Some “top Democrats” would be relieved if President Biden stepped off the ticket for the upcoming presidential election, “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker said.

High-up Dems “say there would actually be relief if [Biden] were to step down,” Welker told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell on Monday.

Biden, 81, sent his supporters into a panic last week with his fumbling, confused performance during the debate against Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.

In the immediate aftermath of the abysmal outing, a White House aide insisted that Biden would stay in the race – and that he was already preparing for the second debate in September.

What to know about the calls for President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race:

• President Biden’s poor performance in the first 2024 presidential debate left some Democrats unsure of his fitness for office and future as the party’s candidate.
• More than a dozen congressional Democrats have joined in calling for Biden’s exit from the race. Former Biden supporter George Clooney echoed these calls in an op-ed published in the New York Times just weeks after he helped lead a record-breaking fundraiser for the Democrat.
• Democratic voters have continued to raise concerns about Biden’s nomination since the debate, with speculations and suggestions for replacement nominees running rampant.
• Biden’s former running mate Barack Obama has reportedly been trying to pressure him to drop out, and had prior knowledge of Clooney’s op-ed. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi allegedly told Biden he could not beat former President Donald Trump this time around.
• As the Democratic National Convention approaches, California delegates for the Democratic Party are reportedly in disarray as debate over the president’s chances of re-election threatens to tear the party apart.
• However, the Biden campaign has denied any plans for Biden to bow out and for Kamala Harris to step in as the Democratic nominee. Sources close to the president believe he might not be willing to drop out, while other sources claim he is “receptive” to giving up on a second term.

If Biden moved aside, Welker explained, powerful Democrats would look to “reintroduce” Vice President Kamala Harris as she moved to the top of the ticket.

“One person said to me [that] everyone’s counting out Kamala Harris because right now her poll numbers are below President Biden’s, but if she were to be the one to carry this torch into November, there could be a method of reintroducing her to the country that could be effective with independents [and] with moderates,” Welker added.

Democrats have expressed “deep concerns” about Biden following the disastrous debate, but are cognizant of the president’s team closing ranks around him.

“Public, those speaking, the party is closing ranks behind him, giving him space as you say to make this decision,” she said.

“But I am told that the reality is they are also — while they’re going to fight for him if he stays in this race, they’re also going to be very focused on the House, on keeping the Senate, and quite frankly on thinking about strategy heading into 2028 because there is so much concern about his ability to win and beat Trump.”