U.S. President Joe Biden is reportedly seriously considering the possibility of abandoning his reelection campaign, according to sources close to the president.
People close to Biden have indicated that he has begun to accept the possibility that he may not win in November and that he may need to withdraw from the race, yielding to the increasing pressures from members of his party who have remained anxious since the debate against Donald Trump last June.
Despite these hints, a person familiar with the president's thinking warned that Biden has not yet made a definitive decision after three weeks of insisting that almost nothing would make him back down. His campaign team has also not made any moves that indicate changes to the ballot.
Another close associate stated that "reality is imposing itself" and that it would not be a surprise if the president –who is recovering from Covid-19 at his vacation home in Delaware– announced his support for Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement soon.
The New York Times notes, however, that three recent events have weakened Biden's determination to continue in the race: Representative Nancy Pelosi's decision to intervene strongly, new state polls showing that his path to victory in the Electoral College is becoming increasingly unlikely, and the boycott of key party donors.
Discussions among Biden's advisers have progressed to the point of considering the best timing and other details for a possible withdrawal announcement, the newspaper states.
On Wednesday night, after arriving in Delaware, Biden stated that he felt well despite being in isolation due to a Covid-19 diagnosis. Meanwhile, his campaign team continued their activities, with Vice President Kamala Harris participating in a rally in North Carolina to promote Biden's reelection.
The White House spokesperson, Andrew Bates, rejected the notion that Biden could step aside for Harris or another Democrat, reaffirming that the president remains determined to win re-election.
However, only 23 Democratic members of Congress have publicly called for Biden to step down, although many more have done so privately, reflecting the growing impatience within the party.
The situation has created a gloomy atmosphere both at the White House and at Biden's campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware. Joe Scarborough, host of "Morning Joe" on MSNBC and one of Biden's biggest supporters, practically called for the president to drop out of the race, citing unfavorable polls and warnings from donors about the lack of financial support.
The state of Virginia, which has not supported a Republican for president in two decades, has also been a cause for concern for Biden's team.
According to a senior campaign official, Biden's exit from the race feels increasingly inevitable, and discussions about this topic, which were taboo until a few days ago, are now more common.
Quentin Fulks, Biden's campaign deputy director, denied that the president is seriously considering dropping out of the race, stating that the campaign is not working on any scenario where Biden is not at the top of the ticket.
Despite this, the campaign has been testing face-to-face polls between Harris and Trump, it was reported last week.
Former President Barack Obama, a staunch supporter of Biden, stated last Thursday that the president must seriously consider his candidacy for the upcoming elections as the path to a Democratic victory has been greatly narrowed.
According to the Washington Post, the former president has told his allies that he is concerned that the polls are moving away from Biden while Trump's electoral trajectory is expanding, and that donors are abandoning the president.
Obama, in his role as advisor, said that his concern is to protect Biden and his legacy, and concluded that the future of the candidacy must be decided solely by him.
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