Former President Barack Obama has joined the growing chorus of Democratic voices, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, expressing concerns that President Joe Biden is in danger of losing the 2024 election to Donald Trump, according to reports.
Obama has been telling allies that he believes his former running mate's path to victory has shrunk and that Biden, 81, should consider the viability of his candidacy, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.
The former president has only spoken to Biden once since his disastrous debate performance June 27 that sparked the flurry of calls to drop out but has been "deeply engaged" in conversations with other Democratic leaders about the president's road ahead, the outlet reported.
The report said Obama fears the polls are veering away from Biden and donors are drying up while Trump appears to be on an upswing.
Obama has told allies that Biden's accomplishments could be at risk if Trump wins and Republicans control Congress.
Trump, 78, survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally Saturday in Butler, Pa., and will formally accept the Republican Party's presidential nomination in a speech Thursday evening at the convention in Milwaukee in which he is expected to get a boost in the polls.
Pelosi has reportedly privately informed Biden that if he doesn't step down, Democrats could lose their chance to win control of the House.
Other leaders, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, have both warned Biden that any possible gains by Democrats are at risk if he remains atop the ticket.
Also Thursday, Axios reported that the president's top aides in the White House, even ones who stuck with him after the debate, are saying "it's now when, not if, Biden announces he's not running."
Biden, who tested positive for COVID on Wednesday and is off the campaign trail while he self-isolates at his Delaware home, has been adamant in public about not quitting the race, but privately CNN reports Biden appears to become resigned to his fate.
The president continues to press his case, lobbying Democrats in Congress and sitting for numerous national interviews, but the panic inside the Democratic Party is only increasing, CNN said.
"The private conversations with the Hill are continuing," a senior Democratic adviser told CNN. "He's being receptive. Not as defiant as he is publicly."
"He's gone from saying, 'Kamala can't win,' to 'Do you think Kamala can win?" the adviser said. "It's still unclear where he's going to land but seems to be listening."
Quentin Fulks, the principal deputy campaign manager for Biden, said the president is "not wavering on anything."
"The president has made his decision. I don't want to be rude, but I don't know how many more times we can answer that," the Washington Post reported.
