The shift from ‘if’ to ‘when’ Biden drops out ramps up

A new report suggests President Joe Biden’s family members are ready and waiting for the 81-year-old to drop his reelection bid. 

NBC News alleged the president’s inner circle has discussed a calculated exit plan, including the ramifications of his reelection bid on his health, family, and country. Various outlets have reported that some closest to the president appear to anticipate he will announce a decision to end his campaign for reelection. 

The latest rumors come as the chorus of Democratic calls for Biden to step aside grows louder. Over 20 House lawmakers have urged the president to bow out. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) became the second Democrat in the upper chamber to call on Biden to bow out of the race Thursday evening. The lawmakers have joined a multitude of leftist pundits, political strategists, and other Democratic leaders who have urged Biden to wake up to what they say could be a disastrous election for their party this November if he remains in the race. 

Reports continue to surface that Democratic elders such as former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) are working behind the scenes to pull the Biden candidacy. Other top Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and top House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), have allegedly urged the president to step down in private conversations.

However, the Democratic panic pressure campaign has increasingly been conducted in the public spotlight, and intense speculation over the top of the ticket has swelled as Biden has self-isolated with COVID-19 over the last few days. 

On Friday, Jen O’Malley Dillon, Biden’s campaign chairwoman, admitted “slippage” in support for the incumbent president while rebuffing suggestions he should step aside. She said Biden will “absolutely” remain in the race during an interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. 

In a statement to the Washington Examiner, White House spokesman Andrew Bates denied that any exit discussions are happening within the Biden family.

“That is not happening, period,” he said. “The individuals making those claims are not speaking for his family or his team — and they will be proven wrong. Keep the faith.”