President Biden has confided to a key ally that he understands his candidacy might be unsalvageable unless he can convince the public in the coming days that he is fit for the job after last week’s disastrous debate performance.
The president, who this ally emphasized is still deeply committed to the re-election fight, realizes that his upcoming appearances heading into the holiday weekend are crucial. This includes an interview scheduled for Friday with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News and campaign stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
“He knows if he has two more events like that, we’re in a different place by the end of the weekend,” the ally said, referring to Biden’s halting and unfocused debate performance. The ally, who spoke with the president in the past 24 hours, requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive situation.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates denied the report as “absolutely false” and noted that the White House had not been given sufficient time to respond. This conversation is the first public indication that the president is seriously considering his ability to recover after his devastating performance in the Atlanta debate on Thursday. Concerns are growing about his viability as a candidate and his capability to serve another four years.
Several of his allies emphasized on Wednesday that Biden remains determined to fight for his candidacy despite increasing headwinds within his party.
A top adviser to Biden, also speaking anonymously to discuss the situation, said the president is “well aware of the political challenge he faces.” The adviser added that Biden acknowledges his campaign outcome might differ from his aspirations, but he believes he is an effective leader who is mentally sharp and “doesn’t understand why others don’t see that.” Biden continues to view his debate performance as poor but not indicative of his overall capabilities.
Campaign officials anxiously awaited the results of a new poll on Wednesday, recognizing that unfavorable numbers could exacerbate the crisis. A CBS News poll released Wednesday morning showed former President Donald J. Trump leading Biden with 50 percent to 48 percent nationally and 51 percent to 48 percent in battleground states.
Biden has been slow to personally reach out to key Democrats, which has fueled frustration within the party and among some of his advisers. He called Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the House Democratic leader, on Tuesday night, five days after the debate, and spoke with Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Senate Democratic leader, for the first time on Wednesday morning.
As of Tuesday, he had not spoken with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, and key donors expressed exasperation that he did not join a campaign call on Monday meant to reassure them.
Democratic leaders in the House and Senate were not urging their members to rally around President Biden on Wednesday. Instead, they were addressing a myriad of complaints from across the party, including from centrists and progressives.
The leadership’s message was that members should feel free to take positions on Biden’s candidacy that were best for their districts. Members of Biden’s team, including Steve Ricchetti and Shuwanza Goff, were working the phones, attempting to quell the growing discontent.
The Democrats’ dilemma was exemplified by Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, a longtime Democrat who recently left the party. Disillusioned by Biden’s debate performance, Manchin asked his staff to book him on several Sunday shows to criticize the state of the campaign.
Manchin was also angered by unreturned phone calls to top Democrats. Eventually, Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, Senator Schumer, and other Democrats intervened, and Manchin canceled his television appearances. Other lawmakers who have shown openness to replacing Biden have received calls from the campaign asking for more time to steady the ship.
The president was scheduled to have lunch on Wednesday with Vice President Kamala Harris and meet with Democratic governors at the White House in the evening. Until now, he has focused more on speaking with trusted advisers and family members, who have urged him to stay in the race.
