U.S. President Joe Biden privately mentioned that he is considering whether to continue his presidential campaign or step aside for another candidate, according to a report by The New York Times on Wednesday.
This dramatic report follows Biden's poor performance in last week’s televised debate against Donald Trump, where he appeared weak, tired, and at times, confused. The debate sparked calls from within and outside the Democratic Party to replace the 81-year-old Biden with a candidate who has a better chance of defeating Trump.
According to the Times, Biden told a "key ally" that he knows he might not be able to salvage his candidacy unless he can convince the public in the coming days that he is capable of performing the job, following his disastrous debate performance. The conversation marks the first public indication that the president is seriously questioning his ability to rebound from the debate.
The identity of Biden’s ally was not revealed, but the Times notes that the president remains "deeply engaged in the fight for another term," yet understands that his upcoming appearances, including an interview scheduled for Friday on ABC News and campaign events in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, must be successful. According to the ally, "He knows that if he has two more events like that, we’ll be in a very different place by the end of the weekend."
"The conversation is the first public indication that the president is seriously questioning whether he can recover after his devastating performance on the debate stage in Atlanta," the Times reported. "Concerns are growing about his ability to continue as a candidate and whether he can serve another four years as president."
The Times also reported that a senior Biden aide, who also requested anonymity, said the president is acutely aware of the political challenge he faces. The newspaper reached out to the White House for a response, but none was received at the time of publication.
In the coming days, Biden is expected to speak with Democratic lawmakers and has a scheduled meeting at the White House with Democratic governors from across the U.S. tonight. However, the Times notes that Biden has told at least one person that he is open to the possibility that his plan to proceed as usual after the debate and refocus attention on Trump’s weaknesses may not succeed.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates denied The New York Times' claims, calling them "absolutely false."
In a post on his official X account, Bates also criticized the newspaper for not giving the White House adequate time to respond. "[I]f we had been given more than 7 minutes we could have communicated this before it was publicized.”