Joe Biden is said to be in “denial” about having to withdraw from the presidential election following his dismal performance in last week’s debate, while some of his campaign donors are increasingly concerned about his mental acuity.
The 81-year-old commander in chief has insisted he will remain in the race amid calls from members of his own party for him to step aside and hand the reins to a younger Democrat.
But even those who publicly support Biden have privately admitted that there is no way forward with him at the top of the ticket. according to the Washington Post.
One donor adviser has now estimated that “for every 10 people who think he should go, one thinks he should stay.”
Others have suggested that even Biden knows on some level that he is doomed.
Democratic pundits have suggested that President Joe Biden is in “denial” about his chances of winning back the White House.
“I think he’s focused on getting better,” a person who spoke with the president on July 4 told The Post.
“But I personally think he’s still in the denial phase of grief.”
Over the five days following the debate, the president had given only 32 minutes of combined public remarks, all of them scripted.
At one such appearance, at a $100 million mansion in East Hampton, donors were stunned when Biden described a French cemetery in Normandy as “Italian,” confidential sources said.
He then spoke for only six minutes before leaving without answering questions.
When Biden made an appearance at the New Jersey governor’s private villa, sources said he spoke so softly that a crowd of 50 people had to crane their necks to hear him speak from a teleprompter.
The 81-year-old commander in chief has faced calls to drop out of the race since his dismal performance in the June 27 debate.
On Monday, those familiar with internal Democratic Party conversations say things began to change, when members of his own party began calling for him to drop out of the race.
“Everyone lost confidence on Monday,” an unnamed Democratic member of Congress told the Post.
“On Monday I started receiving news from donors, members, from all over the world. The situation was only getting worse.”
Some independent Democratic strategists even drew up plans to support Vice President Kamala Harris, the Post reports.
But Biden’s campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, has been texting lawmakers and administration officials, encouraging them not to go public with their concerns about the president’s eligibility, according to the Associated Press.
The campaign also noted that last week saw the best grassroots fundraising of any month during the campaign.
Still, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner is leading Democrats in the upper chamber in pushing to oust Biden as the presidential nominee in favor of a younger candidate.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is also gathering top Democrats to discuss the matter in a Zoom meeting on Sunday. Political reports.
Biden has insisted that he will stay in the 2024 presidential election
As of Saturday, five sitting Democrats had called for Biden to drop out of the race, while 13 other members of Congress and governors had expressed concerns, according to a Washington Post tally.
Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig, who is fighting to hold on to her seat in the battleground state, was the latest to speak, following her one-on-one interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Friday.
“There’s only a small window left to make sure we have a candidate who is better prepared to make his case and win,” he told the Post.
‘Given what I saw and heard from the President during last week’s debate in Atlanta, coupled with the lack of a strong response from the President himself after that debate, I do not believe the President can effectively campaign and win against Donald Trump.’
Another Democratic lawmaker who previously supported Biden also told NBC that they will break their silence on Biden’s fate “soon.”
“It made me sad,” the politician said of the interview. “It was completely disconnected from reality and isolated from the truth.”
First lady Jill Biden is believed to be the driving force behind her husband staying in the race as some independent Democratic strategists began to back Vice President Kamala Harris.
First lady Jill Biden is believed to have been encouraging her husband to stay in the race.
She has made a call to Vogue magazine insisting that she will continue to fight for the White House.
“We will not let those 90 minutes define Joe’s four years as president. We will continue to fight,” Jill, 73, told the magazine in an interview to be published later this week.
A source also claimed that the First Lady “has the ultimate influence” over her husband.
‘If she decides there needs to be a change of course, there will be a change of course.
“The decision-makers are two people: the president and his wife,” the source added.
“Anyone who doesn’t understand how deeply personal and familial this decision will be is not informed about the situation.”