US President Joe Biden is reportedly angry with Barack Obama for joining other top Democrats in urging him to bow out of the US presidential race.
The president has not yet decided to step aside, with his team publicly insisting he will remain in the race. However, privately, the Biden team has acknowledged that his candidacy may be untenable amid a growing number of Democrats calling for his withdrawal, according to the New York Times.
Thirty-five Democrats have now publicly called for Joe Biden to step down, with the number expected to keep growing. The 81-year-old president has faced increasing pressure to resign after a disastrous debate performance on June 27.
Concerns about his age, health, and ability to lead the country have since intensified.
Former President Barack Obama and Senator Nancy Pelosi are among those urging Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race as concerns about his cognitive faculties intensify.
Biden, who is currently isolating due to a COVID infection at his beach home in Delaware, reportedly sees Pelosi as the instigator of the effort to oust him. However, he feels particularly hurt and betrayed by Obama's involvement, as he once considered Obama a close friend.
Nancy Pelosi has reportedly called for an "open process" to select a new Democratic presidential candidate if Joe Biden steps down in the coming weeks.
Pelosi aims to avoid the appearance of a "coronation" of Kamala Harris by awarding the ticket directly to the vice president, believing that an uncompetitive process would alienate voters, according to Politico.
Zoe Lofgren, a California representative and Pelosi ally, told MSNBC on Friday that while Harris would likely be the leading candidate, the position should not be given without a democratic process.
Lofgren suggested that a "mini primary" or a vetting process involving former presidents like Obama and Clinton could be beneficial in focusing attention on the selection.
President Joe Biden has announced that he's ready to return to the campaign trail next week, despite a growing number of Democratic lawmakers calling for him to step aside.
Meanwhile, Republican officials, strategists, and activists are exuding a confidence not seen in decades following their national convention in Milwaukee this week.
Donald Trump will hold his first public campaign rally since he was injured in an assassination attempt on Saturday, with an event in the battleground state of Michigan alongside his new running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance.
