Biden Faces Eroding Support in House With Crucial Week Looming

High-ranking Democrats in the House privately told colleagues that President Biden should end his campaign, as support for Mr. Biden appeared to slip ahead of a key week of campaigning.

Michael D. Shear and Maggie Astor, New York Times

A crucial week for Biden as NATO visits Washington.

President Biden begins what could be the most crucial week of his presidency on Monday, facing crumbling support from Democratic lawmakers and mounting fears that his defiance could lead to a historic rout by former President Donald J. Trump and his followers in November’s races for the White House and Congress.

Many Democrats are now demanding an immediate political proof of life, but Mr. Biden will be unable to deliver the ramped-up campaign they want as he plays host to the 75th NATO summit in Washington, where large swaths of downtown are already fenced off. Aides have promised an aggressive campaign schedule the week of July 15 — if it’s not too late.

The NATO summit. The three-day meeting, beginning Tuesday, was planned months ago, but arrives at the worst possible moment for Mr. Biden. He will aim to focus attention on the war in Ukraine, but is certain to be dogged throughout the week by the urgent questions about his political future. Those questions will also reverberate through the private sessions with other world leaders, many of whom are shaken by what they see as the increasingly likely prospect that Mr. Trump will return to office.

A rare news conference. Mr. Biden and his advisers have promised that he will hold a solo news conference with White House reporters, most likely on Thursday at the end of the NATO summit. While those were routine for previous presidents, Mr. Biden has not had a solo news conference (other than while traveling abroad) since November 2022. His performance will be highly scrutinized by Democrats who are eager to assess whether he can handle the kind of off-the-cuff pressure that he struggled with during his debate with Mr. Trump last month.

A Pennsylvania trip. Mr. Biden spent part of the weekend campaigning in Pennsylvania, a critical swing state. He held campaign events in Philadelphia (where he gave brief remarks at a Black church service) and Harrisburg (where he met with union members). His plans for the coming week are up in the air, though Vice President Kamala Harris — who spoke Saturday at the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans — has events scheduled in Las Vegas and Dallas.

More defections. Several high-ranking House Democrats said in a private meeting on Sunday that Mr. Biden should end his campaign, continuing a steady trickle of defections that has been limited so far but shows no signs of stopping. The representatives included Jerrold Nadler of New York, Adam Smith of Washington, Mark Takano of California and Joseph D. Morelle of New York. They joined a handful of colleagues who have made the same call publicly.

The veepstakes. Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, a candidate to be Mr. Trump’s running mate, told NBC News on Sunday that he supported Mr. Trump’s vow if elected again to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Mr. Biden. Another running-mate contender, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, appeared on CNN and denied that Mr. Trump had called for weaponizing the Justice Department against his political opponents.