Behind the Curtain: Democratic rage at Biden rises

What's happening: Multiple members told us they're furious the 81-year-old president has dragged his feet on reaching out to Democratic leaders, much less rank-and-file members in tough races. Some of these members believe the White House wants to shield Biden from people who'd try to argue why he should drop out.

• "I don't know who's making decisions," said one House Democrat who's exasperated with the West Wing. "Why the hell isn't Biden on the phone with congressional leadership? ... Everybody now thinks he could cost us the majority."
• Biden and Jeffries talked yesterday, the White House says. [Update] Lauren Hitt, a Biden campaign spokesperson, told us Biden "has spoken personally with multiple elected officials on the Hill and across the battlegrounds since the debate."

In private, lawmakers are sharing stories of Biden's mental and physical decline. They're alarmed that it's mostly people related to Biden, or on his payroll, who're being consulted about his capacity — and his possible impact on the entire party and nation. They're certain the Biden family doesn't want him facing skeptics, even if they are friends.

• Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 84, told MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports" that she thinks it's "a legitimate question to say: Is this an episode, or is this a condition?"

The big picture: The stakes of keeping the Senate majority, and winning back the House, now feel existential to many Democrats after the debate debacle and the Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.

• An increasing number of Biden's own aides are questioning his mental fitness, and are furious about what they see as a lack of candor from their bosses. "Everyone is freaking the f*** out," a White House official told Axios' Alex Thompson.

What he's saying: Biden himself offered a new excuse Tuesday evening, telling reporters at a campaign reception in McLean, Virginia, that he "wasn't very smart" for "traveling around the world a couple times" before the debate.

• "I didn't listen to my staff ... and then I almost fell asleep on stage," he told donors. "It's not an excuse but an explanation."
• Biden spent two days resting in Delaware and six preparing for the debate at Camp David after returning from back-to-back trips to Europe, the N.Y. Times reported. Biden's debate prep never started before 11 a.m. and he "was given time for an afternoon nap each day," the paper said. The White House said: "The President was working well before then, after exercising."

Between the lines: Democrats who used to accuse Trumpers of "gaslighting" are now saying the same about their own White House — fed up with the anodyne defenses of the 81-year-old president. They're baffled by the downplay, the denial, the deflection.

• "Strangely, we are getting to the point where it may not have been the debate that did him in, but the aftermath of how they've handled it," a top Democratic operative told us.
• Axios Sneak Peek scooped that major Democratic donors are now planning to move big bucks to House and Senate candidates as a hedge against a second Trump term, which they view as increasingly likely.

Zoom in: Top Democrats are watching to see if any blue-leaning states, including Minnesota, are suddenly in play. Anecdotally, Democrats say the answer is yes.

• Puck reported that post-debate polling by OpenLabs, a progressive nonprofit, found Donald Trump now has a chance in New Hampshire, Virginia and New Mexico — all of which had looked safe for Biden. The president was polling behind Vice President Kamala Harris and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in hypothetical matchups against Trump.

As the revolt spread in Congress, several members strafed the Biden-Harris campaign for a memo dismissing Democratic critics as the "bedwetting brigade." A House Democrat told Axios indignantly: "Consider me a 'bedwetter.' This is not getting better."

• A Democratic lawmaker told Axios that even if Biden stays in, "at a minimum, he needs to show a decisive change in course by replacing his top campaign advisers." But that would satisfy few and does nothing to change Biden's age and concern over it.

Behind the scenes: On Tuesday afternoon, a Zoom call by the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, billed as a listening session on legislative priorities, turned into a venting/therapy session about Biden and his handlers, with comments ranging from anguish to anger.

• Among the more than two dozen House Democrats on the call was 15-term Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, who on Tuesday became the first Democratic lawmaker to call for Biden to end his campaign. Doggett, 77, said in a statement that since 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."

A source on the call tells us not a single member said Biden should still run. Some warned their colleagues to be careful what they wish for, since ditching a presumptive nominee so close to the August convention could have nightmare consequences for the party.

• After a member called Biden's peril "the elephant in the room," members referred derisively to the president as "the donkey in the room."

A top Democratic official told us the biggest mystery is why Biden was allowed to debate, given the obviously massive risk: "What're we doing?"

• In the past several months, diplomats and other officials who've dealt with Biden behind the scenes have "noticed that he increasingly appeared confused or listless, or would lose the thread of conversations," with the lapses seemingly "growing more frequent, more pronounced and more worrisome," the N.Y. Times reported.
• As part of the White House response to The Times, Liz Sherwood-Randall, the president's homeland security adviser, said how sharp he has been in her presence.

The latest: Top Democrats are becoming increasingly vocal about their doubts about Biden's fitness. Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) wrote in a Bangor Daily News op-ed that the election's outcome "has been clear to me for months: While I don't plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win. And I'm OK with that."

• Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) told a local TV station: "Biden is going to lose to Trump. I know that's difficult, but I think the damage has been done by that debate."

What's next: We told you Monday that Biden was considering a big one-on-one interview as part of his damage control. Sure enough, ABC News announced Tuesday that Biden's first post-debate interview will be Friday with George Stephanopoulos.

• George's first question is likely to be some spin on: "Is America truly supposed to believe that debate performance was an anomaly?

Axios' Zachary Basu, Stef Kight and Andrew Solender contributed reporting.