UPDATE:
President Joe Biden unexpectedly joined a Zoom call with campaign and Democratic National Committee staff on Wednesday, mounting a new push to preserve the viability of his embattled candidacy, according to two people on the call.
Amid reports that Biden is privately acknowledging to allies that his candidacy is hanging in the balance, the president stated that he’s in the race for the long haul, though he conceded that the days since last week’s debate with former President Donald Trump have been damaging, according to two people on the call who were granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.
“Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can — as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running … no one’s pushing me out. I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win,” Biden said on the call.
So — once again, it appears that the New York Times pushed out a big, fat turd. Either that or Biden made the final decision today.
PREVIOUSLY:
The New York Times is reporting that Biden has told a “key ally” that if he has any incidents similar to last Thursday’s debate performance in the events planned for this week — the Stephanopoulos interview and events planned in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania — that they will be “in a different place” by this weekend and that he will likely end his campaign and hand it over — presumably to Vice President, Kamala Harris.
However, as soon as the story was published in the Times, Biden’s Deputy Campaign Manager, Quentin Fulks, called the news, “false”. In addition, the White House’s Senior Press Secretary said the story was false on X, writing, “If the New York Times had provided us with more than 7 minutes to comment we would have told them so.”
From the Daily Beast:
...Sources around the Biden campaign and DNC [have told] The Daily Beast in recent days that an acknowledgement of stepping aside is tantamount to actually doing it.
...
Should Biden announce he’s withdrawing from the race many within the party believe that he might also have to resign from the presidency.
As to the veracity of the reporting by the New York Times, either someone close to the campaign (or close to Biden, personally) gave this to the paper and it’s true — and the campaign’s refuting of it is an attempt to hold out until after this weekend — or the source from the Times is mistaken. Either way, the very fact that it was reported is a bit of a body blow.
Either way, this week will be determinative of who Trump will face in November, as any decision would have to be made by Monday.
Considering the consequences of the result of this election, I pray that the choice — whatever it is — is made with solemnity and conviction.