Obama ‘pressuring’ Biden to reconsider his 2024 presidential run; prez may drop out this weekend: report

Obama tells allies Biden needs to reconsider his re-run

The same Obama who once rallied behind Biden after a rough debate night is now voicing serious concerns about Biden’s chances of winning. In recent days, Obama has confided in allies that Biden’s path to victory has drastically narrowed. According to the Washington Post, which cited multiple sources familiar with Obama’s thinking, he believes Biden, whose cognitive abilities are under increasing scrutiny, needs to seriously reassess the “viability of his candidacy.”

Also read: Joe Biden reportedly considering dropping out of the presidential race on one condition

It’s said that Obama and Biden only had a chat after the terrible debate, where the former president mentioned that the former’s chances of beating Trump had really dropped. At the same time, a fresh survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed that almost two-thirds of Democrats think Biden should step down from the presidential race. On Wednesday, the top Democrat in the House, Adam Schiff from California, became the 21st House Democrat to tell Biden that it’s time for him to pass the baton.

Biden ‘may drop out this weekend’

A number of senior Democratic officials have disclosed to Axios that the growing pressure exerted by congressional leaders and their allies may convince the president to withdraw from the race as early as this weekend. Biden approaching 82, has reportedly been diagnosed with COVID-19 and has been advised to self-isolate.

Responding to the report, campaign adviser DJ Ducklo said, “Joe Biden is his party’s nominee. He’s the President of the United States. He’s running for reelection,” as per Independent. Ducklo criticised the Axios report and added, “Baseless conjecture from anonymous sources isn’t a scoop.” He further commented, “Tonight a convicted felon will talk about how he’ll make people’s lives worse if he gains power. Let’s focus,” taking a subtle jab at Biden’s competitor.

Also read: JD Vance won’t debate VP Kamala Harris ahead of DNC, declares Trump campaign: ‘To do so would be unfair to…’

Pelosi and other Democrats warn Biden

Earlier, when House Speaker Pelosi, alongside Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, reportedly warned Biden about the consequences the party would face if he didn’t step down, the President pushed back against the idea. He referenced some recent polls indicating that he can win, according to one source cited by CNN.

When asked for comments, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said, “President Biden is the nominee of the party. He plans to win and looks forward to working with congressional Democrats to pass his 100 day agenda to help working families.”

A day before, the oldest-ever U.S. President said he would consider dropping out of the race only if a doctor informed him that he had a medical condition. “If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody, if doctors came to me and said, you got this problem and that problem,” he said during a BET interview.