Biden May Be Nearing Decision to Withdraw from Presidential Race

President Joe Biden is reportedly seriously contemplating the possibility of withdrawing from his re-election bid, according to sources close to the president. Those familiar with Biden's thinking indicate that he has started to accept the notion that he might not be able to secure a win in November and may need to step aside, giving way to mounting pressure from members of his party who have been anxious since the June debate against Donald Trump.

Despite these signs, a person familiar with the president's mindset cautioned that Biden has not made a final decision after three weeks of insisting that almost nothing would deter him. His campaign team has also not made any moves suggesting changes to the ballot. Another insider claimed that "reality is setting in" and that it wouldn't be surprising if the president—currently recovering from Covid-19 at his Delaware retreat—soon announced his support for Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement.

Biden's Challenges and Party Dynamics

The New York Times reports that three recent events have weakened Biden's resolve to stay in the race: the strong intervention by Representative Nancy Pelosi, new state polls indicating that his path to victory in the Electoral College is increasingly remote, and a boycott by key party donors.

Discussions among Biden's advisors have progressed to the point of considering the best timing and other details for a potential withdrawal announcement, the newspaper states.

On Wednesday night, after arriving in Delaware, Biden said he felt fine despite being in isolation due to a Covid-19 diagnosis. Meanwhile, his campaign continued its activities, with Vice President Kamala Harris attending a rally in North Carolina to promote Biden's re-election.

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates dismissed the notion that Biden might 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 withdraw, although many more have done so privately, reflecting growing impatience within the party.

The situation has created a somber atmosphere both in 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 strongest supporters, essentially called for the president to leave the race, citing unfavorable polls and donor warnings about a lack of financial support.

The state of Virginia, which hasn't supported a Republican for president in two decades, has also been a 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 recently, are now more common.

Quentin Fulks, Biden's deputy campaign manager, denied that the president is more seriously considering withdrawing, 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, according to reports from last week.

Former President Barack Obama, a staunch Biden supporter, said last Thursday that the president should seriously consider his candidacy for the upcoming election as the path to a Democratic victory has significantly narrowed.

According to The Washington Post, the former president has told his allies that he is concerned that the polls are drifting away from Biden while Trump's electoral trajectory is expanding, and that donors are abandoning the president. Obama, in his advisory role, stated that his concern is protecting Biden and his legacy, concluding that the future of the candidacy should be solely decided by Biden himself.