Fox News chief political analyst Brit Hume weighed in on growing calls for President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race amid questions about his mental acuity, saying Democrats are in a "state of total agony."
"He's now thought of in the eyes of people as being a man who is really not in any position to serve a second term, if he's even in a position to serve out this one," Hume told guest anchor Gillian Turner Wednesday on "Special Report." "The question is what the Democrats, who are in a state of total agony, are going to be able to do about it, if anything."
Nine House Democrats have called on Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race since his disastrous debate performance late last month, according to a tally from The Associated Press.
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., became the first Democratic senator Wednesday to publicly call on Biden to withdraw "for the good of the country."
Biden is set to hold a press conference Thursday at the 75th Anniversary NATO summit in Washington, D.C., that could help assuage the concerns of world leaders and members of his own party about his mental acuity.
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White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby told Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum on "The Story" that Biden will hold a "substantial" press conference.
"It will be more than four reporters, for sure," Kirby said. "It will be a substantial press conference, again, with multiple reporters, and [Biden] by himself calling on them."
MULTIPLE RANKING DEMOCRATS ON HOUSE COMMITTEES WANT BIDEN TO STEP ASIDE
Hume addressed the pressure Biden faces ahead of his press conference, saying it will be "pretty hard" for the president to turn his ship around after his highly-criticized performance at the CNN Presidential Debate.
"I think the impression left by the debate, coupled with lots of other things that happened before the debate, which the public seemed aware of, that much of the media did not, that those impressions are pretty nearly indelible. And I think we can all hope that the president will have a good round at his news conference tomorrow," Hume said.
"There's no doubt [this] NATO event is an important one. He seems to have handled it effectively. But I think all of that may be too late."
