Top Dems Believe Biden Will Decide To Drop Out As Soon As This Weekend: Report

Leading members of the Democratic Party said they believe President Joe Biden, who is facing a crisis of confidence after a fumbling debate, will soon decide to drop out of the 2024 White House race, according to a new report.

Axios said on Thursday that several of these top Democrats divulged how they think Biden could reach the conclusion as early as this weekend as pressure, grim poll numbers, and public scrutiny continue to mount.

“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 report noted.

Another revelation was that the Axios report said the news outlet’s reporters were “increasingly” hearing that high-level Biden aides conceding that it is a matter of when, not if, the president announces he is no longer seeking a second term.

T.J. Ducklo, a senior adviser to Biden’s re-election campaign, pushed back on the reporting — which came directly from Axios co-founders Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei — as the whisper campaign against the president heats up.

“Joe Biden is his party’s nominee. He’s the President of the United States. He’s running for re-election. Baseless conjecture from anonymous sources isn’t a scoop,” he said on X before taking a swipe at former President Donald Trump.

Biden, 81, publicly insisted that he would stay in the contest after his disastrous debate performance late last month in which he appeared confused and lost his train of thought. Polling shows Democrats and independents losing faith in him.

A growing number of Democrats, including Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), have since publicly called on Biden to let someone else take on the presidential nomination for their party amid unease about his apparent decline and electability.

Reports have said that top party members of Congress, including House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), have spoken to Biden about their concerns of him staying in the race.

The New York Times noted Biden has become “more receptive” to calls for him to step aside and, in an interview with BET News, the president said he would consider dropping out if doctors diagnosed him with a “medical condition.”

Biden cut short a campaign swing out in the western United States last night. The White House announced that the president tested positive for COVID-19 and would perform his duties while self-isolating in his home state of Delaware.