REHOBOTH BEACH, Delaware — As he isolates at his Delaware beach house recovering from Covid, President Joe Biden is feeling hurt and betrayed by top Democratic allies who are calling for him to exit the race, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.
Biden’s campaign chair, Jen O’Malley Dillon, insisted on Friday that the President is staying in the race as calls for him to end his campaign continue to grow with each passing day.
“The president is in this race, you’ve heard him say that time and time again,” O’Malley Dillon said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”. “We believe, on this campaign, we are built for the close election that we’re in. And we see the path forward.”
By late morning, six Democrats, including five in the house, had already called for Biden to drop out of the race. So far, 25 House Democrats and three Senate Democrats have directly called on Biden to end his re-election bid, which is less than 10 percent of the Democratic caucus.
More Democratic lawmakers are expected to go public with their concerns and call on Biden to exit the race as early as Monday, according to a person familiar with the thinking.
Members of the Democratic Party along with high dollar donors have been fueled by worries he’s falling further behind Trump in the polls. All of this has left the President feeling personally hurt and betrayed by how the Democrats have rallied together to call for him to leave the ticket as he sits at home recovering from Covid.
Former President Barack Obama has been mostly silent but a report from the Washington Post says Obama is privately concerned about Biden’s chances in November, reportedly saying the President should “seriously consider the viability of his candidacy”.
Bill and Hillary Clinton put out a post on X, saying they support Biden following his debate performance last month but have also remained quiet. However, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, both of New York, as well as Rep. Nancy Pelosi have all voiced their concerns to Biden, seeming to suggest he should exit the race.
“In 2015, Obama, Pelosi, Schumer pushed Biden aside in favor of Hillary; they were wrong then, and they are wrong now,” a source told Fwrd Axis News.
