The Democratic Party and its allies are “coming to terms” with the fact that President Biden is “not in control” of his administration following the president’s disastrous debate performance, according to a congressman who served as a physician in the White House under three administrations.

Democrats are “now coming to terms with the reality that concerned Americans and I have shared for many years, which is that President Biden is not in control and he is not in charge. They are for the first time acknowledging that this is a grave concern for our national security and the integrity of our democracy,” Rep. Ronny Jackson told Fox News Digital this week. 

“I’ve gone to no lengths to hide my true opinions about Joe Biden and his policies that are wrecking our country. In tandem, I have consistently shared my concerns as a former doctor of three United States Presidents regarding his fitness for office. Joe Biden was never fit for the job, and he sure as heck isn’t fit for the job moving forward. It is absolutely crazy to think he could lead this country 4-year term as our President,” Jackson added. 

The Texas Republican previously served as physician to the president under both the Obama and Trump administrations, after previously serving in the White House Medical Unit in the George W. Bush administration. Jackson has been at the forefront of sounding the alarm on Biden’s mental acuity since he announced his candidacy for the White House in 2020. 

BIDEN STAFF ‘SCARED S—LESS’ OF HIM, SENIOR ADMIN OFFICIAL SAYS; WH HITS BACK

Jackson’s comments come as former Homeland Security Secretary under the Obama administration, Jeh Johnson, said in an MSNBC interview this week hat he still supports Biden’s re-election campaign due to Biden’s cabinet members. 

“A presidency is more than just one man,” Johnson said on MSNBC on Tuesday. “I would take Joe Biden at his worst day at age 86 so long as he has people around him like Avril Haines, Samantha Power, Gina Raimondo supporting him, over Trump any day.” 

“I was in the White House when Joe Biden was VP, and the man we’ve seen since announcing his candidacy is not the same man who was VP for eight years.”

Concern over the president’s mental fitness and age is at a fever pitch this summer, following last Thursday’s debate performance where the president tripped over his words, lost his train of thought at times, delivered responses with a raspy voice, and was overall slammed for having a slow and weak demeanor while squaring up against former President Donald Trump. 

“We finally beat Medicare,” Biden said amid one his debate gaffes, with Trump responding that Biden is destroying the senior-focused health insurance program. 

Moments later, when Biden and Trump traded barbs over the immigration crisis, Trump slammed Biden for his rambling response.

EX-WHITE HOUSE DOCTOR RONNY JACKSON CALLS ON BIDEN TO TAKE DRUG TEST BEFORE TRUMP DEBATE

President Biden is seen at last week’s presidential debate. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either,” Trump shot back. 

Jackson continued in his comments to Fox News Digital that President Biden is “not the same man” that America knew during his tenure as former President Obama’s veep. 

“In 2020, I was criticizing candidate Joe Biden for his apparent lack of fitness for his first potential term,” he said. “I was in the White House when Joe Biden was VP, and the man we’ve seen since announcing his candidacy is not the same man who was VP for eight years.”

BIDEN FAMILY BLAME STAFF FOR DEBATE PERFORMANCE AS HE LAYS LOW AGAIN AT CAMP DAVID: REPORTS

“I’ve gone to no lengths to hide my true opinions about Joe Biden and his policies that are wrecking our country. In tandem, I have consistently shared my concerns as a former doctor of three United States Presidents regarding his fitness for office. Joe Biden was never fit for the job, and he sure as heck isn’t fit for the job moving forward. It is absolutely crazy to think he could lead this country 4-year term as our President.” 

The White House brushed off Jackson’s comments when approached by Fox News Digital, comparing Jackson to a doctor character from “The Simpsons.”

“We’ll put this in the same box where we keep the rest of Dr. Nick Riviera’s fan mail,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said. 

Voters have expressed concerns over Biden’s age and capability to serve a second term after the debate. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Following the debate, Jackson argued the Democratic Party made an about-face with its support of Biden. Left-wing media pundits were among the first to express concern over the debate performance, taking over the airways immediately after the debate ended, expressing shock over the president’s performance. 

‘NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE’: EX-WH DOCTOR RAISES ALARMS ON BIDEN’S MENTAL HEALTH AFTER BOMBSHELL REPORT

“I just want to speak from my heart,” CNN political commentator and former Obama adviser Van Jones said in an emotional response on Thursday evening. “I love that guy. That’s a good man. He loves his country. He‘s doing the best that he can, but he had a test to meet tonight to restore confidence of the country and of the base. And he failed to do that. And there‘s a lot of people who are going to want to see him consider taking a different course now.”

