Biden's decision is expected to be announced in the coming days(?)

Axios, citing anonymous high-ranking Democrats, writes that Biden will withdraw his candidacy from the presidential election this weekend. A White House press service representative denied this: “Lies.”

According to sources, Behind closed doors, US President Joe Biden has already come to terms with mounting pressure and poor pollswhich make it impossible for him to continue his campaign. The pressure on Biden has “increased to unbearable levels,” especially in the last few days. The Daily Beast even published a draft of a “victory speech” written by a major Democratic donor for Biden, which should allow him to “leave the race with dignity.” Harris is considered the most obvious “heir.”

Well-connected Democratic Party insiders say President Biden will make a major announcement about his future shortly after the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.writes The Hill. Congressional leaders expect Vice President Harris to be their running mate if Biden abandons his re-election bid.

So the conversation among top Democratic strategists and donors has now turned to the question of whether Who is the best fit to run for Harris: The list of candidates has been narrowed to Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have told senior party leaders they are not interested in running for vice president, according to a person familiar with the candidates vying to succeed Harris.

Biden, notes The Hill has come under intense pressure from party leadersincluding former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who have openly told the incumbent president that most Democratic senators and a large number of House members do not believe he can defeat former President Trump.

According to a source familiar with the transition plan, Alumni of former President Obama's winning 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns are willing to help Harris organize and run her own presidential campaign if Biden agrees to step down.

Democratic strategists say Biden has failed to convince shaken Democratic lawmakers and donors that he can recover from his disastrous debate performance and end persistent questions about his mental alertness, energy and health. Instead, Biden is trapped in the belief that he is too old to effectively serve as president for another four years, and there seems to be no way to dispel that belief before Election Day.

Congressional leaders are “cool” about Harris as a candidate, but acknowledge that she has higher approval ratings than Biden and believe the president can help boost her by campaigning on her behalf. A person familiar with the discussions among congressional leaders and Democratic donors said:

“The conversations are ongoing, and they are different and more intense than they were a few weeks ago, even a few days ago. They have intensified since Saturday.”

“The president is now committed to being the leader of the campaign and leading the entire party to victory,” he said, but added that Democrats at the “highest levels” are already looking forward to what the new slate of candidates will look like with Harris as the presidential nominee.

Meanwhile, White House Senior Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates bluntly denied reports that Biden was considering dropping out of the race: “False.”

In a statement released after The Hill reported that Biden would make a decision about his political future in the next few days, he denied the report in one word.

Biden's team has assured supporters that the president will confirm his intention to remain in the race until Election Day, but some of them suspect he may announce a decision to end his campaign.

Biden has passed positive test for COVID-19 after holding events in Las Vegas and returned to Delaware to “self-isolate,” which could delay any announcement about his future until Monday.

But the president will have an incentive to resolve the unrest in his party before senators and House members return to Washington, sparking a new round of anxiety and calls for him to end his campaign. House Democrats are scheduled to fly in Monday, and senators are scheduled to return to the Capitol on Tuesday.

Democrats say Trump's approval ratings will be boosted by the failed assassination attempt at the Butler rally, which had a unifying effect on Republican voters, and the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, making Biden's comeback chances look even more unlikely.

“The most important thing now is to save the soul of America. Our democracy is in danger. This election must be won. To succeed, we will need the trust of the American people. I believed, and continue to believe, that I could do the job. But it has become clear that most Americans want a younger man in this job – younger than either of the two candidates. So I have decided to step aside and let the next generation's candidate run for the Democratic presidential nomination,” the sponsor suggests Biden deliver.

A veteran Democratic strategist said:

“The latest events have been a disgrace to both the president and the party. I'm not sure there could be anything more humiliating.”

The party remains open on who will take Biden's place at the top of the presidential ticket. But Biden's 2020 pick of Kamala Harris as vice president could put the first black woman in the Oval Office.writes The Daily Beast.

Nearly 80% of US Democrats would approve Vice President Kamala Harris as the presidential nominee if incumbent President Joe Biden decided not to run, according to a new poll Economist/YouGov poll, the results of which were published on July 18:

1. 28% think Harris has a better chance of defeating Donald Trump than Biden, 32% think their chances are equal, and 24% think her chances of winning are worse than Biden's.
2. 45% of Democrats surveyed believe that Biden should withdraw his candidacy so that another candidate can run for the Democratic Party, while 41% hold the opposite opinion.
3. Among those who support Biden's removal, 68% cite concerns about his health and cognitive function due to his advanced age, while 23% cite concerns about his chances of defeating Trump.

The poll was conducted among 1,582 people between July 13 and 16, with a margin of error of 3.1%. Before this, Politico reported that closed Democratic polling showed Biden's disastrous results.

According to The Washington Post, House and Senate Democratic leaders told Biden in private meetings that his run jeopardized the party's ability to control both houses of Congress next year.

Biden himself has repeatedly assured that he does not plan to withdraw from the campaign. However, in one of his latest comments, he allowed for withdrawal from the election in the event of health problems.

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