Biden meets with Hakeem Jeffries as 17th House Dem calls for him to drop out

President Joe Biden is still skating on thin ice as he tries to restore confidence among Democrats following his disastrous debate against former President Donald Trump and following several verbal gaffes in his press conference Thursday.

Earlier in the week, the president appeared to build support among Democratic members of Congress, with his fellow party members insisting that he's not dropping out of the 2024 race. But he didn't immediately settle concerns among his fellow Democrats on Thursday during his first press conference since the debate after meeting with NATO leaders.

Still, the handful of Democrats in Washington calling for Biden to step aside continued to grow on Thursday and Friday. An example: Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., said in a statement that "For the sake of American democracy, and to continue to make progress on our shared priorities, I believe it is time for the President to step aside as our nominee.”

More:Biden mistakenly introduces Ukraine's Zelenskyy as 'President Putin' at end of NATO summit

That's not to mention Democratic voters across the country. A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll released Thursday showed that 56% of Democratic voters want Biden to step aside and let another leader run.

Follow along with USA TODAY's live updates on Biden's bid for another term in office.

Biden campaign glows about press conference, but was it enough?
President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign and his strongest allies came away pleased with Biden’s performance during his 59-minute press conference Thursday, convinced he passed the test demanded by his skeptics.

Yet it’s still unclear whether it was enough to stem the tide of Democratic detractors, with new Democrats in Congress on Friday calling for him to withdraw from the race.

The reviews from Biden world were glowing – that he showed a mastery of complex foreign policy issues, took the fight to Donald Trump and demonstrated he’s up for the rigor of the campaign.

“Honestly, I worried that Biden could only lose in this press conference. I was wrong. He comes out a winner. Big time,” Geoff Garin, a Biden pollster, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“You saw the president’s command of policy issues around the world,” Ron Klain, Biden’s former White House chief of staff, said Friday on MSNBC’s Morning Joe:”

Still, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, in a letter to Democratic colleagues Friday recounting his meeting with Biden after the debate, did not say whether he told Biden to stay in the race. Instead, Jeffries wrote that he “expressed the full breadth of insight, heartfelt perspectives and conclusion about the path forward” held by House Democrats.

Quentin Fulks, Biden’s deputy campaign manager, told MSNBC Friday that Biden and Jeffries “had a very good conversation, a substantive conversation,” but did not elaborate further.