Leaders of the US Democratic Party are urging President Joe Biden behind the scenes to drop his reelection bid, according to media reports.
The veteran politician performed poorly during a debate with Republican nominee Donald Trump last month, but has downplayed it as an outlier caused by being tired and “overprepared.” In an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, Biden said only “God Almighty” could convince him to drop out.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer made a case against the president’s candidacy during a private meeting with him in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware on Saturday, sources told ABC News. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has expressed similar thoughts directly to Biden, another source said.
Asked about the reports, Schumer’s office called them “idle speculation.” A spokesperson for Jeffries referred the outlet to a public letter which he wrote about his contacts with the president last week and which did not articulate any position on Biden withdrawing his bid.
CNN sources claim that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi privately told Biden in a phone call that he cannot beat Trump. Biden reportedly became defensive, taking a similar position to that which he expressed in the interview with Stephanopoulos.
”All the pollsters I talk to tell me it’s a tossup,” he said, without naming any of them.
In an interview with MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ last week, Pelosi mused that time is “running short” for Biden to “decide if he is going to run.” She later denied that it was a veiled call for the president to quit.
On Wednesday, Representative Adam Schiff, who is running for a seat from California in the Senate, became the 20th congressional Democrat to publicly urge Biden to drop out. “While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch,” he said.
Biden is set to seal his nomination in a virtual call ahead of the party’s convention in Chicago next month, according to a plan put forward by the Democratic National Committee.