Former President Barack Hussein Obama hasn't said much publicly about President Joe Biden's stubborn refusal to allow someone not born before Jacques Cousteau invented the Aqualung to run against former President Donald Trump in November.
But sadly, President Obama has been quietly working behind the scenes to oust Biden, The Washington Post revealed today.
The report follows an earlier scoop by Axios that said Democrats would try to convince Biden to drop out of the race within days.
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President Obama clearly does not believe that a president infected with COVID-19 can beat President Trump, who not only survived an assassination attempt but also emerged ready for battle.
“People familiar with his thinking have told allies in recent days that Obama believes Biden's path to victory has narrowed so much that the president needs to seriously consider the viability of running for office,” the Post reported.
President Obama has spoken to Biden only once since the debate and has made it clear in conversations with others that the future of Biden's candidacy is up to the president to decide. President Obama has stressed that his concern is protecting Biden and his legacy, and has pushed back against the notion that he alone can influence Biden's decision-making process.
Behind the scenes, Obama has been discussing Biden's future and fielding calls from a number of anxious Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who have offered their views on the president's agenda, according to a person with knowledge of the calls who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversations.
The Washington Post added that Obama, like many Democrats, is concerned that Trump could ruin Biden's “legacy” by defeating Biden so thoroughly that Congress could be handed over to the Republicans. Obama also believes that Trump's chances of winning are increasing, and that the polls show this.
Biden, or at least his supporters, are adamant. “He's not fazed by anything,” campaign spokesman Quentin Fulks told The Post. “The president has made his decision. I don't want to be rude, but I don't know how many more times he can answer this question.”
The Post continued that a person familiar with the matter said Obama spoke with Biden after the disastrous debate with Trump, and that “Obama's concerns about Biden's candidacy have only deepened.”
“I think Biden is a very strong candidate for the presidency, and he has been a great leader in the country for many years,” Obama said.
“Sometimes debates go horribly,” Obama wrote, “trust me, I know. But this election is a choice between someone who has spent their whole life fighting for ordinary people and someone who only thinks about themselves.”
Biden aides say Obama could have prevented left-wing actor George Clooney from publishing an article in The New York Times criticizing Biden, in which Clooney argued that Biden should step down because he was too old.
President Obama said nothing, Politico reported.
Democratic donors flee Biden
Another showbiz mogul who wanted Clooney to keep quiet was Jeffrey Katzenberg, according to the Post, while Semaphore reported that Katzenberg privately told Biden that donors would not fund his campaign, a report Katzenberg denied.
Hollywood heavyweights want Biden out of office, and The New York Times reported that big donors have withheld about $90 million from Biden's main super PAC, Future Forward.
After all, Democratic leaders fear that Trump will swamp Biden in November.
As Axios reported, Democratic Party officials expect Biden to be ousted “as soon as this weekend.”
“His party's top leaders, friends and major donors believe he cannot win, cannot change public perceptions of his age and acumen, or win a majority in Congress,” the website reported.
The president has been told that if he stays in office, former President Donald Trump could win a landslide victory, destroying Biden's achievements and the Democratic Party's hopes in November's presidential election.
“His choice is to become one of the heroes of history or to be convinced of the fact that the Biden Presidential Library will never be built,” one Biden confidant told Axios. “I pray he does the right thing. He's heading in that direction.”
Other top House and Senate leaders, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, both of New York, have urged the 81-year-old president to step down. The Clintons have remained silent, indicating they do not support Biden.
Axios reported that Biden's top advisers, including those who initially urged him to keep fighting after his disastrous defeat in the June 27 debate 21 days ago, have said it's now time for him to announce he won't run, not if.
