President Biden is reportedly considering dropping out of the presidential race as he realizes he has until the end of the week to turn his campaign around.
The New York Times reports:
President Biden told a key ally that he knows he may not be able to save his candidacy if he can’t convince the public in the coming days that he’s ready for the job after last week’s disastrous debate performance qualifications.
The ally stressed that the president is still deep in his bid for re-election and that he is aware of his next few appearances ahead of the holiday weekend – including an interview scheduled for Friday with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos and a Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania campaigns.
“He knows if we have two more events like this, we’re going to be in a different place by the end of the weekend,” the ally said, referring to Biden’s hesitant and distracted performance during the debate . The person spoke on condition of anonymity discussing a sensitive situation.
If he performs poorly, it will be difficult for the president to assure his party that they can win in November. Make no mistake: This ongoing panic is happening at the top of the Democratic Party. Polls show Biden did not lose much, if anything, to Trump after the debate. Rank-and-file Democrats are supporting the president. The problem is that the party elite is already scared and panic is on a roller coaster.
Biden’s mission is not to reassure the country but to calm his party, and if top Democrats in the party don’t settle down by next week, the president will need to make a decision.
If Biden withdraws, the nominee is likely to be Vice President Harris, who is the only person with legal access to Biden’s campaign fundraising and infrastructure. Harris also needs to choose a running mate, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Pete Buttigieg’s name comes up as a potential vice president.
If Biden chooses to step down, Democrats will use youth to underscore the contrast with Trump and highlight the exact people Trump is trying to attack and disenfranchise.
None of this means Biden will step down, but the discussion that this could happen is serious, and it’s time for Democrats to face the possibility that that could happen.
UPDATE: The White House refutes the New York Times report, saying, “This statement is absolutely false. If the New York Times had given us more than seven minutes to comment, we would have told them.”
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of Society of Professional Journalists and American Political Science Association
