Actor Kirk Cameron announced Wednesday that he has left California and moved to Tennessee, adding to the list of Hollywood stars fleeing the Golden State.

The born-and-raised Californian and Growing Pains star told the Washington Examiner that he started thinking “seriously” about moving in the past three to five years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. In 2021, he asked his fans about suggestions for places to live if they could pick a state.

“It’s pretty clear that California has been moving in a particular direction for a long time,” he said.

The actor shared that the state was creating “so much division” and he yearned for a place that had a “healthy freedom mindset.”

In recent years, the Hollywood exodus out of California has included actor Mark Wahlberg who decided to leave Los Angeles to find a better place for his children “to thrive.” Sylvester Stallone also moved to Florida in 2021. Fitness guru Jillian Michaels recently left California because of the crime and found Florida to be “less crazy.”

For Cameron, he said he has found that Tennessee has “a lot of California refugees,” including “creatives” who’ve moved from Hollywood and are creating a growing entertainment industry community in the state. From 2014 to 2022, Tennessee’s motion picture and video production jobs have skyrocketed by 82%. As a result, the state has started getting the nickname “Hollywood of the South.”

The Hollywood Reporter reported in 2021 that the industry has been moving out of California for lower taxes and quality of life. The report cited that many have “an appetite for the no-state-income-tax states,” such as Tennessee. It also suggested that the Volunteer State’s popularity is because there’s “an entertainment hub there.”

Cameron said that while the pandemic helped change the viewpoint of companies around the world regarding remote working, the film business was evolving because of technology prior to 2020 to make it possible for entertainment professionals to coordinate and execute productions from anywhere.

“It’s shocking how many Californians are here. And when I see them in the grocery store, I tell them, ‘Don’t California our Tennessee,’” he said with a laugh.

“If everything hits the fan and there’s some serious economic problems and division going on, they want to be around people like they think who are all about God, family, and country. It’s a really nice place to be,” the former teenage heartthrob said of his new fellow Tennesseans.

Cameron, a now 53-year-old father of six grown children, said he was also drawn to leaving California due to three of his children now living in Tennessee, a place where he says has “good wholesome values and, equally as important, good whiskey.”

He also said many families are exiting states such as California because they want to get away from those that are diminishing their property values and quality of life, adding that families want to “be around like-minded people for safety and for security.”

The television actor is continuing to produce and star in his new children’s television show Adventures with Iggy and Mr. Kirk, which is a modernized and animated version of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. The new show features himself and Iggy the Iguana.

In recent years, Cameron has also been a leading advocate against drag queen story hours and drawing crowds of thousands nationwide to library story hours in an effort to promote wholesome, age-appropriate children’s books. He has partnered with BRAVE Books to release several faith-based children’s books.

On Aug. 24, Cameron is leading a nationwide effort to encourage parents and children to host or help support a story hour at their local libraries.

Last month, LGBT activists used Pride Month to make the Guinness Book of World Records in hosting the world’s largest drag queen story event in Philadelphia with over 260 attendees at the National Constitution Center.

“We’re aiming to set a Guinness World Record with this event. It’s called ‘See You at the Library’ and we held this event last summer and we had tens of thousands of people show up at their public libraries on this one day to read wholesome books to the children in their community, to sing the National Anthem, and to pray together,” he said.

He said last year’s “See You at the Library” event had over 300 public libraries that participated in 46 states and this year, he said he hopes the event will be in more than 500 public libraries across all 50 states.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Cameron plans to rival the Pride Month record with his own story hour record on Aug. 24. He previously had over 3,000 attendees at one of his story hours in Indianapolis.

The BRAVE Books children’s author hopes the Guinness Book of Records will have the “same integrity and objectivity” about his story hour event in August.

In a video leaked on Wednesday, former President Donald Trump mocked President Joe Biden’s hopes for reelection this November. 

Footage obtained by the Daily Beast shows the presumptive Republican presidential nominee calling Biden a “broken-down pile of crap.” 

As Trump relaxes in a golf cart speaking with a group of people out of camera view, the former president’s youngest son, Barron, appears to be by his side. It is unclear when and where the video was taken, though Trump alludes to last week’s presidential debate, asking how he did “the other night.”

“He just quit, you know — he’s quitting the race,” Trump continued. “I got him out … and that means we have Kamala,” he said, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I think she’s going to be better,” he said before changing course. “She’s so bad. She’s so pathetic.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The former president then cast doubts on how Biden interacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping before driving off.

