5 people to watch as Joe Biden weighs leaving the White House race
- The pressure is mounting for the US president to drop out, but Biden may ultimately be swayed only by those in his inner circle
US President Joe Biden is clear that he is not leaving the 2024 race.
On Friday, Biden rallied with supporters in Wisconsin as he continued his effort to hold onto power amid a growing number of megadonors and Democratic officials questioning whether he is still the best candidate to beat former US president Donald Trump.
“You voted for me to be your nominee, no one else,” Biden said at the rally. “You, the voters did that. And despite that some folks don’t seem to care who you voted for, well guess what, they’re trying to push me out of the race. Well, let me say this as clearly as I can: I’m staying in the race.”
Biden’s disastrous debate performance has sharply highlighted voters’ biggest concern about re-electing the 81-year-old, who would be 86 if he left office in January 2029.
So far, influential voices like former US president Barack Obama remain behind him. There is still time for Biden to change course.
Still, it is unlikely that another current party leader would nudge him out of the race in a meeting like the famous 1974 meeting Senator Barry Goldwater and top Republicans held with President Richard Nixon, letting him know that he would not survive the Watergate scandal.
Instead, Biden may only be swayed by someone within his insular orbit – many who have served at his side for decades. In the end, it may only be a fellow Biden who could change his mind.
