Joe Biden said for the first time that he is thinking about ending his presidential campaignaccording to reports.
After days of criticism about your disastrous performance in last week’s debate against donald trumpthe US president told allies that he “knows that if he has two more events like this”, then he will be in a “different place”, according to a report from The New York Times.
However, in his last fundraising email to supporters, Biden repeated: “I’m running.”
“Guys, I know the last few days have been difficult,” said the email, cited by CNN on Wednesday night.
“I’m sure you’re getting a lot of questions. I’m sure many of you have questions too. So let me say this as clearly and simply as I can: I am running,” the email reads.
The Democratic governors of New York, Minnesota and Maryland, who were among the state leaders who met with Biden on Wednesday, expressed confidence in him and said they had an honest discussion following his decision. discuss performance.
“We were honest about the feedback we were getting,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told reporters after the White House meeting.
“We said we would keep it.” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said he believed Biden was “fit for office.”
Previously, Biden reportedly told his campaign team that he would not run again if he “did not believe with all his heart and soul” that he could serve as president.
Biden’s team at the White House hopes he can do it recover your campaign with an energetic appearance at two rallies and a television interview this weekend. He is also scheduled to host a Fourth of July barbecue at the White House on Thursday.
This comes as a new Siena College poll found that Biden has slipped three points in a head-to-head race with Trump since before last Thursday’s event, and is now six points behind.
Aides say the 81-year-old leader is “well aware of the political challenge he faces,” but a spokesperson described the claim that he was considering giving up the Democratic nomination as “absolutely false.”
Another source told CNN that the US President would consider quitting if “polls are falling, fundraising is drying up and interviews are going badly”.
Democrats have been calling for Biden to drop out of his campaign and speculation is mounting that he could be replaced by Kamala Harristhe vice president.
The Republican Party has begun running attack ads about Ms. Harris, suggesting that she is an “enabler in chief” responsible for the White House cover-up of her running mate’s poor health.
The pair met for lunch at the White House on Wednesday before attending an all-staff meeting with their team.
Biden said on the call: “I’m running. I am the leader of the Democratic Party. No one is kicking me out.”
Leaked suggestions that Biden is actively considering ending his campaign have sparked speculation from some analysts that the White House is using the coming days as a test of Biden’s viability as the Democratic nominee.
Campaign rallies in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, two swing states, will be followed by an interview broadcast on ABC News on Sunday.
Aides hope to help Democrats put aside concerns about his age and mental agility.
However, calls for Biden to reconsider his campaign continued yesterday, amid reports that some House Democrats are organizing a letter calling for his resignation.
Reed Hastings, a major Democratic Party donor and co-founder of the streaming platform Netflix, on Wednesday joined those calling for Biden to resign.
“Biden needs to step aside to allow a vigorous Democratic leader to defeat Trump and keep us safe and prosperous,” he said in an email to The New York Times.
Two Democratic congressmen, Lloyd Doggett and Raul Grijalva, called on Biden to make the decision to withdraw, while two other incumbent Democrats said they believe he will lose the election to Trump.
“If [Mr Biden] is the candidate, I will support him, but I think this is an opportunity to look the other way,” said Grijalva, a Democratic representative from Arizona.
“What he needs to do is take responsibility for keeping this seat — and part of that responsibility is getting out of this race.”
Karine Jean-Pierre, Biden’s spokeswoman, said he would “absolutely not” drop out of the race, describing last week’s debate as a “bad night.”
Biden himself said that practically “I fell asleep on stage” because of a busy schedule in the weeks leading up to the debate.
On Wednesday night, Biden hosted Democratic governors, including several politicians named as his possible replacement, at the White House for a meeting on the crisis.
A spokesman for California governor Gavin Newsom said he would attend the meeting to “support” the president.
