Top Democrats are telling Axios that they believe Joe Biden will succumb to all the pressure from high-ranking Democrats, like Pelosi and Schumer, and will bow out of the presidential race by this weekend.
Here’s the news:
Several top Democrats privately tell us the rising pressure of party congressional leaders and close friends will persuade President Biden to decide to drop out of the presidential race, as soon as this weekend.
Why it matters: The 81-year-old president, now self-isolating with COVID, remains publicly dug in. But privately he’s resigned to mounting pressure, bad polls, and untenable scrutiny making it impossible to continue his campaign, the Democrats tell us.
Behind the scenes: The private message, distilled to its bluntest form: The top leaders of his party, his friends and key donors believe he can’t win, can’t change public perceptions of his age and acuity, and can’t deliver congressional majorities.
The president is being told that if he stays in, former President Trump could win in a landslide and wipe away Biden’s legacy and Democrats’ hopes in November.
State of play: The pressure to step aside as a candidate has been rising to intolerable levels, especially over the past few days.
Democrats fully expect polls after the Republican National Convention to show a possible blowout that could bring down Democrats in Congress, too.
“His choice is to be one of history’s heroes, or to be sure of the fact that there’ll never be a Biden presidential library,” one of the president’s close friends told us. “I pray that he does the right thing. He’s headed that way.”
Yesterday’s AP poll, showing nearly two-thirds of Democrats want Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, ricocheted through the White House and Congress.
Reality check: Biden can’t be forced out. He has the delegates. No one can physically pry them away. He needs to do it by choice and on his terms.
If Biden wanted to stay in, he’d be impenetrable, thanks to liberal leaders and the Congressional Black Caucus. But his closest friends believe he’s fought the good fight and will succumb to reality.
The Biden-Harris campaign tells us: “If the facts matter — and they should — here is one: President Biden is the Democratic nominee and he is going to win this November.”
But Biden is doing two new and telling things: listening more and asking about Vice President Harris’ prospects against Trump. That’s why you see all the leaks about Biden being open-minded. He would hardly talk to naysayers a week ago.
This article is undoubtedly part of the pressure campaign to get Biden out. I mean, this is quite a prediction. But if it is true it’d be monumental.
I really hope Biden stays in the race, but only because I believe he’s Trump’s best chance of winning. I know that ‘new blood’ with a new nominee – Kamala – would infuse energy back into the Democrat party and I really don’t want to see that. I want Trump to win by a landslide.
But even if she were to become the top of the ticket, she’s been very disliked during her term as VP. Democrats in Congress, along with top officials and their talking heads would make her sound like she’s the second coming of Jesus. But the American public knows that she’s garbage. Democrats didn’t want her in 2020 and I don’t think – and sincerely hope the American don’t people want her now.
UPDATE: Even Joe Scarborough wants Biden out now…