Biden's team faces a tough, pivotal week in D.C.

• And that's the optimistic view, according to some aides and advisers.
• Biden's best opportunity to prove his Democratic doubters wrong probably won't come until his NATO press conference Thursday.
• That's when Biden will face a press corps that is questioning how the president's team shielded some of the health and age issues that became apparent in his June 27 debate against Donald Trump.
• Until then, Biden can expect more "do the right thing"-type of advice in public — and withering criticism in private — from Democrats in Congress worried that he could be a drag on their 2024 campaigns.
• In a call with House Minority Leader Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Sunday, four senior House Democrats said they hoped Biden would end his campaign.

Between the lines: Some campaign officials said Biden had a positive weekend outside D.C., with a Sunday barnstorm through Pennsylvania that included a visit to a Black church in Philadelphia, where Biden was showered with support.

• There also was an encouraging swing-state poll from Bloomberg/Morning Consult that the campaign eagerly jumped on as a sign that other polls suggesting Biden is fading might not be right.
• Biden, his allies frequently note, has been discounted before, both during the 2020 campaign and as he has worked to get his signature infrastructure legislation through Congress.
• But throughout the campaign and White House staffs, officials expect sharp political questions from members of Congress, donors and reporters to escalate starting this week.

Driving the news: House and Senate members return to Capitol Hill today for the first time since the debate that jeopardized Biden's re-election bid.

• A few lawmakers have publicly questioned Biden's ability to lead their party into an election in which many think democracy itself is at stake.
• But most have been largely silent, quietly surveying their constituents and listening to top donors before taking a public position.

What they're saying: "This weekend, Joe Biden campaigned with the heart of the Democratic Party and met with voters and elected officials across a key battleground state," said Kevin Munoz, a Biden campaign spokesperson.

• "This is the work that wins elections — and it's the work the president's campaign is deeply committed to," he said.

• "As President Biden has fought for and delivered the strongest record of any modern administration, there wasn't a single week that Washington didn't doubt him and his team," White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said.
• "The staff are deeply proud of him and each other, and know the key is to focus on the work and the American people, not the noise," Bates added.

The intrigue: Biden might have bought some time on Capitol Hill after Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), decided not to hold a Monday meeting with other Democrats to discuss their support for the president continuing his re-election bid, Axios scooped late Sunday.

What we're hearing: Inside the White House, those closest to Biden are the most insistent that he can ride out the storm.

• Outside advisers, including some Biden confidants, are — like a growing number of lawmakers — much more pessimistic there's a realistic path forward.

Biden's attempt to quell Democratic naysayers with a Friday interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, did little to calm their nerves.

• "He's toast," one lawmaker told Axios.
• Biden hasn't "put concerns to rest," Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a Senate candidate, said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."