Prominent Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, are growing increasingly concerned about President Joe Biden’s chances of defeating Donald Trump in the next election. Even Biden’s own team, which had previously supported his candidacy, reportedly told NBC News on Thursday that they may not be able to win the 2024 presidential race.
“We’re close to the end,” a person close to Biden told NBC News. This individual, who once doubted Biden would step aside, acknowledged that the final decision remains with the president but noted that many Biden allies believe he is nearing a point of no return. “They’re finally realizing: It’s a when, not if,” a senior campaign official reportedly said.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi has expressed concern that Democrats may lose the House if Biden continues in the race, which has alarmed some well-known Democrats. A significant campaign is underway to persuade Biden to reevaluate his reelection bid as the Democratic National Convention draws near.
As the candidate who has already fought Trump, Biden has insisted that he will not back down and that he will do so once more. Quentin Fulks, Biden’s deputy campaign manager, responded to a question regarding the likelihood of his withdrawal from the race on Thursday by saying, “He is not wavering on anything.”
There is not much time left. This weekend will be critical for the president to change his mind if Democrats are serious about taking the unprecedented step of unseating Biden and pushing Vice President Kamala Harris to the front of the ticket, according to people familiar with the private conversations.
There are issues with funding for Biden’s campaign as well. Downgraded from last week’s anticipation of a 50% shortfall, the campaign now expects to generate only 25% of the large donor money it had initially predicted for July, according to a person with knowledge of the predictions who spoke with NBC News. The insider claimed that the money had “dried up.”
Pelosi’s close supporter Representative Adam Schiff recently urged Biden to step down, saying it’s time to “pass the torch.”
Before testing positive for COVID-19, Biden denied that it was too late for him to make a comeback in a radio interview, telling Luis Sandoval of Univision that many people don’t pay attention to the election until September. In a statement made public on Thursday morning, he stated, “Everything between Trump and me has been basically even so far. All the talk about who’s leading and where and how, is kind of, you know.”
The White House reports that Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday while visiting in Las Vegas and is exhibiting “mild symptoms,” such as “general malaise.”
