A downtrodden President Biden appears to be coming to terms with his twist of fate in private, as few of his closest allies on Capitol Hill have heard from him since he dropped out of the 2024 race.
The president has not made a public appearance in six days, recovering from a Covid-19 diagnosis at his beach house in Rehoboth.
He will return to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday afternoon, the first glimpse Americans will have of their president days after his re-election.
On Sunday, he sent shockwaves across the country when he bowed to mounting pressure to step down from the Democratic nomination. The decision was revealed in a written statement sent to X.
But other than that, few tell DailyMail.com they have heard from the president who prides himself on his close relationships in Congress.
This is fueling online speculation that Biden, who is ailing, may not be doing well behind the scenes and could be seriously ill or even dead.
A downtrodden President Biden appears to be coming to terms with his twist of fate in private, as few of his closest allies on Capitol Hill have heard from him since he dropped out of the race for the 2024 presidential nomination.
House Democratic leaders have largely not heard from him. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., a close friend of Biden, has not spoken to the president since his decision, he told DailyMail.com.
Neither has Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., the Democratic vice chairman, nor Reps. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., the top Democrat on foreign affairs, Greg Meeks, D-N.Y., or Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y.
“I’m a big supporter of Biden. I want him to stay. I was upset when he left, but when he endorsed Kamala, I was on board,” Waters told reporters.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would not enter into her private conversations with the president.
Conservative conspiracy theories ran wild, with some suggesting the president might be gravely ill or dead. But Biden has called a meeting at campaign headquarters with the new Democratic vice presidential nominee, Kamala Harris. She is expected to address the crowd on Wednesday.
The president is still expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House this week, although an exact date has not been announced.
She also canceled a scheduled fundraising trip to California and Colorado that was set to take place later in the week, according to Harris’ campaign. They will be rescheduled.
Rep. Robert Garcia, a California Democrat and Biden’s campaign representative, spoke with the president after he left the campaign trail. He said Biden sounded “very friendly and seemed like he was in a good mood.”
Many prominent Democrats have not heard from President Biden since his momentous decision
Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., has not spoken to the president.
Rep. Steven Horsford, co-chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said he had been with Biden earlier last week.
During Monday’s campaign call, the The 81-year-old spoke hoarsely to campaign staff from his COVID-19, telling Harris: “I’ve got my eye on you, kid.”
He pledged to help with the campaign and said he would continue to do so while speaking on speakerphone to his staffers who now work for Harris.
“I know yesterday’s news is surprising and difficult for you to hear, but it was the right thing to do,” the president said.
“I know it’s hard because you put your heart and soul into me to help us win this, help me get this nomination, help me win the nomination and then win the presidency,” he continued.