The Washington Examiner reached out to the Trump and Biden campaigns for comment.

The issue over parental rights and the privacy of trans students in California is brewing as lawmakers seek to limit the authority of public schools in the state. 

Legislators in Sacramento have sent a bill, AB 1955, to Gov. Gavin Newsom, which would bar school districts from notifying parents if their child uses different pronouns or identifies as a gender that’s different from what’s on school records.  

The bill is currently in the enrollment process, but Newsom will have 12 days to sign it into law once he receives it, his office told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. 

During an emotional June 27 hearing on the state Democratic-led Assembly floor, Assemblyman Bill Essayli, a Republican, vehemently opposed the legislation. Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Jim Wood, a Democrat, repeatedly chastised Essayli for speaking off-topic and had his microphone cut off several times. 

TRANSGENDER ATHLETE COMPLAINS ABOUT LACK OF SPORTSMANSHIP FROM FELLOW RUNNERS AFTER WINNING GIRLS STATE TITLE

The bill passed by a 60-15 vote. 

“California is leading the nation in assaulting parental rights,” Essayli told Fox News Digital in a statement. “AB 1955 is dangerous and defies common sense by stripping parents of their constitutional and God-given right to raise their children.”

“It’s now up to Governor Gavin Newsom to decide whether he will sign this policy and make the erosion of parental rights one of the central issues in his presidential ambitions,” he added. 

Newsom has appeared to play to a national audience as speculations about a possible presidential bid refuse to go away. Last year, he vetoed a bill that would have required courts to consider whether a parent affirms their child’s gender identity when making rulings on custody and visitation.

A bill Essayli proposed last year, AB 1314, would have done the opposite of AB 1955 by requiring schools to notify parents of changes in their child’s gender identity. The proposal failed to advance from the education committee.

During last week’s debate, things almost got out of hand when Assemblyman Corey Jackson, who is part of the LGBTQ community, had to be restrained as he tried to move toward Essayli following his remarks. 

BIDEN OFFICIALS PUSHED TO DROP AGE LIMIT ON TRANS SURGERIES FOR MINORS: REPORT

There are things young people have a right to decide for themselves when it’s appropriate, Jackson said. 

“What we’ve seen is that we’re neglecting that right that they have,” he told Fox News Digital. “It’s a parent’s responsibility to build the type of relationship for a student to be willing to confide in them. We are not an extension of their parenting.” 

Before the vote, Assemblyman Chris Ward, author of AB 1955, said the bill will strengthen families and will allow people to have the “dignity of deciding when they are ready to share some of the most private information about themselves.”

“When you have a policy that requires teachers to do things that they know are not in the best interest of the kids, it causes trauma and damage that experts across the board tell us is true,” he said. 

Corey said he was confident that Newsom will sign AB 1955, while blaming Republicans for instilling “fear and hate.”

“This is politically driven,” he said. “These are not just parents out of nowhere saying this is an issue.”

James Gallagher, the California Assembly Republican Leader, said he has issues with the assumption that telling parents about their child’s gender identity puts students at risk. 

“One of the concerns that I’ve had from the beginning of this legislation is that I feel like it draws almost a default of: ‘School officials and teachers and counselors, they’re always safe and parents are not safe’,” he said last week. “I think we would probably agree on both sides that’s not true.”

The bill came as school districts across California have enacted parent notification policies. Many of the policies have been tweaked after the state sued the Chino Valley Unified School District to halt the enforcement of its mandatory gender identity disclosure policy. 

In March, the district amended the policy and will only mention that a child has requested a change to their student records.

While calls to replace President Biden as the Democratic nominee continue to plague his re-election efforts, campaign finance experts believe financial roadblocks could prevent another Democrat from stepping into the role.

The Biden-Harris campaign brought in a huge cash haul this cycle, reporting $127 million raised in June alone. But if Biden were to be replaced or step down as the nominee, there are serious questions about whether another candidate would be able to inherit these funds.

While there are several candidates being floated as a Biden replacement, a political fundraiser with knowledge of presidential campaign finance told Fox News Digital that, as of right now, the money “is only accessible if your name is Joe Biden or Kamala Harris.” 

Election law experts told Fox News Digital that Vice President Harris could likely use the campaign funds given that her name is on the Biden-Harris ticket. However, even the vice president could face hurdles with the money. 

REP. CLYBURN DECLARES SUPPORT FOR KAMALA HARRIS AS DEM NOMINEE IF BIDEN HAS TO BOW OUT: ‘I WILL SUPPORT HER’

According to Trey Trainor, a commissioner on the Federal Election Commission, it’s an “open-ended question” whether the funds could be transferred to Harris.

