Five senior House Democrats, including Rep. Jerry Nadler, are calling on Biden to drop out

Calls within the Democratic Party for Joe Biden to officially withdraw from the 2024 presidential race are becoming increasingly intense.

According to a report in the The Wall Street Journal, five senior Democrats asked the president to step aside following a private meeting with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday.

According to the report, the prominent members included Democratic lawmakers from key committees, including Representatives Jerry Nadler and Joe Morelle of New York, Adam Smith of Washington, Jim Himes of Connecticut and Mark Takano of California.

"The developments opened a wide crack in Biden’s wall of support, bringing the number of House Democrats’ calling for him to step aside to about 10. They included the top Democrats on the Judiciary, Armed Services and Intelligence Committees," the WSJ reported.

The increasing calls for his retirement raise growing doubts about Biden's future, who has insisted in recent public appearances that he will be the Democratic nominee.

Calls for him to step down have intensified in recent hours, especially after several major national polls ranked him an average of six points behind former President Trump, who got a big boost after the debate in Atlanta, Georgia, where Biden looked weak, unclear and incoherent.

In addition to defections from Democratic lawmakers, Biden is also facing pressure from major donors and party strategists who believe that the most viable path to defeat Trump is through a surrogate candidate.

Likewise, major national progressive media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and television networks, are pushing for Biden to step out of the race for good as doubts grow about his ability to campaign vigorously and lead the country from the White House.