President Joe Biden (R) and Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump participate in the CNN Presidential Debate at the CNN Studios on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“We‘re still far from our convention, and there is time for this party to figure out a different way forward, if he will allow us to do that,” he continued. “But that was not what we needed from Joe Biden, and it’s personally painful for a lot of people. It‘s not just panic, it’s pain of what we saw tonight.” 

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a “First In The Nation” campaign rally at South Carolina State University on February 02, 2024 in Orangeburg, South Carolina. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Vice President Kamala Harris soon hit the news channels following the debate to defend the president’s performance, including having a testy exchange with CNN’s Anderson Cooper.

“Democratic lawmakers watching the debate were worried about the performance. One said it was a disaster and another called it a train wreck. Those are Democrats especially worried that Biden did not punch back on Trump‘s lies,” Cooper said. 

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD CALLS FOR BIDEN TO DROP OUT: HIS CANDIDACY IS A ‘RECKLESS GAMBLE’

Harris attempted to pivot to lambasting Trump as a liar, but Cooper cut her off. 

“All that may be true, but the President of the United States was not able to make that case to Donald Trump on the stage tonight,” Cooper said. “You debated against then-Vice President Biden four years ago, and he was a very different person on the stage four years ago when you debated him. That‘s certainly true, is it not?”

“The president appeared on Thursday night as the shadow of a great public servant.”

— The New York Times editorial board

DOCTORS EXPRESS CONCERN ABOUT BIDEN’S APPARENT COGNITIVE ISSUES DURING DEBATE: ‘TROUBLING INDICATORS’

Thursday’s late-night media analysis of the debate soon cascaded into legacy outlets, including the New York Times and Chicago Tribune, calling on Biden to devise an exit strategy and drop out of the race. 

The New York Times described a blunt assessment of Biden, saying, he “is not the man he was four years ago.”

“The president appeared on Thursday night as the shadow of a great public servant. He struggled to explain what he would accomplish in a second term. He struggled to respond to Mr. Trump’s provocations. He struggled to hold Mr. Trump accountable for his lies, his failures and his chilling plans. More than once, he struggled to make it to the end of a sentence,” the editorial board wrote. “Mr. Biden has been an admirable president. Under his leadership, the nation has prospered and begun to address a range of long-term challenges, and the wounds ripped open by Mr. Trump have begun to heal. But the greatest public service Mr. Biden can now perform is to announce that he will not continue to run for re-election.”

BIDEN’S ‘DISASTER’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE SPARKS MEDIA MELTDOWN, CALLS FOR HIM TO WITHDRAW FROM 2024 RACE

Jackson told Fox News Digital that ongoing inflation, the spiraling immigration crisis, and the “weaponization of our justice system” under the Biden administration is due to an “inner circle” at the White House making decisions as opposed to the president himself. 

Physician to U.S. President Donald Trump Dr. Ronny Jackson speaks during the daily White House press briefing at the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House January 16, 2018 in Washington, DC. Dr. Jackson discussed the details of President Trump’s physical check-up from last week.  (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“The past three and a half years have revealed what happens when you have a physically and mentally incapacitated President who is not making the decisions. Instead, his ‘inner circle,’ led by Jill Biden and radical progressive staffers in the administration, are pulling the strings and deciding the fate of our country. Sadly, they have put our country into a death spiral,” he said. “Americans have had to suffer through raging inflation, a wide-open border, unprecedented crime in the streets, and the weaponization of our justice system. Meanwhile, our Commander-in-Chief, who is responsible for the nuclear codes, shuffles around oblivious to everything around him.”

MEDIA FIGURES SHOCKED AT BIDEN’S ‘BAD’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE: ‘TOTAL AND COMPLETE DISASTER’ 

A White House official told the media that Biden had a cold during the debate, ostensibly in a bid to explain Biden’s performance and raspy voice. Jackson squelched that narrative, arguing Biden’s behavior Thursday was more of the same America has witnessed since 2020. 

“I don’t believe President Biden had a cold. For several years now, we’ve seen and heard the same Joe Biden we witnessed at the debate who speaks softly, slurs his speech, and appears confused. Unfortunately it was on full display during the debate and our adversaries, our allies, and the whole world watched in disbelief that this could possibly continue to be the leader of the free world,” he said. 

