USA White House denies report on Biden's possible withdrawal

The White House has denied a report in the New York Times suggesting that US President Joe Biden is considering withdrawing from the presidential race. "This allegation is absolutely false," said a spokesperson for the government headquarters when asked. "If the New York Times had given us more than seven minutes to comment on this, we would have told them so."

The newspaper's report said Biden had spoken to a "key ally" about the matter. According to the ally, the 81-year-old said that he knew he might not be able to save his candidacy if he could not convince the public of his suitability as a presidential candidate in the coming days.

Last week, Biden made a disastrous appearance in a TV debate against his challenger Donald Trump. In the meantime, the pressure on the Democrat is also growing within his own ranks. The best-known faces of the party have so far held back with harsh criticism and are publicly backing Biden.

The White House is trying to dispel doubts about his suitability for the office and to make up for his botched television appearance as best it can.

Biden wants to meet with Democratic governors today to secure their support. He plans to give a television interview on Friday. In addition, campaign appearances are planned in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania in the coming days. Next week, he plans to give a press conference at the NATO summit in Washington.

SDA