Biden denies rumors of election withdrawal: "No one’s pushing me out"

After media outlets such as CNN and The New York Times reported that President Joe Biden was privately considering dropping out of the presidential race, Biden himself assured his campaign staff via a virtual meeting that he will stay in the race.

According to Politico magazine, Biden unexpectedly joined a Zoom call with campaign and Democratic National Committee staffers to try to boost the morale of those present by assuring them that he is still running for re-election.

"Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can — as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running … no one’s pushing me out. I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win," Biden said on the call, according to Politico, which cited two people familiar with the meeting.

According to the report, Biden tried to appear strong during the meeting despite admitting that the days since the debate in Atlanta, Georgia, have been detrimental to his campaign.

Some in attendance were apparently reassured by Biden's sudden appearance.

Over the past few days, various national media outlets have reported that the president is facing strong internal pressure to abandon his candidacy, with allies, donors and some Democrats worried that he cannot beat Trump after his disastrous performance in the presidential debate hosted by CNN.

Vice President Kamala Harris, whose profile has been rising in recent days as the media portrays her as a potential replacement candidate, was seated next to Biden on the video call.

"We will not back down," Harris said. "We will follow our president’s lead. We will fight, and we will win."

According to Politico, President Biden also took time to thank everyone working on his campaign as he encouraged them to keep up their efforts heading into the November elections.

"There is no one I’d rather be in this battle with than all of you," Biden said. "So let’s link arms. Let’s get this done. You, me, the vice president. Together."

The report noted that Biden joined the meeting amid reports revealing a drop in staff morale at the White House, as well as at his campaign headquarters in Wilmington.

Also, Politico reported that the president called top Democrats in Congress early Wednesday and was also scheduled to meet in the evening with Democratic governors to attempt to reassure them about his health status and his candidacy. Some governors even traveled from across the country to attend the meeting in person.

Meanwhile, just this afternoon the Biden Campaign and the Democratic Party sent out e-mails indicating that the president will remain in the race and be the Democratic nominee.