Reports have suggested the president could end his reelection bid this weekend amid mounting party pressure
According to ABC News, citing an anonymous senior administration official, President Joe Biden has commissioned a survey to gauge Vice President Kamala Harris’s popularity. The source reportedly told the outlet that, despite publicly maintaining a strong front, the 81-year-old Democrat has recently become more receptive to calls for him to step down from the presidential race before the November 5 election.
Questions surrounding Biden’s fitness for a second term have cast a shadow over his campaign since his performance at last month’s CNN-hosted debate against Republican frontrunner Donald Trump was widely perceived as underwhelming. During the event, the incumbent repeatedly struggled with his thoughts, stumbled over words and numbers, and found it difficult to complete his sentences.
On Friday, ABC News quoted an unnamed White House staffer as saying that the “president is wiped and exhausted.” They added that his recent COVID-19 diagnosis “gives him a chance to bring people together, have conversations and think while he recovers in Delaware.”
Biden canceled a campaign event in Las Vegas on Wednesday and self-isolated after testing positive for the virus.
Meanwhile, a poll conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research between July 11 and July 15 among 1,253 adults indicated that approximately 6 out of 10 Democrats believe Harris would be a suitable president. However, among the general US population, only 3 out of 10 respondents view the current vice president as a suitable replacement for Biden, according to the survey.
Harris has publicly declared her loyalty to Biden and has emerged as one of his most ardent defenders in recent weeks.
The same AP-NORC survey revealed that at least 7 out of 10 respondents believe the incumbent should withdraw from the race. Among Democrats, the figure is slightly lower at 65%, the poll showed.
Following last month’s disastrous debate, several high-ranking Democratic Party members and campaign donors have urged Biden to forgo a second term in office. However, the veteran politician has maintained a public stance that he is not withdrawing from the race and believes he is the best Democratic candidate to defeat the GOP frontrunner.
However, on Thursday, Axios cited unnamed friends and associates as suggesting that the president may end his campaign as soon as this weekend.