Democrats believe that not only will former President Donald Trump defeat President Joe Biden in November, but that Republicans will take control of Congress, so pressure is growing on President Joe Biden to not seek reelection.
But this morning, after multiple reports that Biden was heading for withdrawal, a campaign spokesman said on MSNBC's Morning Joe that the 81-year-old president will never step down.
The president is currently recovering in Delaware after contracting COVID-19, despite having been vaccinated, as he ponders whether to heed calls from members of his own party for him to step down before it's too late.
Family discussion
The Biden family is discussing the ailing president withdrawing from the race, NBC reported this morning.
“The overall tone of the conversations is that if Biden makes that decision, and some of his closest allies increasingly believe he will, any exit plan should put the party in the best position to defeat former President Donald Trump while also being worthy of the more than 50 years he has served his country in public office,” two sources told the network.
Biden's family has discussed specifically whether he wants to end his reelection bid in his own time and with a carefully calculated plan, and considerations of the impact of a campaign on his health, his family and the stability of the country are at the forefront of those discussions, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The prospect that Biden is considering stepping down, much less that his family is planning to do so, is an extraordinary development after he has repeatedly said he will not give up his position as the party's presumptive nominee.
Not surprisingly, White House press secretary Andrew Bates denied the report: “This is not happening,” he told NBC, adding that anyone who claims otherwise does not speak for the Biden Mafia and “will be proven wrong.”
On Morning Joe, campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon, one of the key members of Biden's mainstream media information ministry, said Biden has no plans to resign.
“Of course the president is in this race,” she told host Mika Brzezinski. “You've heard the president say that many times.” Biden, who on Wednesday forgot Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's name and called him a “black man,” said he is “more committed than ever to defeating Donald Trump.”
O'Malley Dillon continues:
“We believe in this race, we're prepared for this close election, we see a path forward, and he's the perfect person to take on Donald Trump.”
Former White House chief of staff Ron Klain echoed the sentiment, telling NBC: “I think he's feeling the pressure. I want him to stay.”
What's scary is that Biden is not only relying on the advice of his wife, “Doctor” Jill, and his sister, Valerie Owens, but he is also listening to Hunter Biden, a longtime sex and drug addict.
Insider: “Reality is starting to set in”
The New York Times expressed a similar view yesterday, which is likely one of the reasons why O'Malley Dillon spoke to Morning Joe.
“Several people close to President Biden said Thursday they believe he is beginning to accept the idea that he may not win the November election and that he may be forced to bow to growing demands from many anxious members of his party and withdraw from the race,” the Times reported.
One person close to Biden warned that the president has not yet decided to withdraw from the race after three weeks of insisting he will not drop out no matter what, but another person said “reality is setting in” and that it would not be a surprise if Biden were to announce his support for Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor soon.
The Times also reported that three recent “developments” are pushing the president towards resignation.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has warned that Trump cannot be beaten, that he is leading in the polls, and that a “boycott of major party donors” is now devastating.
Biden's team is discussing “the best time to make an announcement and other details” if the president decides not to run for a second term, a source told The New York Times.
The paper added that the news could break “as early as the next few days,” although “the timing remains uncertain as Biden is isolating at his vacation home.”
The Times noted that the list of Democrats calling for Biden to resign is expanding and now includes far-left Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin.
Still, Bates told the Times what he told NBC.
The president said he is his party's nominee, intends to win, and looks forward to working with both men to pass a 100-day package to help working families.
“He's seeking reelection and that will not change until he wins reelection,” campaign spokesman TJ Ducklo told The Times.
The paper also reported that “Fast-paced developments throughout the day Thursday created a gloomy mood inside the White House and at the presidential campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware.”
One development was the message Joe Scarborough sent to Biden's advisers: The Morning Joe host said they “have got to stand up at this point and help the president, help the man that they love and do the right thing.”
As reported by The New American, the latest report follows two others: one that former President Barack Hussein Obama warned Democrats that Biden couldn't win, and one that said a source told Axios that Biden might withdraw this weekend.
