President Biden’s re-election campaign resisted growing pressure from fellow Democrats Friday to drop out of the race amid growing questions about his age and ability to beat former President Trump and serve another term in the White House.
His top aides presented a united front supporting Biden but acknowledged that the 81-year-old incumbent faces a tougher path to victory after three weeks of blistering criticism over his shaky performance in last month’s debate and a series of unconvincing appearances since.
“We have a lot of work to do to reassure the American people that, yes, he is old, but he can win,” Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
Dillon conceded that polls show some “slippage” in support for Biden since the debate, but the bright side is that Trump appears to be struggling to gain much support.
“They have questions, but they stick with Joe Biden,” she said.
NBC News reported that some members of the Biden family have begun discussing Biden’s possible withdrawal from the race behind closed doors.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates criticized the report, which cited two unnamed sources, and predicted it would be “proven false.”
“That’s not the case, period,” he said. “The people who make those statements don’t speak for his family or his team… Keep the faith.”
Trump’s rambling speech Thursday night at the Republican National Convention could give Biden loyalists ammunition to urge him to stay in the race because the former Republican president has himself exposed his own glaring political weaknesses on the national stage.
Some Democrats believe Trump may have reminded voters why he is so divisive and missed a big opportunity to effectively deliver a message of unity after surviving an assassination attempt at a campaign rally last weekend.
“This is the first good thing that’s happened to Democrats in the last three weeks,” David Axelrod, a Democratic strategist, told CNN.[Trump’s speech] It really reminded everyone why Donald Trump is fundamentally unpopular.
Biden himself remained out of sight Friday as he battles what his doctors say is a mild case of COVID-19.
Biden’s campaign suffered a series of new blows Thursday, as reports said former President Obama told allies that Biden faces an increasingly uphill battle to stay in the race and beat Trump.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have told Biden to his face that he should seriously consider leaving the race, according to other reports.
Other Democrats fear that Biden will lose to Trump and drag congressional Democrats into defeat with him.
The political clock is ticking for Biden and Democrats, who have just over three weeks before they convene for their own convention.
If Biden steps down, party leaders will want as much time as possible to prepare for what happens next.
Most Democrats believe Biden would support Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor to ensure an orderly transition and give the party the best possible chance of unifying to defeat Trump. Harris would have an easier time than other candidates taking control of Biden’s campaign war chest, experts say.
But others say it could allow some sort of competition between Harris and other Democratic candidates for the White House before or during the convention.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Friday that she believes Biden’s opponents are seeking to force him and Harris off the ticket so they can replace Harris with a more moderate choice.
The Democratic National Committee’s decision-making body plans to meet Friday and is expected to advance plans for a virtual roll call in early August to determine the party’s presidential pick, a move that could short-circuit any fight within the convention.
