U.S. President Joe Biden¡¯s grasp on the Democratic presidential nomination appeared to be slipping Thursday, as he weighed increasingly public warnings from his party¡¯s top lawmakers while in isolation for a COVID-19 infection at his Delaware beach house.
Biden surrogates insisted that the president was ¡°not wavering¡± and remained dedicated to running, but the pressure kept building.
The president, experiencing mild symptoms, fielded phone calls from his campaign team and discussed the political crisis threatening to consume his reelection bid.
Speculation over if, when, or how Biden might step aside dominated the political conversation ahead of rival Donald Trump¡¯s formal acceptance of the Republican presidential nomination in Milwaukee.
The harshest blow: a report in The Washington Post that former President Barack Obama told allies Biden¡¯s pathway to victory was greatly diminished and that he believes his former running mate needs to seriously consider if his campaign remains viable.
Then, reporting in The New York Times cited several people close to the president who said he had begun to accept the notion he may not be able to win and would need to drop out of the race.
One senior Biden aide insisted the president was still running and there had been no change in his view, while other allies who remained loyal to him suggested a manufactured pressure campaign.
But even longtime Biden associates acknowledged his rapidly degrading support within the party.
Chris Coons, a Democratic senator from Biden¡¯s home state of Delaware, said the president had been asking for advice on polls and about his standing among senators.
¡°I think he weighs very seriously the input of those he trusts and admires, those who¡¯ve served with him,¡± Coons said in an interview with CNN, adding that Biden deserved time ¡°to make the path forward clearer for the American people.¡±
John Hickenlooper, a senator from Colorado, became the latest Democrat in the upper chamber to publicly suggest that it was in the interest of the country for Biden to step aside.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries joined Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in issuing statements stopping well short of denying they had pressured the president to exit the race or expressing support for Biden¡¯s candidacy.
And Blackstone executive and billionaire Democratic donor Jon Gray said he hoped Biden considered that the presidency was ¡°a very challenging physical job.¡±
Democratic senators in competitive races are on the precipice of calling on Biden to step aside, with the only question being when and how to announce their position, according to a Senate aide who requested anonymity to discuss internal thinking.
Those close to Biden described a rising sense among allies that the end might be near, or even inevitable.
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