The cacophony of criticism surrounding embattled President Joe Biden has reportedly reached the "Big Guy" himself, causing the commander-in-chief to voice concerns about a premature end to his political career to close allies, according to a report.
"President Biden has told a key ally that he knows he may not be able to salvage his candidacy if he cannot convince the public in the coming days that he is up for the job after a disastrous debate performance last week," The New York Times reported Wednesday morning. Indeed, the stakes are incredibly high.
"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 Times emphasized.
"'He knows if he has two more events like that, we’re in a different place' by the end of the weekend, said the ally, referring to Mr. Biden’s halting and unfocused performance in the debate," continued the Times' story seeking to emphasize the president is "well aware of the political challenge he faces." The White House "did not immediately respond" to the Times' comment request but later responded on X, disputing the story.
Seeing the Times and White House brawl on social media is... delightful. It's nice to see Democrats get the mainstream media treatment conservatives deal with every day.
But, following the White House's blanket denial of the Times' reporting, CNN independently confirmed Biden's conversation with the ally.
That is, the White House just (again) got caught in a lie.
#BREAKING: CNN confirms The New York Times story that Biden knows his reelection campaign may not be salvageable if he doesn't show improvement and contrition in the coming days. pic.twitter.com/JykWdpH0Xc
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 3, 2024
In addition to what, for any other Democrat, would be a softball interview — one that is taped, not live — with a former senior staffer in the Clinton White House, Karine Jean-Pierre bragged on Tuesday afternoon that Biden would be holding a press conference during next week's NATO summit in downtown Washington.
The bar is already barely above the floor for Biden whose gaffes, false stories, and general confusion have long been a trademark of his 2020 basement bubble campaign and three-plus years in the White House. If Biden can't deliver performances that look like he has at least some of his wits about him, even he knows it's over.
The question now — amid growing defeatism from Democrats on Capitol Hill — is whether Biden can keep hope alive through the Independence Day weekend and the next several days so the president can make, essentially, his last public stand.