HERITAGE FOUNDATION WORKING ON ELECTION LEGAL CHALLENGES IN CASE BIDEN PULLED FROM DNC NOMINATION

If Biden is replaced as the nominee, legal experts tell Fox the Biden-Harris campaign would be allowed to transfer the funds to the Democratic National Committee, but the campaign arm is limited in how it can distribute that money.

Trainor, speaking Wednesday on “The Josh Hammer Show,” said given the financial roadblocks, he believes Democrats “have no choice but to continue forward with President Biden as their nominee because there are just too many hurdles.”

Democratic Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have been floated as potential Biden replacements, but the experts do not believe other candidates would be able to easily obtain the funds.

While members within his own party are calling on Biden to step down, campaign finance experts who described the situation as novel concluded Biden will likely remain the Democratic nominee, even if the final decision comes down to campaign cash.

Several top Democrats that called for the 25th Amendment to be used to remove former President Trump from office during his tenure have remained silent on whether it should be triggered to remove President Biden, which some Republicans have suggested.

Fox News Digital reached out to Reps. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; Jamie Raskin, D-Md.; and Maxine Waters, D-Calif., along with Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who all declined to comment on whether the 25th Amendment should be in play with President Biden as they suggested it should be for former President Trump.

Section 4 of the 25th Amendment authorizes the vice president and a majority of the executive cabinet to make the decision whether the president is fit to continue in office or not.

At various points during the Trump presidency, Democrats called for the 25th Amendment to be triggered against the president for a variety of reasons ranging from the coronavirus, to Trump’s competence, to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot.

MEDIA FLOATED 25TH AMENDMENT FOR TRUMP HUNDREDS OF TIMES WHILE IN OFFICE, VIRAL VIDEO SHOWS

“It’s long past time,” Waters told MSNBC in October 2020 when asked if it was time to trigger the 25th Amendment based on Trump’s “erratic and bizarre behavior” and “spreading the virus personally.”

That same month, in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election, Raskin and Pelosi introduced legislation that would create a commission involving Congress in the process to remove the president if he became “incapacitated.”

“This is not about President Trump,” Pelosi claimed at a press conference at the time. “He will face the judgment of the voters, but he shows the need for us to create a process for future presidents.”

CORNELL LAW PROFESSOR CALLS TO INVOKE 25TH AMENDMENT AFTER BIDEN’S DEBATE PERFORMANCE

“Congress has a constitutional duty to lay out the process by which a president’s incapacity and the president of any party is determined. This bill honors the duty by creating a standing commission of top former executive officials and medical experts selected in a bipartisan, bicameral way. A president’s fitness for office must be determined by science and facts. This legislation applies to future presidents, but we are reminded by the necessity of action by the health of the current president,” she said.

The legislation was the reintroduction of the same bill from Raskin in 2017. 

“Since January, President Trump has thrown our country into chaos at every turn,” Raskin said in a 2017 press release.

“For the security of our people and the safety of the Republic, we need to set up the ‘body’ called for in the 25th Amendment. The President can fire his entire Cabinet for asking the same question tens of millions of Americans are asking at their dinner tables, but he cannot fire Congress or the expert body we set up under the Constitution. At a moment of unprecedented presidential chaos, the Oversight Commission on Presidential Capacity is essential, urgently needed and indispensable.”

Following the Jan. 6 riot, Pelosi, Raskin, Jayapal and every other Democrat in the House voted for a resolution calling on Vice President Pence to “declare President Donald J. Trump incapable of executing the duties of his office and to immediately exercise powers as acting President.”

“We are demanding Mike Pence and the Cabinet finally put America first and uphold their constitutional duty to invoke the 25th Amendment, ending Trump’s terror and his total control over the military,” Jayapal said. “Assuming the Vice President continues to put this lawless, dangerous president over the people of this country, the House of Representatives must urgently join my call to once again impeach Donald Trump.”

That move was backed by Schumer, who said Trump is “dangerous and should not hold office one day longer.”

Following Biden’s widely panned debate performance that has caused some Democrats to call on him to drop out of the race, several Republicans have floated the idea of triggering the 25th Amendment due to concerns over Biden’s mental abilities.

“Over the past 3 years, it has become painfully clear that our inaugurated President has slipped into a rapid decline,” Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., said Wednesday.

