressed concerns about Biden’s age and viability since his disastrous debate performance last month, and the number of Democrats publicly calling on the president to withdraw is expected to grow from the five who have said so in the days ahead.

“They’re big names, but I don’t care what those big names think. They were wrong in 2020. They were wrong in 2022 about the red wave. They were wrong in 2024,” Biden said, responding to a question about prominent figures who have called on him to step aside. “Come out with me and watch people react.”

Several more senior House Democrats called on President Joe Biden to abandon his reelection bid during a private call convened by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday afternoon, according to several people participating.

Among those forcefully calling for Biden to stand down during the nearly two-hour call were Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.), according to two people familiar with the private session.

Other members on the call voiced concerns about Biden’s path to November, including Reps. Jim Himes (Conn.), Zoe Lofgren (Calif.), Don Beyer (Va.) and Rick Larsen (Wash.). It’s a poor omen for the Biden campaign as the entire Democratic elected apparatus prepares to return to Washington on Monday evening where lawmakers will face tough questioning about their party’s standard-bearer.

Aaron Fritschner, Beyer’s spokesperson, posted on X to incorrect reports that Beyer called for a new nominee: “To be clear [Beyer] supports President Biden and said so on this call and any reporting to the contrary is a misunderstanding of what he said and what he believes.”

The additional calls for Biden to stand aside from senior Democrats come after the president’s performance during an interview last week with ABC News did nothing to assuage concerns among rank-and-file lawmakers about his continued viability in the race. Members have repeatedly urged the president to do more unscripted events and town halls to demonstrate his continued vitality and energy as quickly as possible.

It’s not just the House either. A group of Senate Democrats are reportedly planning a discussion of Biden’s path forward, led by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), once that chamber returns to Washington on Monday. Five House Democrats have publicly urged Biden to stand down, while numerous others have expressed concerns about his viability in private.

Jeffries has spoken little publicly on Biden’s future since the debate, but mysteriously posted a Bible verse on the social media platform X on Sunday morning before the call. “Do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go,” the Democratic leader wrote.

Democratic ire at Biden’s response during the ABC News interview that only “the Lord almighty” could force him from the presidential contest continued to bubble up on Sunday.

“We have to win this election,” said Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) on MSNBC. “This isn’t a decision for Lord almighty. This is a real world decision for real world people in politics who care about our country.”

House Republicans are opening an investigation into President Joe Biden’s doctor in the wake of his debate performance — the latest sign that Democrats’ political headaches are only growing.

House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) sent a letter to White House physician Kevin O’Connor on Sunday requesting that he appear behind closed doors for a transcribed interview with committee counsel. Comer is giving O’Connor until July 14 to contact staff to schedule the interview.

“Americans question President Biden’s ability to lead the country. … [The committee] is investigating circumstances surrounding your assessment in February of this year that ‘President Biden is a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old-male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency,” Comer wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by POLITICO.

O’Connor, in his February report, said that Biden took “an extremely detailed neurologic exam” and that there were “no findings which would be consistent with any cerebellar or other central neurological disorder.” He also described Biden as having a stiffer gait, but that he is a “healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.”

Comer is the first House Republican to open an investigation in the wake of Biden’s debate performance that has sparked growing concerns among Democrats — including calls from a handful of House lawmakers for him to step out of the presidential race. Biden has been adamant that he is staying in the race, though an ABC News sitdown failed to quell the open skepticism within the party.

There was already growing panic among Democrats that the political fallout from Biden’s debate performance could spill into congressional fights as the GOP’s campaign arms quickly rushed to try to box in House and Senate Democrats about if they believed Biden was fit for office.

But Comer’s letter is also a sign that House Republicans will also use the powers of their slim majority to weigh into the fallout. There’s been a growing push from the House’s right flank, including members of Comer’s committee, for Republicans to take such a step, with GOP members floating launch hearings or subpoenaing White House officials, O’Connor in particular.

And the Kentucky Republican, in his letter to O’Connor, linked the investigation back to a separate impeachment inquiry, which has largely focused on the family deals of Biden’s family members. Republicans don’t have the votes to impeach Biden, as they’ve failed to win over skeptics within their own conference who don’t believe that investigators have shown that Biden committed a crime or an impeachable offense. And while Democrats have also voiced concerns about Biden’s mental acuity over the last week, Comer referencing his impeachment inquiry investigation — as well two checks from Jim Biden to Joe Biden that representatives for both have repeatedly said are loan repayments — is likely to spark fierce Democratic pushback.

Comer is asking O’Connor to hand over any documents or communications he has that relate to Jim Biden, Joe Biden’s brother, or Americore, questioning if O’Connor is “in a position to provide accurate and independent reviews of the President’s fitness to serve.”

Jim Biden requested O’Connor’s help in 2017 — when Joe Biden was out of office — as part of his work linked to Americore, according to emails previously obtained by POLITICO and Jim Biden’s closed-door interview as part of the impeachment inquiry. That includes Jim Biden and O’Connor meeting with the head of a Pennsylvania hospital that Americore was in the process of acquiring in July 2017, POLITICO previously reported.