Dozens of Democrats expected to call on Biden to step aside

Four Democratic sources with knowledge tell CBS News that they expect dozens of Democratic lawmakers over the next 48 hours to issue statements calling for President Biden to step out of the race.

The planning is coordinated, and some of the statements are pre-written, according to two sources. And it's not clear that anything Mr. Biden says in his high-stakes press conference Thursday night could redirect the expected course of events.

House Democratic leadership has indicated to members that they should speak their minds, multiple sources told CBS News. One of those well-placed sources predicted that the next three to four days will be "brutal," and that it may become untenable by sometime next week for the president to continue in the race.

Congressional leaders aren't expected to publicly speak out themselves or to attempt a forced replacement of Mr. Biden, aiming to avoid a public break with the president out of respect. But there is also a recognition, as two sources put it, that public calls from leadership would trigger stubborn opposition from the president.

It's not clear that any number of defections from Democrats will change the president's mind. So far, 13 House Democrats and one Senate Democrat have publicly called on Mr.

Biden to end his reelection bid.