Biden to meet with Democratic governors as he seeks to tamp down calls to step aside

President Joe Biden is set to meet with a group of Democratic governors on Wednesday as he and senior aides try to tamp down a growing sense of concern about his ability to remain the party’s nominee in the November election.

Earlier in the day, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zientz will hold an all-staff call at the White House, according to a source familiar with the planning. Biden campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon and Biden campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodriguez will hold an all-hands call with campaign staff, according to an email from senior leadership, obtained by NBC News. 

One Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, has already called for Biden to withdraw his re-election bid and fear that his defection may set off a slew of elected officials stepping forward to break with the president. Others have said they are waiting to see a fresh round of polling to evaluate whether Biden’s support has cratered and whether his debate performance impacted any close down-ballot races.

The meeting with the governors Wednesday evening comes after a group of state executives met separately Tuesday on a call organized by Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., who serves as the chair of the Democratic Governors Association.

Walz as well as Democratic Govs. Gavin Newsom of California, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Kathy Hochul of New York, Andy Beshear of Kentucky plan to attend the meeting in-person at the White House, while others will join virtually.

One Democratic source familiar with the meeting plans said that the governors back Biden and, “at a time when everyone wants to get back to the core contrast in this race, they want to hear from the president and offer key insights from their states as allies and people who have been out there as surrogates for his campaign.” 

Zientz’ meeting with White House staff will emphasize earlier messages to senior staff to “weather the storm” and “keep your heads down.”

One White House staffer told NBC News, “It’s a call with staff on the importance of us all to keep doing the work and executing on the mission.”

The campaign all-hands meeting was billed as a “quick all-staff call to check in as a team,” by O’Malley Dillon and Chávez Rodriguez.

In an email to campaign staff, the two campaign leaders said, “moving forward, we will be using emails and all staff calls more frequently to make sure you all have the latest updates and broader campaign priorities for the day.”

The two also told staff that the focus for Wednesday would be emphasizing that the race remains steady, drawing a contrast with former President Donald Trump and amplifying Biden’s upcoming events in battleground states, like his upcoming trip to Wisconsin on Friday.