As President Joe Biden faces continued calls for him to step out of the 2024 presidential race, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) met with the president on Thursday to talk to him about the party’s conversations about its “path forward.”

Jeffries revealed that he met with Biden in a letter written to a colleague on Friday, CNN’s Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju reported. Biden’s meeting with Jeffries was held in the middle of an unusually packed evening schedule for the president as he also spoke at a NATO summit and answered questions from the media in what was deemed a “big boy” press conference by White House staffers.

“Over the past several days, House Democrats have engaged in a thoughtful and extensive discussion about the future of our country, during a time when freedom, democracy and the economic well-being of everyday Americans are on the line,” Jeffries began his letter. “Our discourse has been candid, clear-eyed and comprehensive.”

“On behalf of the House Democratic Caucus, I requested and was graciously granted a private meeting with President Joe Biden. That meeting occurred yesterday evening,” Jeffries added. “In my conversation with President Biden, I directly expressed the full breadth of insight, heartfelt perspectives and conclusions about the path forward that the Caucus has shared in our recent time together.”

Jeffries says he met with Biden privately last night

“That meeting occurred yesterday evening. In my conversation with President Biden, I directly expressed the full breadth of insight, heartfelt perspectives and conclusions about the path forward that the Caucus has shared in… pic.twitter.com/MDHmDoCTa6

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) July 12, 2024

A growing number of Jeffries’ Democratic colleagues are calling on the 81-year-old Biden to step out of the 2024 presidential race after he performed poorly in a debate against Donald Trump on June 27. Democrats have held private meetings on Capitol Hill to reportedly discuss Biden’s re-election chances as the president struggles to assure voters that he has the mental and physical ability to continue his re-election campaign.

Biden took numerous questions from reporters about his health on Thursday and remained determined to move on as the Democrats’ presidential nominee. The president made multiple verbal gaffes during his NATO summit and the following press conference, calling Trump his vice president and introducing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin.”

Other Democratic leaders in the House have been careful when discussing Biden’s future atop the party’s ticket. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, reportedly pushed for Biden to step aside during a phone call with colleagues on Sunday but said just two days later that Biden is “our candidate, and we’re all going to support him.”

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) dodged questions earlier this week about whether she wanted Biden to continue his campaign.

“It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run,” Pelosi said, adding, “We’re all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short.”