Biden Reportedly Told Top Ally He's Considering Dropping Out Of The Race As Democrat Pressure Mounts

After a disastrous debate performance last week, President Joe Biden has reportedly told a top ally that he may not be able to salvage his candidacy if he's unable to convince the American people that he, at 81 years old, could effectively lead the nation for the next four years and run a successful re-election campaign to defeat Donald Trump. The New York Times report comes after Biden joined a call with members of his campaign staff and the Democratic National Committee to reassure them that he would be staying in the race.

The Biden ally emphasized that the president will have to have stellar performances in his upcoming interview with George Stephanopolous on Sunday on ABC News, campaign stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin over the weekend, and during a press conference scheduled next week. “He knows if he has two more events like that, we’re in a different place,” the ally said, per The New York Times.

The White House has denied that Biden is considering dropping out of the race, with White House Senior Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates stating, "That claim is absolutely false. If the New York Times had provided us with more than 7 minutes to comment, we would have told them so." While the president has remained steadfast in his commitment to stay on the Democratic ticket, members of his party are beginning to turn on him.

As previously reported by the DC Enquirer, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), the longtime Democrat representing Austin, called for President Biden to withdraw on Tuesday. "[F]or more than a year, many Americans have indicated dissatisfaction with their choices in this election. President Biden has continued to run substantially behind Democratic senators in key states and in most polls has trailed Donald Trump," the nearly three-decade congressional veteran wrote. "I had hoped that the debate would provide some momentum to change that. It did not. Instead of reassuring voters, the President failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments and expose Trump's many lies."

"Our overriding consideration must be who has the best hope of saving our democracy from an authoritarian takeover by a criminal and his gang," the Democrat representative stated. "President Biden saved our democracy by delivering us from Trump in 2020. He must not deliver us to Trump in 2024...I represent the heart of a congressional district once represented by Lyndon Johnson. Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw. President Biden should do the same."

Doggett's remarks come after former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) questioned whether Biden's debate performance last week was a fluke or a sign of an actual "condition" that would plague him for the rest of his presidency and on the campaign trail. "We have all of these things that he was masterful in helping to orchestrate, to write, and to pass. So he has vision, he has knowledge, he has judgement, he has strategic thinking and the rest. He had a bad night," Pelosi said. "Now, again, I think it is a legitimate question to say, 'Is this an episode or is it a condition?'"

Despite elected Democrats, high-profile members of the media, and others demanding Biden step aside, the president doubled down during a call with staff on Wednesday. "The past few days have been tough. I'm sure you're getting a lot of calls...Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can — as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running," Biden said. "I'm the nominee of the Democratic Party. No one's pushing me out. I'm not leaving. I'm in this race to the end, and we're going to win."

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