As President Joe Biden faces growing pressure over the future of his candidacy, his campaign is quietly testing the viability of Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Donald Trump through voter surveys, The New York Times reports.
The assessment, which was shared anonymously due to its sensitive nature, comes amid growing pressure on Biden to reconsider his reelection bid.
Some of Biden’s long-term advisers are reportedly considering ways to persuade him to withdraw from the race, according to the New York Times.
Many Democrats were deeply upset by Biden’s poor performance in the debate two weeks ago, and he faces persistent calls from lawmakers and fundraisers to step down.
Earlier in the day, Democratic leaders challenged Joe Biden to provide solid evidence of a viable path to re-election after his debate performance, poor battleground state polling and growing concerns that he cannot defeat former President Donald Trump.
Following the CNN debate with former US President Donald Trump on June 28, leaders have been pressuring Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, despite him declaring he will stay in office and expressing confidence he will defeat the former Trump.
More recently, Biden told congressional Democrats in a letter on July 9 that he would continue his election campaign despite growing concerns about his mental state.
Furthermore, he also said that he would “run this race to the end” in the November election, even though Democrats have privately called for him to withdraw from the election. In the letter, Biden called for unity among his party, and stressed the need for a collective effort to defeat former President Donald Trump in the upcoming election.
“Any weakness in the resolve or lack of clarity about the work ahead only helps Trump and hurts us,” Biden said. “It’s time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump.”
On July 8, a leadership call was organized by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries where several top House Democrats urged President Joe Biden to step aside from the 2024 campaign, and expressed deep concerns about his potential impact on the Democratic Party’s prospects in the upcoming elections.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