“As a Christian principled nation, We the People must revere our elders and shelter them from unnecessary struggle and anguish. The 25th Amendment allows America to respond to this moment of crisis by gently removing President Biden from the world’s most powerful elected position. It’s the right thing to do, the Christian thing to do.”

Both the White House and Biden campaign have maintained that Biden is not dropping out of the race and is fit to serve as president.

Nearly a week after President Biden’s disastrous performance in a presidential debate, multiple current and former House Democrats are signaling they would back Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor if the 81-year-old leader chooses to step aside.

Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., a member of the House’s progressive “Squad,” joined radio show “Mornings with Zerlina” on Wednesday, warning Democrats — and likely, by extension, President Biden — they are running out of time to decide whether to change course.

“If our president decides this is not a pathway forward for him, we have to move very quickly. There’s not going to be time for a primary. That time is past,” Lee said. “The vice president is the obvious choice. She’s sitting right there.”

BIDEN CAMPAIGN SENDS ‘ALL STAFF’ MEMO TO TRY AND STEM DEEP CONCERNS

Lee also warned of the political ramifications of side-stepping Harris while pointing out the high voter turnout rates among Black women.

“We’re so willingly going to push aside an entire demographic, and I think that it would be very dangerous to do that, personally,” she warned.

It comes just a day after Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., a longtime Biden ally whose support was critical to Biden clinching the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, stopped short of airing concerns about the president’s viability. He added, however, that he would support Harris as the nominee if Biden did drop out.

“I want this ticket to continue to be Biden-Harris,” Clyburn said on “MSNBC Reports.” “This party should not, in any way, do anything to work around Ms. Harris. We should do everything we can to bolster her whether she’s in second place or at the top of the ticket.”

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE ANSWERS POINT-BLANK IF BIDEN SUFFERS FROM DEMENTIA AFTER DISASTROUS DEBATE

Former Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who challenged Biden for the 2020 presidential nomination, also wrote an op-ed in Newsweek, “Kamala Harris Should Be the Democratic Nominee for President in 2024.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre answered speculation about Harris on Wednesday by insisting Biden would not drop out and declined to get into details about their one-on-one lunch earlier in the day.

“One of the reasons why he picked the vice president … is because she is indeed the future of the party. And he’s very proud to have partnered with her and continue to partner with her and delivering an unprecedented record for the American people,” Jean-Pierre said.

Questions about Biden’s physical and mental condition were brought to the forefront during Thursday’s debate in Atlanta. 

The dam broke on Tuesday afternoon when Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, became the first sitting House Democrat to call for Biden to pull out of the race.

BIDEN BLAMES EUROPEAN TRIPS FOR DEBATE FLOP, DESPITE LONG HUDDLE AT CAMP DAVID: ‘ALMOST FELL ASLEEP ONSTAGE’

Hours later, Reps. Jared Golden, D-Maine, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., two of the most vulnerable Democrats this election cycle, came out and said Biden would likely lose to Trump.

“He is absolutely not dropping out,” a Biden campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

If he did, however, Harris’ supporters have pointed out she would inherit the massive $240 million Biden-Harris campaign war chest.

Other names who have been floated as possible replacements for Biden are California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, among others.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest political news from Washington, D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. 

Here’s what’s happening…

-White House maintains Biden will not suspend re-election campaign

– House Democrats circulate letter calling on Biden to suspend campaign

– Obama advises Biden after debate fiasco

Former first lady Michelle Obama is the leading candidate to take on former President Trump in 2024, according to a new poll conducted after last week’s presidential debate.  

A Reuters/Ipsos poll asked respondents who they would like to see take on Trump on the general election ballot amid calls to replace the current nominee, and President Biden was bested by both the former first lady and his own vice president.

When respondents were asked who they would vote for in a race against Trump, the poll found that Obama was the only Democrat to secure enough votes to beat the former president on the general election ballot…Read more

TURNING THE PAGE: Jean-Pierre addresses earlier book excerpt about working for ‘doomed’ candidate …Read more

GRIM DIAGNOSIS: Former WH doc says Biden ‘not the same man’ he remembers from VP days …Read more

‘STAYING IN’: White House insists Biden will ‘absolutely not’ suspend his campaign …Read more

‘SHAKEN UP’: Biden’s struggle to name top official left allies alarmed: report …Read more

BIDEN’S FUTURE: Biden’s future in question ahead of meeting with Democratic governors …Read more

HOUSE OF BLUES: Congressional Dems circulating multiple letters calling on Biden to drop out …Read more

