Joe Biden doubts his nomination as presidential candidate, reports The New York Times. But the White House denies all talk. Biden will not withdraw from the election.
Absolute not, says press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
At the same time, several surveys show that voters have lost confidence in the president.
Joe Biden has told a "close ally" that it is possible that he cannot save his nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate, reports The New York Times.
But while several rumors are circulating, the White House is pushing back, and press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says about Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris:
They are fully ready to continue working for the American people.
Want to see another candidate
Biden also denied that he is considering withdrawing from the election. At a meeting with his campaign staff, he said, according to AP:
"I'm running. I'm the leader of the Democratic Party. No one is forcing me out", Biden is said to have said, according to a high-ranking campaign staffer who published the statement on X.
Democratic Congressman Lloyd Doggett urged Joe Biden to step aside on Tuesday, after the catastrophic debate performance against Donald Trump last week. Even Julián Castro, who challenged Biden to become the Democratic presidential candidate in the 2020 election, questions Biden.
I think the Democrats would do well to find another candidate, he says in an interview with MSNBC.
Trump leads in opinion polls
Several recently conducted opinion polls add to the headache for the sitting president.
Three-quarters of voters believe that the Democrats would have a greater chance of winning the election with another presidential candidate than Joe Biden, according to a survey conducted by SSRS for CNN.
The survey gives Donald Trump a lead of six percentage points, with 49 percent compared to 43 percent for Biden.
A survey by The New York Times and Siena College shows the same figures, 49–43 in Trump's favor – which is 3 percentage points up for the former president compared to a week earlier, before the notable debate. A total of 74 percent of voters also say they believe Biden is too old for the presidency, an increase of 5 percentage points.
In another survey, conducted by Suffolk University on behalf of USA Today, Trump takes the lead with 41 percent – compared to 38 percent for Biden.
