The New York Times has reported that President Biden has told an ally he is considering whether to stay in the presidential race.
"We begin this hour with breaking news: The New York Times reporting President Biden has told an ally, a close ally, he is considering whether to stay in the presidential race." pic.twitter.com/wMiaCTGAVj
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) July 3, 2024
The paper said that “the president’s conversation is the first indication that he is seriously considering whether he can recover after a devastating performance on the debate stage in Atlanta on Thursday.”
President Biden has told a key ally that he knows he may not be able to salvage his candidacy if he cannot convince the public in the coming days that he is up for the job after a disastrous debate performance last week.
The president, who the ally emphasized is still deeply in the fight for re-election, understands that his next few appearances heading into the holiday weekend — including an interview scheduled for Friday with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News and campaign stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — must go well.
“He knows if he has two more events like that, we’re in a different place” by the end of the weekend, said the ally, referring to Mr. Biden’s halting and unfocused performance in the debate. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation.
Andrew Bates, a White House spokesman, said the claim was “absolutely false” and that the White House had not been given enough time to respond.
The pressure on President Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race intensified with a bombshell report in the New York Times that he had conceded to a key ally he might have to abandon his reelection bid https://t.co/fkqiVk0717
— Bloomberg (@business) July 3, 2024
However, the claim was denied by Biden’s campaign. Speaking on CNN the President’s principal deputy campaign manager said the NYT story is “false” – “there are a number of rumors floating out there” but “the president is in this race to win it”.
Speaking on @CNN, Biden principal deputy campaign manager @quentinfulks says the NYT story is "false" – "there are a number of rumors floating out there" but "the president is in this race to win it" pic.twitter.com/0FqFqwe5q2
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) July 3, 2024