'I screwed up': Biden told concerned Dem governors he had a medical check-up after last week's car crash debate and 'knocked on wood' when he revealed he is in good health as he tried to shore up support

Joe Biden has admitted that he 'screwed up' in last week's car crash election debate, as he has called an emergency meeting yesterday to try to shore-up support amongst concerned Democrat governors.

The president reportedly revealed in the meeting that he had a medical check up in the days after last week's televised clash with Republican candidate Donald Trump, in which he appeared tired and stumbled over his words.

Responding to a governor who asked about his physical condition, Biden insisted that he remains in good health, knocking on wood for effect, Politico reports citing insiders.

In an effort to allay fears about his fitness to run and emphasize his conviction that he can see the campaign through, he reportedly told the 20 governors involved: 'I'm the nominee of the Democratic Party. No one's pushing me out. I'm not leaving.'

He also used yesterday to deliver an apology of sorts, admitting in a Wisconsin radio station interview that he made a 'mistake' with his stumbling debate performance, but urging voters to instead judge him on his time in the White House. 

New York's Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul offered unanimous support for the ailing president, 81, after yesterday's meeting - but other politicians in attendance say that she had no right to.

Gov. Janet Mills of Maine pulled no punches over last week's debate performance, directly telling Biden she had no problem with his age but that she felt he wasn't up to running against Donald Trump.

The governor, along with Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico and Ned Lamont of Connecticut, asked what his path forward was, citing a need to make the case to their constituents.

Each questioned whether he could even beat Trump in their states, according to sources in attendance. A Democrat hasn't lost Connecticut or Maine since 1988. 

'Obviously we, like many Americans, are a little worried. We're worried because the threat of a Trump presidency is not theoretical,' Walz said.

Biden's attempt to win over the governors saw him pledge that he is 'in it to win it', and he managed to get some supporters to rally around him.

Several liberal governors like would be successors Gavin Newsom of California and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan did follow Hochul's lead, obsequiously tweeting their support after the meeting.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, who participated in person, posted his reaction on social platform X: 'I heard three words from the President tonight -- he's all in. And so am I.' 

Many of the governors, including Whitmer, only attended the meeting virtually. Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser also was there.

The summit came after nearly a week of bad press and calls to drop out of the race following his debate disaster with Trump. 

It lasted over an hour and those in attendance described the conversation as 'candid,' and a pep rally of sorts.

Vice President Kamala Harris, whom many see as the likely successor at the top of the ticket, ended the meeting by reiterating the threat to democracy that a Trump win would mean, according to the New York Times.

Several of the governors did try to reassure Democrats that Biden was capable of doing this and that they'd owed him their support.

'The president has always had our backs. We're going to have his back as well,' Maryland Governor Wes Moore told reporters.

'The president... he's our nominee. The president is our party leader,' he added.

Moore, Hochul and Minnesota's Tim Walz, the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, were the only three of the 12 who attended in person to speak to the media afterward.

Biden's campaign said the president reiterated his determination 'to defeat the existential threat of Donald Trump at the ballot box in November ' and discussed the importance of electing Democrats up and down the ballot.

'All participants reiterated their shared commitment to do everything possible to make sure President Biden and Vice President Harris beat Donald Trump in November,' it said.

Biden's efforts to pull multiple levers to salvage his faltering reelection include his impromptu appearance with campaign aides, private conversations with senior lawmakers, a weekend blitz of travel and a network television interview.

But he was confronting serious indications that support for him was rapidly eroding on Capitol Hill and among other allies.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., said that though he backs Biden as long as he is a candidate, this 'is an opportunity to look elsewhere' and what Biden 'needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat - and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race.'

Wealthy donor Reed Hastings, the co-founder of Netflix, called on Biden to drop out as well.