President Joe Biden is meeting with his family at Camp David Sunday to discuss the future of his campaign following his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump, NBC News is reporting.
He and first lady Jill Biden were scheduled to join their children and grandchildren at Camp David late Saturday, several sources told the network.
The trip was planned before Thursday's debate but will take on a critical significance now following calls for Biden to quit the presidential race after his fragile, muddled behavior at the debate.
The White House disputed the NBC report, saying Biden's children and grandchildren were gathering there for a family photo, the Associate Press reported.
While Democratic leaders have continued to publicly stand behind Biden after his dismal debate performance, many are quietly expressing serious concerns about his continued role, according to several press accounts.
The New York Times on Saturday called on Biden in an extraordinary editorial to drop out of the race for the presidency to "serve his country." Biden's campaign has lashed back that he is staying the course.
Ultimately, whether or not Biden stays in the race will be his decision, largely due to the optics and the difficulty in switching out a candidate at this late stage in the race with a reluctant Biden, observers noted.
"The decision-makers are two people: it's the president and his wife," one of the sources familiar with the discussions told NBC. "Anyone who doesn't understand how deeply personal and familial this decision will be isn't knowledgeable about the situation."
