Biden’s focus shifts to this week’s NATO summit. But questions about his campaign may only intensify

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will shift this week from focusing on campaigning for reelection to hosting a NATO summit. But that won’t quiet the increasingly urgent questions about his precarious political situation now threatening to consume his own party.

European leaders gather in Washington starting Tuesday to celebrating the alliance’s 75th anniversary. Biden will attend a series of official events and hold a news conference.

Congress is also heading back into session, meaning there will be face-to-face meetings where Democratic lawmakers can discuss concerns about Biden’s ability to stay in the presidential race for its final four months — not to mention handle another term in the White House.

Already, five Democratic lawmakers have said the 81-year-old president should step aside. And several Democratic committee leaders privately say that Biden should bow out of the race. They could add to the public clamor in coming days — even as the Biden campaign, and the president himself, make calls to try to curb further defections.

Vice President Kamala Harris is most frequently mentioned as a possible replacement at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket. But Biden has said repeatedly that he’s staying put, and he plans to campaign on Friday in the battleground state of Michigan — which may make internal Democratic Party divisions all the more bitter.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«RELATED COVERAGE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> RELATED COVERAGE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Biden’s uncertain political future divides Democrats