President Biden may decide to drop out of the presidential race as soon as this weekend, according to several top Democrats who believe the rising pressure will persuade the 81-year-old. https://t.co/Czmy98XMvQ
— Axios (@axios) July 18, 2024
https://www.axios.com/2024/07/18/president-biden-drop-out-election-democrats
Short version:
Several top Democrats privately tell us the rising pressure of party congressional leaders and close friends will persuade President Biden to decide to drop out of the presidential race, as soon as this weekend.
The president is being told that if he stays in, former President Trump could win in a landslide and wipe away Biden's legacy and Democrats' hopes in 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 told us. "I pray that he does the right thing. He's headed that way."
Yesterday's AP poll, showing nearly two-thirds of Democrats want Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, ricocheted through the White House and Congress.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told Biden in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Saturday β the day of the assassination attempt on Trump β that it would be best if he dropped out, ABC News first reported. Dems on Capitol Hill want him out, and worry they'll lose winnable seats if not.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a mastermind of the campaign to get Biden out, told him that he could destroy Democrats' chances of taking back the House. We're told she's also worried about donations drying up.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) delivered a similar, if more subtle, message to Biden.
Former President Obama has spoken loudly with his silence β and his former aides trashing Biden in public.
Bill and Hillary Clinton are doing what Obama's doing. So are their former aides.
We increasingly hear top Biden aides, including ones who initially urged him to fight on after his disastrous debate on June 27 β 21 days ago β are saying it's now when, not if, Biden announces he's not running.
"In recent days the President has become more committed to staying in the race," a senior Biden aide said.
But Biden is doing two new and telling things: listening more and asking about Vice President Harris' prospects against Trump. That's why you see all the leaks about Biden being open-minded. He would hardly talk to naysayers a week ago.
Harris would be hard to stop β perhaps impossible β if the Obamas and Clintons joined Biden, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) and the Congressional Black Caucus in backing her. It's not clear the coronation would be so fast and clear, however.
Also this:
Rightoid analysis:
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He aint going nowhere and btw no Democrat worth anything would volunteer to ruin their career by running a 2 month long last second presidential campaign because Trumps a lock in at this point.
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It is interesting to me that super long campaigning periods are a very american thing pretty much every other country limits the campaigning length. In the US we basically have permanent campaigns which ensure only canidates with large amounts of money to blow on year round advertising can compete
This is on top of campaign costs rising and rising in the USA compared to everywhere else !nooticers
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high school senior levels of noticing right here
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They use to have really short campaigns but without checks they just grew out of control. Back in the 1800's campaigners literally provided booze outside the polling places and people voted on who's booze was the best and that was basically all the campaigning.
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Now that's democracy
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!boozers we used to be a real country
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RETVRN
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Reasoning backwards from "The USA is much much much much much better than everywhere else" I conclude that this is yet another way that the USA is based.
God bless long expensive campaigns!!
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Harris could because realistically she's locked in with Joe regardless and I think she will be passed over in '28 for someone like Beshear, Shapiro or Whitmer. I still don't think she would win tho.
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The problem with Harris is two-pronged. People outside the party do not like her, and the heads of the party really do not like her.
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I would
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@DNC elect this man
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