Biden's candidacy collapses: multiple reports suggest withdrawal from race is imminent

The stage is set for President Joe Biden to officially announce he is dropping out of the presidential race. According to multiple reports his withdrawal may be imminent.

According to NBC News, Biden, who until now has remained publicly entrenched -ignoring criticism and questioning of his candidacy- has begun to accept privately that his election campaign has an expiration date: polls put him further and further behind Trump, donations fell almost irretrievably in percentage terms, publicly dozens of congressmen asked for his retirement and, internally, party leaders, from Obama to Pelosi, have recommended he step aside for America's sake.

"Since a disastrous debate in Atlanta upended the trajectory of his campaign three weeks ago, Biden has again and again attempted to dig in, bucking efforts to dislodge him from power," reads NBC News. "But there is now a palpable sense that the ground has shifted underneath him, according to five people with knowledge of the situation, even among some of the president’s most defiant internal backers who now believe the writing is on the wall."

Indeed, one person close to Biden commented, "We’re close to the end."

That same person claims that the decision is still up to Biden, who cannot be forced to resign, but is being pushed to do so by major donors, who have stopped writing checks, and his own party members who consider him a liability.

Still, the reports are not actual confirmation that Biden will drop out of the race. According to a The New York Times newspaper report, one person close to the president cautioned that he had not yet made a decision to withdraw. However, another said Biden is indeed coming to terms with reality and "that it would not be a surprise if Mr. Biden made an announcement soon endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement."

The NYT remarked that Biden, proud and stubborn, still keeps in mind the multiple times he has bounced back from adverse situations in the past, with his family and top advisers like Mike Donilon, who still tells him that the race is competitive, backing him up. However, the president's closest political allies, especially his former colleagues on Capitol Hill, are breaking the news to him that his chances against Trump are minuscule. This, according to the newspaper, "reflects an extraordinary fall from grace" for a Biden who still highly values relationship with his allies.

Biden reflecting in isolation

As the situation unfolds, Biden tested positive for COVID-19, prompting him to isolate himself in Delaware, where he is mulling over his candidacy and a potential retirement, according to reports.

Still, officially, the Biden campaign insists the president is still in the race. Official TJ Ducklo directly denied the media reports and said that "the President is more committed than ever to winning this election."

However, on Wednesday, when he tested positive, Rep. Adam Schiff, a Senate candidate from California, in a bold move, publicly called on President Biden to drop the nomination. Hours later, it was leaked that top congressional Democrats, including Representatives Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, had spoken privately with the president relaying the tough outlook internally, with congressional Democrats ready to publicly remarked on their political weaknesses.

Adding to the NBC News report is a report from Axios, published earlier in the day, which claims that senior Democrats think Biden will make an imminent decision to withdraw this weekend.

"Several top Democrats privately tell us the rising pressure of party congressional leaders and close friends will persuade President Biden to decide to drop out of the presidential race," reads Axios, which cites, as does NBC News, sources close to the president.

According to the report, Biden and his entire campaign is taking tough questioning internally, with key friends and donors telling him he can't win and can't change public perceptions about his age, mental acuity and fitness to serve.

The report details that the pressure in recent days, which coincides with a failed assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, has escalated to "intolerable levels."

Indeed, Democrats believe that, by the end of the Republican National Convention 2024, where the GOP is proving to be incredibly cohesive, polls will "show a possible blowout that could bring down Democrats in Congress, too." This would definitely be a nail in the coffin for Biden and his presidential aspirations.

Biden, moreover, may be beginning to ponder whether maintaining his candidacy would be irresponsible and could even undermine his legacy as president should he lose to Trump, whom he has repeatedly branded as a "danger to democracy." Following those concerns, many Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi, have suggested to him that, should he continue the race, he would be weighing down the Democratic Party not only in the presidential race, but in Senate and lower House races as well. Many Democratic lawmakers share this concern and have appealed to internal political leadership.

According to the report, some sources were surprised that Biden has begun to shift his stance in a way that could clear a path to resignation.

For example, he began listening more and asking about Vice President Kamala Harris' prospects in a potential showdown against Trump. "That's why you see all the leaks about Biden being open-minded," points out Axios.

What is still unclear is what would happen if Biden withdraws.  Equally unclear is what the president's views are on what the transition process to a new Democratic nominee should look like. Axios says that the most likely scenario is that Biden would endorse Harris, but that he would also let delegates vote in a sort of open convention.

Meanwhile, conservative journalist Mark Halperin said Biden will not endorse Harris and plans to announce his resignation on Sunday, with historian Jon Meacham polishing comments on his retirement speech. 

The news anchor also said the Democrats' idea is to have an open convention with Harris and about 3 others.

Some media sources such as Newsmax suggest that Biden has already decided to support an open convention. However, for the moment it is neither clear whether Biden would endorse his vice president nor what exactly the Democrats' plan for an orderly transition would be.

In fact, according to NBC News, as of last weekend no one had yet presented a detailed alternative plan to Biden. This suggests that a withdrawal, while desired, may not be an orderly process for the Democratic Party either.