ANGER AND FEAR: Dem lawmakers want party leaders to pressure Biden to step down: Report …Read more

‘SQUAD’ UP: House Dem leaders back ‘Squad’ member despite anti-Israel stance, DOJ probe …Read more

PACKING HEAT: Congresswoman charged at airport for gun in carry-on …Read more

‘PAINFUL’ TO WATCH: Another Democrat says ‘Biden is going to lose to Trump’ …Read more

DEBATE IMPACT: Top political handicapper shifts two key states toward Trump …Read more

REVERSE CARD: Biden camp tries to turn tables, question Trump’s mental acuity …Read more

DECISION TIME: Biden weighing whether to continue re-election campaign, key ally says: report …Read more

‘HEAR FROM US’: Biden campaign sends memo to panicked staff after debate …Read more

‘CANDID CONVERSATION’: Several Dem governors will meet with President Biden  …Read more

FALLOUT: California progressive champion among contingent to meet with Biden Wednesday …Read more

PRESIDENT NEWSOM?: How would Calif. governor handle border crisis if in the White House? …Read more

AWKWARD LAUNCH: Incumbents often struggle with first debate, expert says: Here’s why …Read more

NEW SPOTLIGHT: Harris takes center stage as questions about Biden mount …Read more

CURIOUS GEORGE: FLASHBACK: Stephanopoulos knocked Haley’s claim Biden wouldn’t finish term …Read more

44’S WARNING: Obama cautiously advises Biden after shaky debate performance, looming showdown with Trump …Read more

‘ALMOST FELL ASLEEP’: Biden blames European trips for debate fiasco …Read more

‘HYPER-AGRESSIVE PROSECUTOR’: Jack Smith notches another major legal loss …Read more

BIAS ALLEGATIONS: FBI whistleblower alleges bureau improperly suspended security clearance for agents with ‘conservative views’ …Read more

‘LAWLESSNESS’: Vast majority of illegal immigrants aren’t being tracked: analysis …Read more

SHAKEN STIR: Trump Org slams NJ pausing liquor license renewal …Read more

DARING MISSION: Union soldiers who hijacked Confederate train during Civil War receiving Medal of Honor …Read more

ON THE BOOKS: New York law allowing universal absentee voting challenged in court …Read more

‘SERIOUS TROUBLE’: UK’s Conservatives face end of an era as Labour eyes historic win …Read more

RIGHT TO EXIST: Germany takes on rising antisemitism in changes to citizenship law …Read more

REUNITED: Putin and Xi meet up ahead of NATO summit  …Read more

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Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that President Biden’s debate-night blunder in which he claimed no U.S. troops had died under his watch was made because of how “deeply” he cares about service members.

“The president was making a comparison between how many service members have died under his leadership versus in previous years. That’s what the comparison that he was making,” Jean-Pierre said during Wednesday’s press briefing. “He was doing that because he cares so deeply, cares so deeply about them and their families and wants to keep troops safe.”

The comments came in response to a question about Biden’s debate claim that he is the “only president this century” not to have troops die on his watch.

DEMOCRAT LAWMAKER DECLARES TRUMP ‘IS GOING TO WIN THE ELECTION’ AND US DEMOCRACY WILL SURVIVE 

“Truth is, I’m the only president this century that doesn’t have — this decade — any troops dying anywhere in the world like he did,” Biden said.

Critics were quick to point out that U.S. troops have died under Biden’s watch, including the 13 service members who were killed in a suicide bombing at Hamid Karzia International Airport during the U.S. mission to evacuate Afghanistan.

More recently, three U.S. service members were killed in a January drone attack on a U.S. base in Jordan. 

TEXAS CONGRESSMAN BECOMES FIRST ELECTED DEMOCRAT TO CALL ON BIDEN TO WITHDRAW FROM ELECTION 

Jean-Pierre acknowledged both attacks during Wednesday’s press briefing, noting that Biden attended the dignified transfer of the service members’ remains in both cases.

But Biden generated controversy during his attendance at the dignified transfer of the 13 service members killed in Afghanistan after appearing to check his watch as the ceremony unfolded.

Nevertheless, Jean-Pierre argued Wednesday that Biden “cares so deeply” about service members “and their families.”

“Let’s not forget that for some time, he carried a card in his pocket about how many service members were wounded and killed in Iraq and in Afghanistan,” Jean-Pierre said. “That’s how much it was a reminder to him, you know, the times that we live in.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Yet another Democrat has come forward calling for President Biden to quit. 

