President Biden spent Sunday with his family at Camp David to discuss the future of his reelection campaign following his disastrous debate defeat, according to a new report.
Those close to Biden, 81, believe the president and first lady Jill Biden alone will determine his future as president. NBC News reported.He cited several senior Democratic Party sources.
“There are two decision makers – the president and his wife,” one of the sources told the outlet. “Anyone who doesn’t understand how personal and familial this decision is doesn’t know the situation well.”
Another source added, “The only person with ultimate influence over him is the first lady. If she decides a change in policy is needed, that will happen.”
White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said Biden’s trip to the presidential residence in Maryland, where he spent a week preparing for last Thursday’s debate, was planned in advance. He said on Saturday.
During his debacle 90-minute debate with former President Trump, Biden often appeared dazed and open-mouthed, and he occasionally froze in mid-thought, slipped up and struggled to form coherent sentences.
The 80-year-old president returned to Camp David with the first lady on Saturday night and was reunited with his children and grandchildren.
However, a source told NBC News that the Camp David gathering was not considered a formal family reunion.
“Any discussions about the campaign are expected to be informal or post-hoc,” the source told the outlet. “No one has begun any formal or definitive discussions.”
The Maryland trip will be a respite for Biden, who spent the weekend at a lavish fundraiser in the Hamptons and at the mansion of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
The planned stop at Camp David came after White House aides made it clear Biden would have difficulty operating outside of a six-hour window between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
White House aides say Biden is prone to gaffes and fatigue at other times and when traveling abroad. He told Axios It’s a bizarre attempt to reverse his disastrous debate defeat.
Biden is scheduled to remain at Camp David through Tuesday.
The editorial boards of The New York Times and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution called on Biden to drop out of the race just days after his debate appearance.
Democratic leaders, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, are publicly on the defensive while privately panicking over Biden’s “terrible” debate performance.
