Democrats call for Biden to step aside as nominee after debate disaster, COVID diagnosis

Several top Democrats told Axios on Thursday they now believe President Biden will discontinue his re-election campaign. The decision reportedly could come as soon as this weekend.

Though Biden has publicly insisted he would not drop out, the Democratic lawmakers told Axios they believe the president has privately conceded to poll numbers and growing pressure from party congressional leaders, close friends and key donors insisting that he can’t win in November.

Biden is self-isolating in Delaware after testing positive for COVID-19 Wednesday, the White House said. The Democrats who spoke to Axios say they expect blowout poll numbers after the Republican National Convention concludes in Milwaukee that could spell disaster for Democrats in Congress this November.

"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 reportedly told Axios. "I pray that he does the right thing. He's headed that way."

MILWAUKEE - President Biden’s re-election campaign is pushing back against a slew of reports in the past 24 hours that the president has become more receptive in the last couple of days to hearing arguments about why he should drop his 2024 re-election run.

“Our campaign is not working through any scenarios where President Biden is not at the top of the ticket. He is and will be the Democratic nominee, Biden principal deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks told reporters at a news conference Thursday morning near the site of the Republican National Convention.

Fulks emphasized that “the president has said it several times. He’s staying in this race” and “we look forward to him accepting the delegates in Chicago and continuing with this race to talk about what’s at stake.”

Following his disastrous debate performance last month in his face-to-face showdown with former President Trump, the 2024 GOP presidential nominee, the 81-year-old Biden has been facing questions about whether he has the physical and mental capabilities to serve another four years in the most demanding job in the world. And politically, Biden’s been pushing back against a rising chorus of calls to end his campaign from elected Democrats, who are deeply concerned about the possibility of the party not only losing the White House but both houses of Congress in the autumn election.

Asked a second time at the news conference if Biden may consider stepping aside, Fulks responded that the president “is not wavering on anything. The president has made his decision. I don’t to be rude, but I do not know how many more times we can answer that. Joe Biden has said he is running for President of the United States. Our campaign is moving forward.”

Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., arrives for a private meeting between Senate Democrats and President Joe Biden's senior advisors Mike Donlion, Steve Richetti and campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon on July 11, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., told Reuters that President Biden is "working towards" a decision on whether he'll continue his re-election bid that is "good for the country."

"Joe Biden has always put the country first. He's done what's best for America...I think he'll keep doing so," Hickenlooper told Reuters in a phone interview late Wednesday. "He's working towards that."

The senator, a former Democratic presidential candidate in 2020 before Biden won the nomination, stopped short of joining the growing list of members of his party explicitly calling on Biden to step aside. Reuters asked Hickenlooper about Biden potentially stopping his re-election campaign.

"That's his decision to make, but certainly there's more and more indications that that would be in the best interests of the country, I think," Hickenlooper responded.

Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer reportedly told President Biden in a "blunt one-on-one conversation" Saturday it would be best if he "bowed out of the race," according to an ABC report on X.

"Chuck Schumer had a blunt one-on-one conversation with Biden Saturday afternoon in Rehoboth. Schumer forcefully made the case that it would be best if Biden bowed out of the race,"  ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl wrote. "Schumer's office wouldn't comment on the specifics of the conversation, telling me only, ‘Leader Schumer conveyed the views of his caucus.’"

The Senate majority leader's office issued a similar response obtained by Fox News Digital on Wednesday, but waved off ABC's report.

"Unless ABC’s source is Senator Chuck Schumer or President Joe Biden the reporting is idle speculation," a spokesperson for Sen. Schumer said. "Leader Schumer conveyed the views of his caucus directly to President Biden on Saturday."

The news comes as the New York Democrat pushed for the Democratic National Convention's delay as questions persist about President Biden's 2024 candidacy due to concerns over his mental acuity, according to multiple sources.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital's Jamie Joseph.

California delegates for the Democratic Party are reportedly in disarray as debate over the president's chances of re-election threatens to tear the party apart.

Private group chats across multiple social media platforms have been set up to facilitate discussion among the delegates, who almost universally worry that a second Biden term is an impossible sell to voters, according to Politico.

A cache of messages was reportedly leaked to the outlet — only the latest in a deluge of leaks from inside the Biden administration and the wider Democratic Party.

"Obviously, the first step would be that President Biden steps down of his own accord and frees his delegates," DNC delegate Susan Bolle posted in a Facebook group discussing the issue. "We should discuss this. This is a painful experience on every level, but we play an outsized role in history this election. This cannot be left to chance."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital's Timothy H.J. Nerozzi.