Hakeem Jeffries tells Democrats he relayed their concerns to Biden

What he's saying: "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 wrote in a "dear colleague" letter.

• "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."

Zoom out: In the two weeks since Biden's disastrous debate, Jeffries has huddled with numerous factions and subdivisions of his caucus with fears about the president's age and ability to win the 2024 election.

• That included a virtual gathering on Sunday in which multiple committee ranking members said Biden should withdraw his candidacy.
• He also met this week with battleground district members and the center-left New Democrat Coalition, both hotbeds of Biden skepticism.

State of play: As of Friday morning, 18 House Democrats had said publicly that Biden should drop out of the race – including four after a NATO press conference that many House Democrats viewed as adequate.

• Dozens of other House and Senate Democrats have publicly affirmed their support for the president remaining on the ticket.
• Many have occupied territory in the middle of those two positions – raising concerns about Biden's candidacy without outright calling for him to step aside.
• Biden has consistently maintained he has no plans to drop his candidacy.