STORY: U.S. President Joe Biden faced more calls from fellow Democrats to abandon his re-election bid on Friday, following a high-stakes news conference.
BIDEN: "It's not gonna happen."
Biden reiterated he would not step aside at Thursday's news conference, during which he delivered detailed assessments of global issues but also committed some verbal slip ups.
BIDEN: "I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump..."
Some Democrats were not reassured.
Representative Mike Levin from California confronted Biden directly during a virtual meeting on Friday and told him it was time for someone else to lead, according to a report from Politico citing two sources.
Democratic Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut called on the president to end his campaign once the news conference ended.
Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, said he met with Biden Thursday night to convey the range of thoughts held by the 213 Democrats in his chamber about Biden's candidacy. He did not say whether he personally thought Biden should stay in the race.
While many lawmakers have expressed unease with Biden's continued candidacy, others are standing by him.
Influential Democratic Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina reiterated his support for Biden Friday morning, saying he was (quote) "all in."
Meanwhile, Democratic donors are trying to determine whether Biden is their best bet to defeat Republican Donald Trump in the Nov. 5 election.
Two Democratic fundraisers told Reuters they were encouraged by the press conference, one of whom said (quote): "This is the person who can beat Trump. The mistakes are baked in and the upside is strong."
But The New York Times reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources, that some major Democratic donors told the largest pro-Biden super PAC, Future Forward, that roughly $90 million in donations will remain on hold if he stays in the race.
