WH responds to report Biden told ally he's weighing dropping out of race

25 House Democrats allegedly preparing to call for Biden to end presidential campaign

Fox News' Doug Luzader on details of a growing list of Democrats concerned that Biden is unfit to run for a second term.

President Biden is seriously considering whether he can continue on as the Democratic presidential nominee, according to a report.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that Biden has told a "key ally" that he knows he may not be able to win re-election if he cannot convince the American people he is fit to serve after his disastrous debate performance. 

"The president, who the ally emphasized is still deeply in the fight for re-election, understands that his next few appearances heading into the holiday weekend — including an interview scheduled for Friday with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News and campaign stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — must go well," the report said. 

"He knows if he has two more events like that, we’re in a different place" by the end of the weekend, the unnamed source told the Times. 

NEWSOM HEADS EAST FOR MEETING WITH BIDEN AS PRESIDENT TRIES TO KEEP HIS CAMPAIGN FROM HEADING SOUTH

President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Another top advisor to the president reportedly said Biden was "well aware of the political challenge he faces." 

White House Spokesman Andrew Bates disputed the report shortly after it was published.

"That claim is absolutely false. If the New York Times had provided us with more than 7 minutes to comment, we would have told them so," he told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

MAJORITY OF VOTERS FAVOR BIDEN DROPPING OUT WHILE TRUMP'S BASE ‘APPEARS MORE SOLID’: POLL

Biden faces numerous calls to step aside from Democrats after his halting, low-energy performance at the CNN Presidential Debate in Atlanta on July 27, 2024.  (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Biden, who at age 81 is the oldest president in the nation's history, is facing the roughest stretch of his bid for a second term in the White House. 

His halting delivery and stumbling answers at the CNN Presidential Debate last Thursday sparked widespread panic in the Democratic Party and spurred calls from political pundits, editorial writers and party donors for Biden to step aside as the party's 2024 standard-bearer. In the past 24 hours, a small but growing number of elected Democrats have also urged the president to end his re-election bid.

MAJORITY OF VOTERS THINKS BIDEN IS COGNITIVELY UNFIT TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT: POLL

Congressional Democrats have warned that Biden could lose to former President Trump in November, based on his debate poor performance.  (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Biden will meet with Democratic governors at the White House on Wednesday, just days after Democratic Governors Association (DGA) Chair Gov. Tim Walz led a conference call with the DGA to discuss the fallout from the debate. 

A number of the governors, including some who've been speculated as potential replacements on the extreme long-shot chance that Biden would step away from his re-election bid, have acknowledged the president's debate performance was shaky but remained committed to supporting the president.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

A USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll released this week found that more four in ten Democrats said that the Democratic Party should intervene and replace Biden as the nominee. Overall, 54% of the voters polled were in favor of Biden dropping out.

Fox News Digital's Paul Steinhauser and Andrea Vacchiano contributed to this report.

Chris Pandolfo is a writer for Fox News Digital. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.

Subscribed

You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!