Former President Barack Obama has told allies that Joe Biden should “seriously consider” stepping side as the Democrat presidential candidate, according to reports.
Obama believes Biden’s chances of winning against Donald Trump are diminishing, according to the Washington Post and the Associated Press.The Post claims multiple sources have indicated Obama, who previously offered unwavering support for Mr Biden, has changed his view.
There have been mounting fears that Mr Biden’s age at 81 is playing against him especially after a poor debate performance against Trump on TV.
He now has Covid and has had to come off the campaign trail, adding more fuel to claims he is too old to successfully run again.
Other senior voices in the Democrat camp are also urging Biden to re-think.
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have all expressed deep concerns directly to Biden in recent days that he will not only lose the White House but also cost the party any chance of winning back the House of Representatives in the election, according to US media.
But the reports of the concerns from former president Obama, who Biden served under as vice president, will pile more pressure on the current commander in chief over the future of his candicacy for a second term in the White House.
Obama’s reported view of the state of the race comes after Axios reported that Democratic sources believe Biden will be forced to make the decision to step aside as early as this weekend.
Obama has conveyed to allies that Biden needs to consider the viability of his campaign but has also made clear that the decision is one Biden needs to make. The former president has taken calls in recent days from members of congressional leadership, Democratic governors and key donors to discuss their concerns about his former vice president.
Some Democrats hope Biden, off the campaign trail after testing positive for COVID-19, will take a fresh look at the trajectory of the race and his legacy over the coming days.
Using mountains of data showing Biden’s standing could seriously damage the ranks of Democrats in Congress, frank conversations in public and private and now the president’s own few days off, many Democrats see an opportunity to encourage a reassessment.
If Democrats are seriously preparing the extraordinary step of replacing Biden and shifting Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket, this weekend will be critical to changing the president’s mind, other people familiar with the private conversations told the Associated Press.
One said it’s now or never ahead of a planned virtual roll call to nominate the party’s choice in early August, ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
