For the past three days, President Biden has fought to save his re-election campaign, as panicked congressional Democrats returned to Washington and openly debated whether to call on him to step aside.

In this episode, Times reporters in Washington go inside the 72 hours that could make or break Mr. Biden’s nomination.

Guest: 

• Representative Adam Smith, of the 9th Congressional District in Washington

Background reading: 

• congress-clooney-election.html">President Biden has faced fresh calls to withdraw as Democrats fear electoral rout.
• Veteran Democrats telegraphed not panic but respect, in hopes of appealing to the Joe Biden who hasbiden-democrats.html"> taken a breath and stepped aside in the past.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.