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A source indicates that President Joe Biden is seriously contemplating whether he should remain the Democratic presidential nominee.
According to a New York Times report, Biden told a “key ally” he realizes he might not be able to win re-election if he cannot persuade the American people he is fit to serve following his horrendous debate performance.
“The president, who the ally emphasized is still deeply in the fight for re-election, understands that his next few appearances heading into the holiday weekend — including an interview scheduled for Friday with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News and campaign stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — must go well,” the report said.
“He knows if he has two more events like that, we’re in a different place” by the end of the weekend, the unnamed source told the Times.
White House Spokesman Andrew Bates disputed the report, saying: “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.”
“The conversation is the first indication to become public that the president is seriously considering whether he can recover after a devastating performance on the debate stage in Atlanta on Thursday. Concerns are mounting about his viability as a candidate and whether he could serve as president for another four years. Campaign officials were nervously watching polls, recognizing that bad numbers could fuel the crisis. A CBS News poll on Wednesday showed former President Donald J. Trump edging ahead of Mr. Biden since the debate with 50 percent to 48 percent nationally and 51 percent to 48 percent in battleground states,” the Times reported.
A top adviser to Biden, who also spoke under the condition of anonymity to address the matter, said the president was “well aware of the political challenge he faces.”
The NYT added: “Biden is slowly reaching out to Democratic elected officials and has a meeting with Democratic governors at the White House scheduled for Wednesday evening. He is also continuing to reach out to people he has long trusted and has told at least one person that he is open to the possibility that his plans to move on from his debate performance — and flip the focus back to his challenger, Mr. Trump — may not work. Several allies of Biden, who has huddled with the family and advisers since the debate on Thursday, have underscored that the president is still in the fight of his political life and largely sees this moment as a chance to come back from being counted out, as he has done many times throughout his half-century career.”
Biden got some unwanted news from a majority of Americans in a new survey following his terrible debate performance against Trump.
According to a CBS News/YouGov poll released on Sunday, a staggering 72 percent of Americans believe that Biden does not have the “mental and cognitive health to serve as president.”
This marks a 7-point increase from just three weeks ago. In comparison, voters are evenly divided on whether former President Donald Trump has the mental and cognitive capacity for the job, with 50 percent saying he does and 49 percent saying he does not.
According to the survey, an overwhelming number of Americans, including almost half of his own party, believe that the president should not run for reelection. Overall, 72 percent of respondents told CBS/You Gov that Biden should not seek reelection, and this includes a surprising 46 percent of Democrats.
Over the weekend, Biden huddled with family to discuss what to do moving forward. And while many on the left are calling for him to drop out, that isn’t likely to happen.
“Biden’s family, including First Lady Jill Biden, son Hunter Biden, and their grandchildren, convened at Camp David for a previously scheduled get-together and implored the president to keep fighting in his bid for reelection, Biden advisers told CNN. One adviser described the family members as offering their ‘unequivocal support,’” CNN reported.
“The family – clearly frustrated with the team that prepared President Biden ahead of his alarming debate with former President Donald Trump – discussed whether any of Biden’s top advisers should be fired and whether campaign staffing changes should be made, one adviser said,” the outlet added.
CNN added: “Biden and his family convened Sunday for a long-planned photo shoot with renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz. Senior advisers had insisted to CNN on Saturday that the gathering was not aimed at discussing whether the president would remain in the race. Angst toward some of Biden’s key staff members has started to spill out into public view. Florida attorney John Morgan, one of the Democratic Party’s most prolific and prominent donors, singled out senior adviser Anita Dunn and her husband, Bob Bauer, who is Biden’s personal attorney.”
