WASHINGTON — All of Joe Biden’s attempts to convince Democratic Party leaders and figures that he is the right person to defeat Donald Trump in the November presidential elections appear to have failed, and on the contrary, the number of voices calling for him to withdraw his candidacy is growing. Now former President Barack Obama and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi have joined the list of skeptics.
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According to the Washington Post, Obama told a group of allies that “the paths to Biden’s victory have narrowed” and that the president needs to consider the “viability” of his candidacy.
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However, the same sources cited by the Post say that Obama will not seek to influence his former vice president, that he wants to protect his legacy, and that only Biden can make the decision.
According to The Associated Press, Pelosi has been much more direct, privately warning Biden that Democrats could be unable to win the House if he does not withdraw from the presidential race. Pelosi has also shown Biden polls indicating he probably cannot beat Donald Trump, according to sources who spoke with AP on condition of anonymity.
Biden has covid-19 and will be away for a few days
The Democrats, concerned about President Biden's ability to win in November, are making a new effort to have him reconsider his reelection candidacy, using mountains of data, frank conversations, and now, his own time off the campaign trail after testing positive for covid-19, to encourage a reassessment.
Last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke privately with the president, frankly outlining the Democrats' views in the Capitol, including their own concerns.
On Wednesday, California Representative Adam Schiff, a close ally of Pelosi, became the highest-profile House Democrat to call on Biden to abandon his reelection campaign, saying that while the decision is solely up to Biden, he believes it is time to "pass the baton."
What has Biden said in response to requests for him to drop out of the race?
In a radio interview recorded just before testing positive for covid-19, Biden dismissed the idea that it is too late for him to recover politically, telling Univision's Luis Sandoval that it is still very early and that many people do not focus on the election until September.
“Everything that is said about who is ahead and where and how, is a kind of, you know... so far, everything between Trump and me has been basically balanced,” he said in a snippet of the interview, released Thursday morning.
Some national surveys show a close race, while others indicate that Trump is in the lead. And some state polls have also shown warning signs, including a recent poll from New York Times/Siena College that indicates a competitive race in Virginia.
In another interview, this time with Black Entertainment Television (BET), Biden said for the first time that there is indeed a reason why he would step down from his reelection campaign: "If I had some medical condition that arose, if someone, the doctors came and told me that I have this problem, that problem."