President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Amid left-wing media outrage over the debate performance and some Democratic politicians joining the media’s chorus calling for Biden to step aside, the president and his circle of allies have defended him remaining in the race. Biden hit the campaign trial following the debate, visiting North Carolina for an event last Friday, before traveling to the Northeast for fundraisers. 

BIDEN RIPPED FOR ‘OLD’ APPEARANCE, ‘WEAK’ VOICE DURING FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: ‘DEEPLY ALARMING’

“I didn’t have a great night, but I’m going to be fighting harder,” Biden told the several dozen people at a New Jersey fundraiser. 

“Research during the debate shows us converting more undecided voters than Trump did, in large part because of his conduct on Jan. 6,” he added. “People remember the bad things during his presidency.”

First lady Jill Biden has also been at the forefront of defending her husband remaining in the race. 

“[We] will not let those 90 minutes define the four years he’s been president. We will continue to fight,” Jill Biden told Vogue. The first lady is Vogue’s cover story for its August edition. 

“[President Biden] will always do what’s best for the country.”

“The contrast between Trump and Biden has never been clearer than after Thursday’s debate, and it’s time to turn a new page for America and provide real leadership both domestically and on the world stage.”

BIDEN DONORS BACK ‘PLAN B’, SAY ‘IT’S ARMAGEDDON’ AFTER DEBATE: REPORTS

Biden’s mental fitness has come under scrutiny for years, which was compounded in February when Special Counsel Robert Hur published his report investigating the president’s handling of classified documents after his departure as vice president under the Obama administration. 

The report stated Hur would not recommend criminal charges against Biden for possessing classified materials after his vice presidency, calling Biden “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

The Wall Street Journal also published a piece earlier this year based on dozens of interviews with lawmakers and administration officials who characterized Biden as losing his mental edge and showing his age in meetings. The White House slammed the article as a partisan hit piece. 

As calls ring out among members of the media and some Democrats for Biden to step aside, Fox News confirmed the Democratic National Committee is considering formally nominating Biden as early as mid-July. The Democratic Party is holding its convention towards the end of August in Chicago. 

Physician to the President Ronny Jackson gives a thumbs up after U.S. President Donald Trump leaves Walter Reed National Military Medical Center following his annual physical examination January 12, 2018 in Bethesda, Maryland. Trump will next travel to Florida to spend the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“The contrast between Trump and Biden has never been clearer than after Thursday’s debate, and it’s time to turn a new page for America and provide real leadership both domestically and on the world stage. That day is just around the corner to officially retire Joe Biden and allow President Trump to Make America Great Again,” Jackson said. 

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday turned down a 2nd Amendment challenge to state laws in Illinois that prohibited the sale of rapid-fire assault weapons.

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. dissented.

Had the court granted the appeals, it would have threatened California’s long-standing ban of most rapid-fire assault rifles as well.

Thomas said the court refused to hear the appeals now because the cases are still pending in the lower courts. “I hope we will consider the important issues presented by these petitions after the cases reach final judgment,” he wrote.

Tuesday’s order suggests the justices are not anxious to rule on rapid-fire guns at this time, but it probably does not signal the majority leans in favor of upholding these laws.

In the brief order, the justices said they would not review a ruling by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, which in a 2-1 vote refused to block a new Illinois law that forbids the sale of semiautomatic rifles and pistols as well as large-capacity magazines.

The measure was enacted last year after a shooter armed with an AR-15-style rifle and 30-round magazines fired 83 rounds in less than a minute, killing seven people and wounding 48, at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, a suburb of Chicago.

At issue was whether the state’s ban on these popular but potentially dangerous weapons violates the 2nd Amendment and the right to “keep and bear arms.”

The National Foundation for Gun Rights called Tuesday’s order a temporary setback.

“For now at least, the 2nd Amendment is a second-class right, and it will remain so until the Supreme Court decides to stop ducking the issue,” said Hannah Hill, the group’s executive director. The case will now proceed to the discovery, trial, and summary judgment phases at the district court, she added.

When the Supreme Court first upheld individual gun rights in 2008, Justice Antonin Scalia said the 2nd Amendment protects firearms that are “in common use” but not “dangerous and unusual weapons.”

Those comments shape the current debate.

Gun-rights advocates say semiautomatic rifles and handguns are in common use. They are among the most popular weapons in this country, they say, and may be used for self-defense and target shooting.

