After his disastrous debate with former president Donald Trump, President Joe Biden reportedly doubted his ability to win another term in the White House.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that the President has admitted in private that he may lose the election this November.
After a disastrous performance in last week’s debate, President Biden told an ally he might not be able to save his campaign if he can’t convince the public that he will do a good job.
The president’s ally stressed that he is still in a fierce fight for reelection. He knows, therefore, that his appearances in the next few days, leading up to the holiday weekend, including the interview with ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos on Friday and the campaign stops planned in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, must be successful.
The ally said, “He knows that if he does two more events of this nature, we will be in a completely different position” at the end of the weekend. He was referring to Biden’s unfocused and halting performance during the debate. This person requested anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue.
The Times reported that a top Biden advisor told them that Biden “is well aware of the challenges he faces as a politician.”
The New York Times reports that while the president consults with other Democratic officials, “he has told at least one individual that he’s open to the idea that his plans to move past his debate performance and turn the spotlight back on his opponent, Mr. Trump, may not succeed.”
Andrew Bates, Senior Deputy White House Press Secretary, in a blog post on X, denied the report’s details, calling it “absolutely false.”
That claim is absolutely false. If the New York Times had provided us with more than 7 minutes to comment we would have told them so. https://t.co/SRTYIVTy7v
— Andrew Bates (@AndrewJBates46) July 3, 2024
This is a significant development, as several polls taken after the debate indicate that Biden’s campaign has suffered a major setback.
Sunday is when the rubber meets the road. Look at the battleground states polls to see:
A survey by Cygnal shows Trump ahead by four points in Pennsylvania. Trump also leads by four points in a head-to-head match.
The real story is that in New Hampshire in a St. Ansel survey released on Sunday, Trump leads Biden by just two points. This is not a large margin but it’s telling, since the previous New Hampshire survey in May showed Biden to be four points ahead of Trump; a similar survey in January put Biden seven points in front.
Morning Consult’s polling on the general election is only a one-point lead over Harvard/Harris, but Harvard/Harris gives Trump a four-point advantage.
Trump’s campaign is raising more money than Biden, and this will only make things worse for Biden. The flood of campaign funds is partly due to Trump’s conviction for the Manhattan case but the debate may also have contributed.
Democrats are also engaged in heated debates behind closed doors as they look for an alternative to Biden. One Democratic donor said in a phone call that Kamala is “more threatening” to swing voters than Joe Biden, who was either dead or comatose. This suggests that some Democrats don’t see her as an option.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-TX, became the first Democratic official to publicly demand that Biden drop out of the race. At least 25 other people are expected to follow suit.
These developments indicate that Team Biden will have a difficult time ahead.
