During President Joe Biden 's visit to Camp David on Sunday he is expected to discuss with his family the future of his re-election campaign, according to a report.
Biden's trip to Camp David was announced before the debate on June 23, and he is expected to be joined by first lady Jill Biden, their children, and grandchildren. However, the subject of his reelection bid is expected to come up, according to a report from NBC.
Still, a source familiar told the outlet that any conversation would be an afterthought and not a formal family meeting. A source familiar told the Washington Examiner later Sunday afternoon that Biden's family was united in urging him to stay in the 2024 race.
Biden's widely criticized debate performance Thursday night left Democrats panicked about his ability to beat former President Donald Trump in November, nor did it ease concerns about his cognitive capabilities.
Another source told the outlet that the ultimate "decision-makers" about Biden's reelection campaign will be Biden and his wife.
“The decision-makers are two people — it’s the president and his wife,” one of the sources familiar with the discussions told NBC News, adding: “Anyone who doesn’t understand how deeply personal and familial this decision will be isn’t knowledgeable about the situation.”
One anonymous aide told NBC that Biden was aware of what others were saying about his debate performance, notably about the optics of his glazed-over eyes and his mouth slightly agape. Still, many said Biden is looking at the poor performance as a setback he will come back from, as he has done many other political hiccups.
“We had a bad debate,” Anita Dunn, a close political advisor to Biden, said. “What do we do next? You know, the president, above all, is focused on what do we do next? What do I need to go do?”
On Saturday, the Biden campaign had a phone call with the Democratic National Committee to calm fears from the party about the fallout from the debate performance.
“Democrats need to take a big breath and look at that polling, look at swing voters,” said one state Democratic Party chair. “Until I see something differently, he’s the person that’s put this coalition together, he’s the person that has the record, he’s the person that beat Donald Trump. Until I see something differently, he’s still the best person to beat Donald Trump.”
Despite the performance, the Biden campaign reported they fundraised $27 million in the two days after the debate.
“I would not be running again if I didn’t believe with all my heart and soul I can do this job,” Biden said in North Carolina the day following his debate performance.
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Both former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton have vowed their support for Biden over a new candidate.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House for comment.
Naomi Lim contributed to this report.
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