Trump rally shooting upends Democrats' Biden crisis

• "We're all just focused on expressing condolences ... and keeping our teams safe," said one House Democrat who has been fiercely critical of Biden.
• A senior House Democrat suggested the post shooting atmosphere in the party is too "chaotic" for internal battles over leadership.

State of play: Biden was engaged in a high-stakes outreach campaign to Capitol Hill in the hours leading up to the shooting at Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which left a bystander and the shooter dead.

• As part of an effort to stop the flow of statements urging him to end his reelection bid, Biden met Saturday afternoon with the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the center-left New Democrat Coalition.
• The latter call was described by lawmakers present as "tense" and a "disaster" for the president, who, they said, was combative in the face of questions about how he plans to turn around his flagging campaign.
• That call came after Biden was told by Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) during a call with Hispanic Caucus members that he should drop out of the race.
• Biden also met with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in Delaware on Saturday, with Schumer calling it a "good meeting."

The intrigue: In a "Face the Nation" interview on Sunday morning, Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) largely pulled his punches despite Biden shouting at him on the New Democrats call after he asked about eroding public confidence in the president's leadership.

• "Listen, you know, this is a tough business. There's a lot at stake. Emotions can run high," Crow said of the call on CBS.
• He added: "I think the president heard our message very clearly, and in fact he promised to come back to use with more information to address our concerns and to answer our questions."

What they're saying: Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who ran a primary campaign against Biden based around concerns over the 81-year-old president's electability, suggested he is sticking to his strategic post-debate silence about Biden's candidacy.

• "An American is dead, a former President and others are wounded, and a shell-shocked country is left wondering how to restore reason and respect," Phillips told Axios in a statement.

• "It would be unpatriotic and unprincipled to direct energy to anything other than yesterday's national tragedy over the coming days. The only conversation about President Biden should be about how he can console our country, address the anger, and meet the moment."

What we're hearing: A second senior House Democrat told Axios that the Trump shooting has taken some of the heat off because it would "be bad form to make any statements against President Biden."

• Another Biden-skeptical Democrat, asked about lingering questions around the president's candidacy, told Axios: "I don't think that's the focus right now."

Zoom in: Biden is adopting a similar posture, with his campaign pulling ads in the immediate aftermath of the shooting and the president condemning the shooting and calling Trump personally.

• Biden's visit to Austin, Texas, which was scheduled for Monday, will be postponed, the White House said.

What to watch: Most lawmakers who spoke to Axios said it is too early to say whether the cessation in tensions will last until the Democratic National Convention next month.

• But the second senior House Democrat offered one reason for why it might: "We've all resigned ourselves to a second Trump presidency."

Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.