Biden remains publicly defiant amid growing Democratic opposition: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.

In today’s edition, we break down the latest on the state of President Joe Biden's struggling campaign, including analysis from chief political analyst Chuck Todd and national political correspondent Steve Kornacki.

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Biden remains publicly defiant as Democratic opposition grows louder

By Adam Wollner

More than three weeks after President Joe Biden’s debate debacle, the chorus of Democrats calling on him to exit the 2024 race is only growing louder. Publicly, Biden is remaining defiant, while privately, his family is discussing what ending his re-election bid might look like. And Vice President Kamala Harris’ allies are beginning to map out a potential campaign if she were to take over the top of the party’s ticket.

Here’s the state of play as of Friday evening:

Mounting pressure: Thirteen more congressional Democrats called on Biden to drop out of the presidential race today, bringing the total to 35, Scott Wong, Ali Vitali and Rebecca Kaplan report.

The new defections include two close allies of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Reps. Jared Huffman and Zoe Lofgren of California, and two senators, Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio (first reported by Henry J. Gomez) and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico.

Brown in particular is significant, as he is one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats seeking re-election this year.

Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts re-upped his call for Biden to exit in a Boston Globe op-ed, writing that the president “didn’t seem