A variety of President Biden’s "closest allies," including some campaign officials, believe he’s toast, according to an NBC News report that the Biden campaign blasted as "patently false."
Biden has faced intense calls for him to step aside in favor of a younger candidate in recent days as the Democratic Party attempts to figure out how to recover from his infamous debate disaster. Everyone from the New York Times editorial board to actor George Clooney have spoken out against his attempt to serve another term, and NBC reported on Thursday that the latest calls are coming from inside the campaign.
"He needs to drop out… he will never recover from this," one Biden campaign official allegedly told NBC News.
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The stunning report, "'No one involved in the effort thinks he has a path': Biden insiders say the writing is on the wall," cited "three people who are directly involved in efforts to re-elect" Biden, along with other allies, who have done an about-face in recent days.
"The set of Democrats who think he should reconsider his decision to stay in the race has grown to include aides, operatives and officials tasked with guiding his campaign to victory. Those who spoke to NBC News said the sentiment that he should exit and leave the Democratic nomination to someone else — most likely Vice President Kamala Harris — is widespread even within the ranks of the campaign and the outside Democratic entities supporting it," NBC News reporters wrote.
Another campaign staffer allegedly offered the quote that nobody involved feels he "has a path" to victory, while a third allegedly told NBC News that "questions swirling around Biden’s cognitive abilities," fundraising issues, and polls have made the campaign unsustainable.
"This person also said they didn’t see how the campaign could win," NBC News reported.
The staffers spoke on the condition of anonymity "because they don’t want to be seen as further damaging a candidate they appreciate for his victory over then-President Donald Trump in 2020 and his policy wins in the White House," according to NBC.
NBC noted that at least two people close to Biden haven’t lost all faith, but they "believe the goal of defeating Trump in November should take precedence over backing Biden."
A Biden campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital the NBC News report is "patently false."
Biden has insisted he intends to remain on the Democratic ticket. He is scheduled to sit down with NBC News anchor Lester Holt next week.
