The president has pushed back defiantly against those calls, arguing that he has won millions of votes in primary races over the last several months and is Democratic voters’ choice. As recently as Wednesday, he vowed “I am all in” the 2024 race.
Another of the sources, a Democratic congressional aide, said the writing appeared to be on the wall for the president after lawmakers including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reportedly urged him to drop out of the race.
“It feels like it’s a matter of … when, not if,” the aide said.
Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, a close Biden ally, told CNN on Thursday that Biden will be “resting and reflecting” this weekend as he recovers from COVID-19.
He has been asking for information on polling data and weighs seriously the input of those he trusts and admires, Coons said, adding he thinks Biden is the best candidate to run in 2024.
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Biden is convalescing at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. He had no public events on Thursday after concluding a trip to the political swing state of Nevada on Wednesday.
Biden’s campaign is focusing on three out of seven battleground states after the debate, a narrow path to victory, but it has rejected suggestions that he is ready to step aside.
“He is not wavering on anything. The president has made his decision,” deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks said in Milwaukee, where the Republican convention is taking place. “Joe Biden has said he is running for president of the United States. Our campaign is moving forward.”