White House thinks Barack Obama is working 'behind the scenes' for Joe Biden's exit

Amid growing uncertainty over Joe Biden's re-election campaign, recent reports suggest that ex-President Barack Obama may be playing a key "behind the scenes" role in getting the president to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.

Despite his public support for Biden, the president's performance in the recent presidential debate against Donald Trump has stoked internal debate about the viability of his candidacy. As host Joe Scarborough said on a recent episode of Morning Joe, the White House believes Obama may be orchestrating discussions from the background to engineer a Biden withdrawal.

During the show, Scarborough and his co-host, Mika Brzezinski, hinted that Obama may have influenced actor George Clooney to write an op-ed in The New York Times in which the actor floated the idea that Biden should consider withdrawing from the presidential race.

Scarborough stated, "I think that Barack Obama has a lot of influence, and I think that there's a lot there. The Biden campaign and many Democratic officials do believe that Barack Obama is quietly working behind the scenes to orchestrate this."

This comment followed a report from Politico that indicated Clooney consulted with Obama before publishing the article, and that the former president apparently did not try to dissuade him from this idea.

Internal divisions

Biden's performance in the debate raised concerns among several Democratic leaders, who have begun to consider alternatives for the party's presidential nomination. Prominent figures have expressed that it may be time to consider alternatives for the party's presidential nomination. But despite internal pressures, Biden has been clear in his determination to continue his campaign.

In a recent interview with ABC News's George Stephanopoulos, the president reiterated his intention to stay in the electoral contest, stating that he will only withdraw if he receives a divine sign to do so.

The complicated relationship between Biden and Obama

Although the Biden and Obama teams often describe their relationship as "a family," the partnership between the two leaders has been marked by tensions over the years. These tensions, largely stemming from differences in personality and policy approach, have influenced the internal dynamics of the Democratic Party.

According to a report by Forbes, a significant sticking point in their relationship was Biden's regret over following Obama's advice that he not run for president in 2016.

In addition, during their time in the White House, Biden and Obama had notable disagreements. For example, Biden publicly endorsed same-sex marriage in 2012 before Obama, which led to tension over presidential communication strategy. There were also disagreements regarding foreign policy, as in the case of the troop surge in Afghanistan, a decision Biden criticized.