Schumer and Pelosi increase pressure on Biden to withdraw from the presidential race

American media reported that prominent figures in the Democratic Party, such as Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, are pressuring President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race due to fears of his inability to defeat his Republican rival, Donald Trump.

ABC News reported - yesterday, Wednesday - that Schumer told Biden in a meeting last Saturday that his withdrawal from the race would be in the interest of the party and the country.

The network also quoted a source as saying that House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed similar views directly to Biden.

The Washington Post reported that Schumer and Jeffries separately told Biden that his continued candidacy undermines the Democratic Party's ability to lead in either chamber of Congress in the upcoming elections.

For its part, CNN indicated that Pelosi informed Biden that opinion polls show that he cannot defeat Trump, which could destroy the Democrats' chances of regaining control of the House of Representatives.

The network reported - citing 4 sources - that Pelosi spoke to Biden in a recent phone call, but did not urge him to withdraw from the race.

On the other hand, Biden told Pelosi that he believes that opinion polls indicate the possibility of his victory, according to a source at CNN.

But a spokesman for Pelosi said she had not spoken to the president since Friday.

Demanding Biden's withdrawal

In the same context, Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff - yesterday - publicly called on Biden to withdraw from the race, thus becoming the 20th representative from the party to call for the president’s withdrawal.

Axios also reported that Democratic lawmakers expect more calls for Biden to withdraw from the race, as some Democrats indicate that two-thirds of voters want a new candidate and that there is enough time to make a change.

The website added that new opinion polls show that Biden's popularity is declining, which negatively affects the elections in Congress and outside it.

CNN reported that Biden asked his advisors whether his deputy, Kamala Harris, was able to win the elections.

Biden has repeatedly rejected Democrats' calls to withdraw from the electoral race after his faltering performance in last month's debate against Trump.

White House spokesman Andrew Bates said the president told leaders he is the party's nominee, that he intends to win and looks forward to working with them to pass the 100-day agenda to help working families.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies