Democrats speaking with top White House officials believe President Joe Biden is preparing to announce that he will not seek reelection, according to a new report.
The report from Axios suggests that the embattled president could make a decision this weekend, according to insiders who sought confidentiality to share confidential discussions. Co-founders Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen, who are regarded as leaders in the Washington, D.C. political scene and have numerous contacts, noted that mounting pressure from senior Democrats, such as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), has reached a point where it cannot be ignored.
The impending change in direction is expected to occur shortly after President Biden recovers from his recent bout with Covid. Currently in isolation and without a public schedule, this has left him alone with his thoughts, pondering the potential repercussions for his party should he choose not to step down, the report said. Even former President Barack Obama, one of Biden’s most trusted allies, has not put a stop to former advisors such as David Axelrod and liberal celebrity George Clooney from openly urging Biden to consider withdrawing from the race.
Axios adds:
The private message, distilled to its bluntest form: The top leaders of his party, his friends and key donors believe he can’t win, can’t change public perceptions of his age and acuity, and can’t deliver congressional majorities. The president is being told that if he stays in, former President Trump could win in a landslide and wipe away Biden’s legacy and Democrats’ hopes in November.
Pelosi, on Thursday, refused to counter a report stating she had personally cautioned Biden that his stubbornness could lead to Democrats losing an opportunity to recapture the House. “The speaker does not want to call on him to resign [as the Democratic nominee], but she will do everything in her power to make sure it happens,” one Pelosi ally told Politico Playbook. Another told the same outlet: “There’s nothing subtle about Nancy. She starts with the question: ‘What’s it take to win?’ Then works backwards.”
In a similar vein of ominous warnings, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), as reported by ABC News, both declined to talk about their discussions with the President. Furthermore, Jeffrey Katzenberg, a co-chair of the President Biden campaign, bluntly expressed to the President that the patience of donors is dwindling, and their financial contributions are becoming increasingly scarce. According to Semafor, these concerns were underscored by the notion that wallets might indeed be closing for good.
The pressure campaign has escalated to intolerable heights following Democrats’ assertion that they fully anticipate post-shooting polls to demonstrate a significant shift in public support, favoring President Trump. This prediction came to fruition on Thursday, when Emerson College unveiled the findings of its inaugural poll conducted following the assassination attempt on Saturday.
The poll revealed that Trump leads Biden nationally by a margin of 6%, with a possible lead of up to 10% in swing states that Trump won in the previous election four years ago.