A close Biden ally, speaking to The New York Times on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that Biden remains committed to his re-election bid but is acutely aware of the high stakes of his upcoming public appearances. “He knows if he has two more events like [the debate], we’re in a different place” by the end of the weekend, the unnamed source told the Times. The debate, during which Biden exhibited signs of cognitive impairment, sparked critics and supporters alike to grow more vocal in pressing him to step aside, citing rapidly falling polling numbers that ostensibly cement an electoral loss to former President Donald Trump. The day after the debate, POLITICO published a report titled “The Movement to Convince Biden to Not Run Is Real,” shedding light on the growing behind-the-scenes push for Biden to withdraw from the race. Some Democratic leaders, however, have rejected this idea. "Absolutely not," said Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock. "Bad debates happen," he said during an interview. "The question is, 'Who has Donald Trump ever shown up for other than himself and people like himself?' I'm with Joe Biden, and it's our assignment to make sure that he gets over the finish line come November." Despite such endorsements, a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted on July 2 revealed that a third of Democrats believe Biden should end his re-election bid. That survey data coincided with a leaked Democratic memo that was sent to a reporter at Puck News, which cited internal polling showing that Biden’s support had further eroded since the debate. Democrats’ own internal polling now suggests that Biden risks losing states he was projected to win easily only a week ago, including Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Virginia, and Vermont. According to the Times, Biden is “slowly reaching out” to Democratic leaders and has a meeting with Democratic governors at the White House on July 3. Several sources who spoke with the Times said that Biden is currently in an uphill battle to convince voters, donors, and the political class that his debate performance was just an anomaly.In the wake of mounting calls for President Joe Biden to end his candidacy for the 2024 election, sources close to the White House reveal that he is seriously considering whether he can sway public opinion back in his favor after last week’s debate performance.
On Wednesday afternoon, a top aide reported that Biden vowed to stay in the race during a call with the Democratic National Committee.
“I am running. I am the leader of the Democratic Party. No one is pushing me out,” the president said, according to AP News.
A previous version of this article did not include Biden’s comments reported by AP News.
