The White House and President Biden’s reelection campaign on Wednesday quickly refuted a report by The New York Times that indicated the president told an ally he is unsure whether he can salvage his candidacy following his poor debate performance.
“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,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told The Hill.
In its report, The New York Times cited a key Biden ally who told the publication the president “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.” The report stated the president understands that his next few appearances, which involve an interview with ABC News and campaign stops in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, are essential to convincing the public he can stay in the race.
Biden’s campaign, meanwhile called the report “false.”
Deputy principal campaign manager Quentin Fulks told CNN, “The president is in this race to win it. He is the Democratic nominee.”
When asked if Biden has had zero conversations with anyone saying he may not be able to continue, Fulks responded, “That is correct.”
Fulks added that Biden has been having conversations with Democrats to “reassure them that he is in this race, that he knows that he needs to reassure the American people and that our campaign is going to build and scale to win in November.”
The New York Times did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.
The Biden campaign has been in a free fall over the last few days after last week’s performance at the debate with former President Trump, in which Biden often appeared halting and meandering, prompting a panic ripping through the Democratic Party over whether Biden should drop out of the 2024 race.
The campaign has been trying to calm supporters and donors since, sending several memos, including one Wednesday that highlighted tight polling against Trump.
Biden has been trailing Trump in key states for several months and in overall national surveys.