President Joe Biden was backed further into a corner Friday by Democrats as his family reportedly began gaming out a path for him to end his reelection bid.
The Bidens have discussed options for how the president might step aside and give the party the best chance of defeating Donald Trump, two sources told NBC News. They have talked about how the campaign is affecting his health, his family and the nation’s future, and how Biden should be given grace to make an announcement on his own timing.
Discussions within the first family would necessarily include the president’s wife, First Lady Jill Biden, son Hunter Biden and sister, Valerie Owens, a longtime political adviser to her brother.
Biden’s campaign manager, Jen O’Malley Dillon, insisted Friday on MSNBC’s Morning Joe that Biden will become the party’s official nominee ahead of its convention next month. The president issued a statement later that did not specifically address whether he’ll be the nominee but said he will campaign to defeat Trump.
“I look forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week to continue exposing the threat of Donald Trump’s Project 2025 agenda while making the case for my own record and the vision that I have for America: one where we save our democracy, protect our rights and freedoms, and create opportunity for everyone,” the president said.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates denied NBC’s reporting, saying, “That is not happening, period. The individuals making those claims are not speaking for his family or his team—and they will be proven wrong. Keep the faith.”
Biden on Friday began hemorrhaging support on Capitol Hill.
A group of House lawmakers—including Rep. Marc Veasey of Texas, the first Black member of Congress to turn on Biden—issued a joint statement asking him to end his campaign for the good of the party and the country.
“Mr. President, with great admiration for you personally, sincere respect for your decades of public service and patriotic leadership, and deep appreciation for everything we have accomplished together during your presidency, it is now time for you to pass the torch to a new generation of Democratic leaders,” they wrote.
More than two dozen congressional Democrats—with more expected to join the bandwagon on Friday—have called on him to pass the torch. Concerned about losing control of the Senate and hoping to regain the House, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi have been maneuvering behind the scenes to push him out. Even his old boss, former President Barack Obama, expressed serious doubts about Biden’s ability to win.
Vulnerable Montana Sen. Jon Tester and New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich came out, too.
Facing mounting concerns about his age and mental acuity, Biden’s candidacy has been in jeopardy in the weeks following his debate debacle with Trump. He has repeatedly insisted that he is the party’s nominee and will not step aside short of a request from “God Almighty.”
Biden has been holed up at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., since announcing on Wednesday that he tested positive for COVID. The White House has listed no public events on his schedule as reports have suggested his time in the race is running short.
The president said during an interview this week that he would consider dropping out of the race if he “had some medical condition that emerged.” A Thursday update from his doctor said he was only experiencing “mild” symptoms and “his vital signs remain normal” as he is treated with Paxlovid.
There are some signs the Bidens are not yet ready to give up.
The first lady is reportedly scheduled to attend a Martha’s Vineyard fundraiser for her husband on July 29, just days before the Democratic Party is expected to lock in its nominee with a virtual roll call vote.
The post Biden’s Family Joins Exit Pressure as Few Paths Remain appeared first on The Daily Beast.
