Calls from fellow Democrats for US President Biden to withdraw from the presidential race are increasing, despite his campaign’s insistence that he will remain the party’s nominee.
More than 50 former American officials, diplomats and political experts sent a letter to Biden asking him to abandon his re-election plans due to the possibility of a major defeat in the battle against presidential candidate Donald Trump.
According to a Washington Post tally, over 35 congressional Democrats have urged Biden to step aside.
Meanwhile, former president Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), held a rally in Michigan, a key battleground state.
Vice President Harris attended a fundraiser in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, as Biden remains in isolation after testing positive for the coronavirus this week.
Following his disastrous debate performance three weeks ago, which stunned his closest aides, friends, and Democrats across the party, only a small group of Biden’s most loyal aides, including his long-time advisers Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti, and members of the Biden family, are standing by him.
This close-knit circle has alarmed many Democrats, who are questioning whether Biden is receiving accurate information about his campaign’s challenges.
Deputy White House Chief of Staff Annie Tomasini, a long-time aide to the Bidens, joins Donilon and Ricchetti in forming a protective bubble around the president.
Anthony Bernal, Chief of Staff to Jill Biden, has become even more influential during the ongoing crisis, suppressing any dissent and reporting naysayers to the First Lady, according to two sources.
One insider said that Tomasini does not influence who the president meets or speaks with.
