‘Close to the end’: Biden cabinet members in crisis talks as calls to drop out reach fever pitch

Members of Joe Biden’s cabinet have held crisis talks about whether it’s time for his advisers to intervene and ask the President to step down.

Some members of Joe Biden’s cabinet have reportedly held crisis talks about whether it’s time for his closest advisers to intervene and convince the President to step down, as the push by Democrats to replace the 81-year-old in the White House race reaches fever pitch.

Cabinet members have held private discussions about whether the President’s 2024 re-election campaign has reached a breaking point, amid concerns about his health and increasingly dim prospects against the resurgent Donald Trump, Bloomberg reports.

But those cabinet officials, who are not themselves trying to push Mr Biden aside, concluded it was a decision ultimately up to the President and his close advisers.

It came amid a number of reports on Thursday suggesting Mr Biden was coming closer to dropping out of the race, as allies including former President Barack Obama were said to have expressed concerns that he can no longer win the election.

The push to replace Joe Biden has reached fever pitch. Picture: Kent Nishimura/AFP

There is widespread speculation that Mr Biden could be gone by the weekend.

Mr Biden was holed up at his beach house with Covid as multiple US media reports said he was considering the future of his re-election bid amid mounting opposition within his party.

The New York Times cited several people close to Mr Biden as saying they believe he has begun to accept that he may lose in November to his Republican rival and may have to drop out, with one quoted as saying, “Reality is setting in.”

It quoted the person as saying it would not be a surprise if Mr Biden soon endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him as the Democratic candidate.

Mr Obama meanwhile had told allies that Mr Biden should “seriously consider the viability of his candidacy”, The Washington Post reported. His office did not comment.

The Axios news outlet separately quoted party figures as saying that Mr Biden could drop out as soon as this weekend, while broadcaster NBC quoted a person close to the President as saying, “We’re close to the end.”

Barack Obama believes Mr Biden must step aside. Picture: Mandel Ngan/AFP

Meanwhile Jon Tester of Montana became the second Democratic senator to publicly call for Mr Biden to quit the race, saying, “While I appreciate his commitment to public service and our country, I believe President Biden should not seek re-election to another term.”

Mr Biden’s candidacy has been in peril for three weeks since a disastrous television debate against Trump rekindled fears about his age and fitness.

His campaign however insisted he was staying in.

“He’s running for re-election,” campaign official T.J. Ducklo said on X. “Baseless conjecture from anonymous sources isn’t a scoop.”

Ms Harris made no comment on the crisis in a speech in the battleground state of North Carolina but praised the President, saying the “contrast between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, it’s like night and day”.

She also lashed out Trump’s new running mate J.D. Vance, saying November’s vote was the “most existential, consequential and important election of our lifetime”.

Donald Trump is on track for victory. Picture: Brendan Smialowski/Kent Nishimura/AFP

While rival Trump prepared for his star turn at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee later on Thursday, Mr Biden found himself in both personal and political isolation.

His personal doctor, Kevin O’Connor, said Mr Biden was still experiencing mild Covid symptoms and was taking the drug Paxlovid, but that his vital signs remain normal.

“He will continue to conduct the business of the American people,” Dr O’Connor said in a letter released by the White House.

His Covid diagnosis came at the worst possible time for his campaign, forcing him to cut short a trip to Las Vegas and isolate at his holiday home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Mr Biden told reporters on Wednesday that he was “doing well” but was later seen looking frail as he slowly descended the steps of Air Force One.

The drumbeat of Democrats coming out against Mr Biden is growing, with 20 members of the House of Representatives having openly called on him to quit.

The President is holed up with Covid. Picture: Mario Tama/Getty Images/AFP

The top Democrats in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both reportedly met with Mr Biden in recent days to warn that his candidacy threatens his party’s prospects in November’s election.

Influential former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi added to his woes by privately telling Mr Biden he cannot win and could harm Democrats’ chances of recapturing the lower chamber, CNN and The New York Times reported.

White House National Security spokesman John Kirby meanwhile said Mr Biden was being “kept up to speed” by his team despite the political turmoil and his illness.

However the split-screen with Donald Trump could not be more stark, with Trump set to formally accept the Republican nomination in Milwaukee as Mr Biden hunkers down.

Republicans find themselves newly unified after the former President, who at 78 is just three years younger than Mr Biden, survived an assassination attempt on Saturday that left him with a bandaged ear.