The newspaper wrote Thursday that several sources close to the president believe Biden is beginning to realize he should withdraw from the race.
One of them says that “reality is starting to set in” and that it would not be a surprise if Biden makes an announcement soon and recommends Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement.
The newspaper’s story was denied by Biden’s campaign team on Thursday night. ‘Enter the message The New York Times “It’s absolutely false,” Cedric Richmond, one of the campaign managers, told MSNBC. “The president has said he will be electable and that’s it.”
Obama has doubts
Barack Obama has expressed his doubts about Biden’s candidacy to several allies in recent days, it was reported Washington Post early Thursday, according to anonymous sources. He is said to have spoken with Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, among others.
Pelosi, until recently a staunch ally of Biden, has long been aware of her doubts. According to CNN, she told the president in a telephone conversation that she no longer believed in his victory.
Obama and Pelosi’s concerns are illustrative of the deepening crisis surrounding Biden’s candidacy. Now that the initial shock over Donald Trump’s failed assassination attempt is wearing off, attention is once again turning to his opponent. Precisely at the moment when a coronavirus infection forces Biden to interrupt his campaign activities to take sick leave at his home in Delaware.
About the Author
Sterre Lindhout is foreign editor of of Volkskrant and writes about North America, the Caribbean and Suriname. He was previously a correspondent in Germany.
Pelosi is said to be accusing Biden of “destroying” the Democrats’ chances of an election victory if he remains the candidate. Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries had a similar message. In an informal conversation, the leaders of the Democratic caucuses in the Senate and the House of Representatives pointed out to Biden the real possibility that he will not only squander the presidency, but also the Democratic majority in the Senate.
What Jeffries and Schumer said behind closed doors, Adam Schiff said in public. “Our nation is at a crossroads,” he is quoted as saying. Los Angeles Times the influential California politician said: “A second Trump presidency will undermine the foundations of our democracy. And I doubt the president can beat him in November.” Schiff is now a member of the House of Representatives, but will be elected to the Senate in November.
Money Lenders
In addition to party members, donors also put pressure on the president. According to The New York Times One of his campaign managers, Jeffrey Katzenberg, told the president on Wednesday that donations are declining.
Last week it was announced that a group of lenders is holding back previously pledged donations worth around €85 million. They support Biden’s candidacy through Future Forward, the greatest call Super PAC in the Biden camp. Super PACs are activist committees that raise money for political campaigns. They are officially separate from the candidates, to avoid laws and regulations surrounding donations.
Future Forward’s board of directors has repeatedly urged lenders to make a donation in recent weeks, one of them said anonymously. The New York Times. He said he wants to “watch the situation” while Biden is the candidate.
It was also leaked that the Super PAC investigation has focused on Biden’s popularity against possible alternatives, such as Vice President Kamala Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Biden emerges as the least likely candidate. Future Forward has the opposite The New York Times He confirmed that some supporters are reluctant because of doubts about the suitability of the presidential candidate.
Other prominent donors previously urged Biden’s withdrawal. Hollywood icon George Clooney, who reportedly raised $30 million for Biden’s campaign in June, writes in an op-ed in He New York Times who does not believe in a Democratic electoral victory “with this president.”
Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings also urged Biden’s departure in a statement. Along with his wife Patty Quillin, Hastings has donated more than $20 million to the Democratic Party in recent years.
‘More receptive’
Something also seems to be changing within Biden himself. Following the meeting with the leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives, sources close to the White House told the American media that the president would be “more receptive” to “pleas to withdraw.” These sources also stressed that this does not mean that Biden has “changed his mind about his decision to stay in the race,” but that he is “willing to listen.”
Biden is also said to have asked his advisers for detailed information on Vice President Kamala Harris’s chances as a presidential candidate.
The uprising against Joe Biden is increasingly taking on the character of a race within the race for the American presidency. Various media, including political and The New York TimesFollow live how many members of Congress have openly turned against the president, who has expressed concerns and who explicitly supports him.
On Thursday afternoon the worktop of 21 open opponents: one senator (Peter Welch of Vermont) and twenty members of the House of Representatives. Most of these representatives fear for their re-election in November and suspect that a more popular presidential candidate will also have a positive effect on their own chances.
