As reelection anxiety grows in Washington, President Biden has turned to some of his staunchest supporters: Democratic mayors.

Biden took part in a video call hosted by the Democratic Association of Mayors on Tuesday night, the latest attempt by his campaign to appease key Democratic Party officials concerned about the 81-year-old's stumble during a presidential debate last month. Biden addressed about 200 mayors during the webinar, laying out his policy goals for a second term and pointing out differences from former President Trump's second-term pledges.

Biden spoke for about 20 minutes, according to mayors who took part in the call. After acknowledging his lackluster performance in the debate, he discussed policy issues including abortion rights, housing, gun violence and infrastructure. Biden answered questions from the mayors of Kansas City, Missouri; Madison, Wisconsin; and San Antonio, Texas, during a conversation moderated by Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said Biden seemed confident and optimistic “in stark contrast to what I saw two weeks ago.” Gloria, a California delegate to the Democratic National Convention, said he had “no doubt” he would vote for Biden.

“This president showed up and helped cities, which is in stark contrast to the other options,” Gloria said. “The question was, 'How can we help?' It wasn't, 'Hey, take a cognitive test,' or, 'Hey, let's have a few more press conferences and see what the results are.'”

Other California mayors on the call included Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, their offices confirmed. “I endorse our nominee, President Biden,” Bass said in a prepared statement.

“Like everybody, I was watching the debate and I was concerned,” Steinberg said in an interview Wednesday. “He certainly gave me a lot of reassurance last night that he was on top of it.”

Steinberg said he sees the debate within Democrats over Biden's eligibility not as a sign of party weakness, but rather how desperate the party is to beat Trump in November. Democrats now have to choose whether to make Biden's eligibility a theme for the coming months or focus on winning, he said.

“He needs to continue to show the energy that we saw last night,” Steinberg said. “You're fighting. You're fighting. Show us that you're fighting in a way that inspires us and inspires us.”

Following the meeting, the Democratic Mayors Association endorsed Biden for reelection.

“As mayors, we have seen firsthand what it is like to lead a city under President Trump,” the group said. “We cannot endure four more years of chaos and fear as President Trump destroys our fundamental freedoms and rights, terrorizes our diverse residents, and disparages the place we call home. Our city deserves better.”