Interviews with over 50 Democrats this week reveal that many officials, legislators, and strategists within President Joe Biden's party increasingly view his candidacy as unsustainable. Their concerns are slowly but steadily permeating public opinion. An increasing number of Democrats now believe that by insisting on his position, the president is jeopardizing their ability to retain the White House and threatening other candidates, according to the New York Times. They explained that the current moment presents an unusual clash between the President of the United States who insists he will not abandon his reelection campaign and members of his party who have begun suggesting he should.
Representative Scott Peters, a Democrat from California, stated in an interview, "I have less and less confidence in this campaign's ability to win this race." He added, "If we know we're going to lose, it would be foolish not to consider a different path." Meanwhile, Representative Angie Craig, a Democrat from Minnesota, urged Biden on Saturday to step down as the party's candidate. She said in a statement, "I do not believe the president is capable of running an effective campaign and winning against Donald Trump."
Lawmakers have expressed that concerns about Biden's nomination from donors and voters have overwhelmed them. Among the Democratic National Committee members, the political arm of the White House, many still claim to be supportive, but even there, divisions are starting to emerge. A Democratic member of Congress, a former senior official in the Obama administration, and a senior aide to a prominent Democratic governor all used the same phrase in separate interviews on Friday to describe Biden's campaign stance: "indefensible."
Mark Lotter, former first vice chair of the Democratic Party in Michigan, who has encouraged Biden to withdraw from the race, explained, "It would be good for him to recognize that no one is irreplaceable." He continued, "Many people would be very excited to see someone else run for the Democratic presidential nomination. I think there is a gap in enthusiasm at the moment, and I believe that gap is getting worse."
Certainly, many prominent Democrats have publicly expressed their support for the president or have remained silent about any concerns. However, one senior White House official, who worked with Biden during his presidency, vice presidency, and 2020 campaign, said in an interview on Saturday morning that Biden should not seek reelection. After observing Biden both privately and publicly, and while traveling with him, the official stated they no longer believe the president has what it takes to run a strong campaign and defeat Donald Trump. The official, who insisted on anonymity to continue serving, noted that Biden has shown increasingly more signs of aging in recent months, including speaking more slowly and hesitantly, and appearing more fatigued in private.
Biden has rejected calls for him to step down from the presidential race against his Republican challenger Donald Trump, which challenges his peers in the Democratic Party who are concerned about voters' reluctance to support him due to his age. In an interview with ABC News, he stated that he is the best Democratic candidate who can prevent Trump (78 years old) from returning to the White House in the November 5 election, and nothing would convince him to change that but "divine intervention."
