For the past few days, a number of prominent Democrats in Congress have been saying out loud the things that Americans have been saying to each other and to pollsters very openly for two years: Biden's age might be a problem!

Now, among them, is House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, one of the most prominent figures in the Democratic Party — who is, herself, 84 years old. Pelosi made the decision to step down from party leadership and hand off the role of minority leader to Hakeem Jeffries last year, framing it as a passing of the torch to a younger generation.

In an interview with MSNBC today, Pelosi said of Biden's debate performance and Democrats' general panic about it, "I think it's a legitimate question to say, 'Is this an episode or is this a condition?'"

And, Nancy being Nancy, she added that this should be asked of both Biden and Trump.

After the media widely picked up Pelosi's comment, her spokesperson, Ian Krager, put out an official statement saying, "Speaker Pelosi has full confidence in President Biden and looks forward to attending his inauguration on January 20, 2025."

Still, other prominent Democrats have stopped toeing the line, including close Biden ally, Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, who also changed his tune slightly in a separate MSNBC interview today, per CNBC, saying it was a question whether Biden's debate performance was a signal of a larger medical issue.

"I'll have to wait on the experts in medicine to give their opinion, because I'm not a doctor, so I have no idea the extent to which all of this may have occurred," Clyburn said.

The New York Times lists off a number of other Democrats who are softly and loudly calling for Biden to end his campaign. These include Rep. Lloyd Doggett [D-Texas], who today became the first Democrat to officially call on Biden to withdraw from the race.

"Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden's first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw," Doggett said in a statement.

On Monday, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island told local television station WPRI that he was "horrified" by Biden's debate performance, and added, "I have never seen that happen before." He called on the White House to be more candid about Biden's medical and cognitive fitness.

"I think people want to make sure that this is a campaign that’s ready to go and win, that the president and his team are being candid with us about his condition — that this was a real anomaly and not just the way he is these days," Senator Whitehouse said.

The Times reports that many Democratic lawmakers are being "inundated" with phone calls from constituents urging them to urge Biden to step out of the race.

Meanwhile, at an appearance in Syracuse Tuesday, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, said "yes" when asked if had faith in the fitness of the president, and added, "I'm with Joe Biden."

Related: After Biden’s Debate Train Wreck, Both Newsom and Harris Insist They’re Not Replacing Him

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