Since late Wednesday, President Joe Biden has been hunkered down in Delaware, recovering from his latest bout with COVID-19.
But Biden has also been watching the moves of his fellow Democrats from afar. He remains under immense pressure from leading members of his party and top donors to reconsider his reelection bid, a highly consequential decision that he has so far rejected.
Over the past 48 hours, a wave of Democrats — including vulnerable red-state lawmakers like Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Jon Tester of Montana — have called on Biden to end his candidacy. It’s part of a larger push from a growing number of officials, spooked by the president’s poor debate performance last month and voter concerns about his ability to serve out a second term should he win reelection.
But Biden and his family remain defiant, upset over the debate criticism from fellow Democrats. They feel that the president could have weathered the storm with the party’s support, The Washington Post reported.
According to the newspaper, the tone of some of the calls for Biden to exit the race has only made the president more committed to remaining the nominee.
“It’s like they don’t know he’s Irish,” a Biden family confidant recently told the Post.
Biden’s close family relationship has always been a cherished part of his political identity, from his days in the Senate representing Delaware to his stint as vice president and subsequently as president.
One major development in recent weeks has been the emergence of Hunter Biden as a more visible player in his father’s political orbit, with the presidential son having sat in on several key White House meetings since the June debate. And it comes weeks after Hunter Biden — who for years has been political fodder for Republicans — was convicted on felony gun charges.
While reporting from numerous outlets has highlighted the importance of first lady Jill Biden and Hunter Biden in any decision-making on Biden’s political future, the most recent report from the Post pointed to a more nuanced sentiment among family members regarding his decision to remain the Democratic nominee.
Biden has repeatedly reiterated that he has no plans to exit the race, and his family has stood with him on that decision. But should the president change course, the family would also support that decision, according to the Post.
Axios on Saturday reported that Biden is aiming to disprove his Democratic critics with a post-COVID return to the campaign trail, with possible stops in Georgia and Texas.
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