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez of Washington, who represents a district that voted red in 2020, is the latest member of her party to suggest that Biden will “lose” to former President Trump on the November ballot after his disastrous debate performance last week. 

Pérez said the first presidential debate of 2024 was “painful” to watch, and while many Democrats maintain their support for the former president, the congresswoman admitted that she believes “Biden is going to lose to Trump.”

“About 50 million Americans tuned in and watched that debate. I was one of them for about five very painful minutes. We all saw what we saw, you can’t undo that, and the truth, I think, is that Biden is going to lose to Trump,” the Democrat said in an interview with KATU-TV.

While the congresswoman does not believe Biden will win in 2024, she added that “a core tenet of democracy is that you accept the results of an election” and that primary voters have already chosen Biden as the Democrat nominee.

BIDEN’S CANDIDACY REMAINS UNDER THREAT AS TOP DEMOCRATIC DONORS GET COLD FEET

While most Democratic representatives remained mum the first few days following the debate, more lawmakers are beginning to voice uncertainty in the president’s re-election bid.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, made a similar statement Tuesday, saying “Democrats are panicking” over the debate performance and that “Trump is going to win.”

RFK JR. REACTS TO BIDEN’S ‘ALARMING’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE: WE NEED A PRESIDENT WHO’S ACTUALLY LOOKING AT REALITY

“After the first presidential debate, lots of Democrats are panicking about whether President Joe Biden should step down as the party’s nominee,” Golden wrote in an op-ed for the Bangor Daily News. “Biden’s poor performance in the debate was not a surprise. It also didn’t rattle me as it has others, because the outcome of this election 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. Lloyd Doggett of Texas became the first elected Democrat to officially call on his own party’s nominee to step down amid doubt over the strength of Biden’s candidacy.

“My decision to make these strong reservations public is not done lightly nor does it in any way diminish my respect for all that President Biden has achieved. Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President 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,” Doggett said on Tuesday. “I respectfully call on him to do so.”

Despite growing turmoil among members within their own party, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is considering nominating Biden as early as mid-July.

Steve Garvey, the Republican Senate candidate vying to fill the late Dianne Feinstein’s seat, is calling for Soros-backed Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon to prosecute those responsible for the violence that occurred outside a prominent Jewish synagogue in Hollywood last week.

“It was unconscionable what happened,” Garvey told Fox News Digital in a video call from his team’s van during his weeklong trip to Israel. “Again, this is literally a hate crime. And I will challenge the LA District Attorney George Gascon to prosecute these people to the full extent of the law.”

HOLLYWOOD’S JEWISH COMMUNITY ‘HORRIFIED’ BY VIOLENCE AT LA SYNAGOGUE: ‘WE NEED TO MOBILIZE’

“I think in many ways, leadership has failed on campuses and among DAs who failed to use these opportunities as a deterrent by prosecuting these people who literally broke the law and disrupted campuses,” Garvey added.

Garvey, a former major league first baseman, spent a week in Israel as part of his campaign efforts to stand in solidarity with the Jewish community in California and set himself apart from his Democratic opponent, Rep. Adam Schiff. 

“I said in the beginning of my campaign that I will go anywhere the people want me to go to get a deeper understanding of situations,” Garvey said. 

During his trip, Garvey visited the family of an Israeli hostage still held captive by Hamas, toured locations attacked by Hamas after the Oct. 7 massacre, and met with Israeli military officials.

SOROS RESOURCES HELP DISTRICT ATTORNEY RACES GO LIBERAL

MLB GREAT STEVE GARVEY LOOKS TO REVIVE ‘HEARTBEAT’ OF CALIFORNIA ‘FOR ALL THE PEOPLE’ WITH SENATE RUN

Garvey also boasted about gaining a new voter who had previously voted for Schiff.

“While at an event in Tel Aviv, I met Samara, who lives in @AdamSchiff’s district. She’s a Jewish attorney and longtime Democratic voter who has voted for Adam in past elections, and is now voting for me,” Garvey posted on X. 

GOP SENATE CANDIDATE STEVE GARVEY OWES HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS IN UNPAID BACK TAXES AS HE RUNS AGAINST SCHIFF

Garvey’s trip comes as violence erupted outside the Adas Torah synagogue on Pico Boulevard last week, prompting condemnations from a range of prominent Democrats, including President Biden, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. The event has been one of many events anti-Israel demonstrators have organized in recent months.

While Gascon’s office condemned antisemitism by name and “all forms of hatred,” he was silent on the question of prosecuting criminal acts in connection to the clashes.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.