State legislators and gun-control advocates stress the danger posed by rapid-fire weapons that can shoot dozens of rounds. They describe AR-15 style guns as weapons of war and the weapon of choice in mass shootings.

In addition to California and Illinois, the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Washington also forbid most semiautomatic rifles.

In the past, both Thomas and Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh have dissented from decisions upholding bans on assault weapons.

In upholding the Illinois law, 7th Circuit Judge Diane Wood said courts had historically made a distinction between military-style weapons like the M-16 rifle and guns that were for private use.

“These assault weapons and high-capacity magazines are much more like machine guns and military-grade weaponry than they are like the many different types of firearms that are used for individual self-defense,” she wrote in an opinion joined by Judge Frank Easterbrook. “Indeed, the AR-15 is almost the same gun as the M-16 machine gun.”

Separately, the 9th Circuit Court in San Francisco is weighing a 2nd Amendment challenge to California’s ban on assault weapons.

The panic following last week’s disastrous debate performance by President Biden has shifted the spotlight to potential replacements for the president at the top of the Democratic ticket, though most would still likely be underdogs against former President Trump.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are two names that have emerged as potential replacements for Biden if he were to leave the race, but both have trailed behind Trump in polling of a hypothetical matchup.

Whitmer would fare the best in a matchup with Trump, with a Fox News poll from November showing the Democratic governor within the margin of error of the former president, garnering 46% of the support of registered voters compared to 48% for Trump.

The two-term governor of the crucial Midwestern swing state could be an attractive option for Democrats, though Whitmer has reportedly expressed annoyance that her name is being mixed in as a potential replacement for Biden. Responding to a recent Politico report that the Michigan governor warned the Biden campaign the president no longer had a shot at winning her home state following the debate, Whitmer took to social media and argued anyone who thinks she would make such a claim is “full of s—.”

BIDEN’S INNER CIRCLE SILENT AS PARTY REELS FOLLOWING ‘EMBARRASSING’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE

If Whitmer were unwilling to step up for Biden, Newsom, who has been one of the more visible Democrats supporting Biden, would make a natural choice to replace the president if he were to end his campaign.

California’s Democratic governor ran slightly worse against Trump in the November poll, garnering 45% of the support of registered voters compared to 49% for the former president.

Like Whitmer, Newsom has distanced himself from the idea that he would replace Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket.

“I would never turn my back on President Biden. Never turn my back on President Biden. I don’t know a Democrat in my party that would do so. And especially after tonight, we have his back,” Newsom said shortly after Biden’s debate performance. “We run, not the 90-yard dash. We are all in. We’re going to double down in the next few months. We’re going to win this election.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom. (Getty Images)

BIDEN DEBATE DEBACLE: 10 EYE-OPENING MEDIA RESPONSES, FROM MSNBC PANIC TO ‘THE VIEW’ CALLING FOR REPLACEMENT

Notably, both Newsom and Whitmer performed better in the poll than Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris, who has also been floated as a potential replacement for Biden, trailed Trump by five points in the poll, garnering 45% support compared to Trump’s 50%. The two Democratic governors also compared favorably to Biden’s number, who the poll found losing the race to Trump by four points, with Newsom tying that mark and Whitmer besting it by two points.

Another option is Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who has proved popular in typically red Kentucky. 

While the Fox News poll did not feature Beshear in a hypothetical matchup with Trump, the Democratic governor’s ability to win over Trump voters in two elections could appeal to Democrats looking to defeat the former president in November.

In one example highlighted in a Politico report, Beshear was able to flip Kentucky’s deeply red Perry County during his 2023 re-election bid, a county that supported Trump over Biden by a resounding 77-22 margin in 2020. Just three years later, Beshear was able to carry the country with a 56-44 margin, a dramatic 65- point swing.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

According to a Morning Consult poll conducted in April, Beshear enjoys a 65% approval rating in typically-red Kentucky, making him the most popular Democratic governor in the country and the fourth most popular governor overall.

In comments to reporters Monday, Beshear acknowledged that Biden had a “rough” debate performance, but also said he had no desire to replace the president at the top of the ticket.

“Well, the debate performance was rough. It was a very bad night for the president,” the Kentucky governor said. “But he is still the candidate. Only he can make decisions about his future candidacy, so as long as he continues to be in the race, that’s important.”

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.