Top Biden ally says president is weighing options for November

One of the national co-chairs of President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign acknowledged Friday that the president is evaluating which potential candidate is best positioned to defeat Donald Trump, as Biden continues to face increasing pressure from fellow Democrats to hand the torch to a new nominee.

Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), one of Biden’s closest allies in the Senate and a co-chair of Biden’s 2024 campaigns, said that the president is reflecting on next steps and listening to advisers as he decides on his political future.

“I think our president is weighing what he should weigh, which is who is the best candidate to win in November and to carry forward the Democratic Party's values and priorities in this campaign,” he told The Washington Post’s Ellen Nakashima, who was moderating a conversation with Coons and other senators on foreign policy.

The Biden campaign pointed POLITICO to comments from campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Friday. O’Malley Dillon said “absolutely the president is in this race, you've heard him say that time and time again... He is the best person to take on Donald Trump."

Coons also stressed his support for Biden in the session, and followed up later on Friday with a post on X that "he's told me he's in it to win it. I'm with him 100% because I know he can beat Trump just like he did last time."

But the statement from Coons comes as Biden faces relentless pressure publicly and privately to decline his party’s nomination and allow a younger candidate to face off against Trump and running mate JD Vance in November.

On Friday, a wave of congressional Democrats joined calls for Biden to step aside , in spite of the Biden campaign’s efforts to stanch the political bleeding and assuage anxious Democrats following a rough debate performance in June. Biden has held listening calls for several weeks with groups including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congressional Black Caucus in order to shore up support and address concerns.

Meanwhile, top Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama have reportedly maneuvered to convince Biden to drop out of the race.

Biden surrogates and campaign spokespersons have denied media reports the president is evaluating the future of the ticket and considering stepping down.