Schumer reportedly privately communicating to donors that he is "open" to backing another candidate instead of Biden

Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, is apparently communicating privately to donors that he is "open to getting rid of" President Joe Biden ahead of next November's election, Axios reported.

According to the report, Schumer, who publicly showed his support for Biden after the first presidential debate, is reportedly talking with Democratic donors behind the scenes and shows an openness to supporting a ticket without the current president.

"Over the last twelve days, Schumer has been listening to donors' ideas and suggestions about the best way forward for the party," Axios reported, citing three people familiar with the matter.

The report is surprising because the majority leader is one of the few Democrats, along with former President Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who have both a strong political position and the personal leverage needed to convince Biden to officially withdraw from the presidential race.

Biden right now is facing an internal crisis at the heart of the Democratic Party, with dozens of congressmen, big donors and many top advisers urging him to drop out of the presidential race after his dismal performance in the presidential debate before Trump and his sluggish showing in the most recent national polls less than five months before the election.

Skeptical Democrats don't believe Biden has the energy and ability to run a campaign to beat Trump let alone keep doing his job for four more years.

According to Axios, both before and after the debate, Schumer's phone has been ringing off the hook, with donors sharing their critical views against Biden. In these calls, the majority leader apparently showed a openness to finding a replacement, though at the same time he failed to mention another candidate with a viable path to beat Trump. Meanwhile, he is careful about what he discloses to the public.

These days, every time he was asked about Joe Biden, Schumer has been limiting himself to a three-word response without going deeper or giving further details: "I'm with Joe."

The Axios report on Schumer comes just as Senator Peter Welch became the first Senate Democrat to call on Biden to publicly withdraw from the presidential race.

"For the good of the country, I call on President Biden to withdraw from the race," the senator said.

It also comes just as Nancy Pelosi suggested that Biden should mull over whether or not to withdraw from the presidential race.

"It's up to the president to decide if he is going to run," Pelosi said on MSNBC's Morning Joe. "The time is running short."