The polls have worsened as some Democratic donors and lawmakers have publicly called on the president to step down. Ramesh Kapoor, an Indian-American industrialist living in Massachusetts, has been organizing fundraisers for the Democratic Party since 1988.
“I think it's time for him to pass the torch,” Mr Kapur told the BBC. “I know he's got the drive, but you can't go up against Mother Nature.”
And two Democrats in Congress have also called for a change in the party's frontrunner, the latest of whom, Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva, told The New York Times that it was time for Democrats to “look elsewhere.”
Despite this, the White House and the Biden campaign have vehemently denied reports that he is actively considering his future, and have said he is committed to defeating Trump for a second time on November 5.
The New York Times and CNN reported on Wednesday that Mr. Biden was assessing with unnamed aides whether to stay in the race.
According to both reports, the president has told allies he knows his reelection is at stake and that his upcoming appearances, including the ABC News interview and a rally Friday in Wisconsin, are critical to his campaign.
Just before White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced a barrage of questions about Biden's intention to enter the race, a spokeswoman denied the report as “completely false.”
She said reports that he might miss out were untrue: “We asked the president and the president himself said… and said, 'No, that's absolutely false.' That's his own words.”
Mr. Biden met with 20 Democratic governors across the country on Wednesday, including Gavin Newsom of California and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, both of whom are being mentioned as potential replacements for Mr. Biden if he were to step down.
“The president has always supported us, and we will continue to support him,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told reporters after the meeting.
New York Gov. Kathy Call said more than two dozen governors who had just met with the president had pledged their support, and Mr. Biden had pledged to “work to win.”
But Ms. Harris is still seen as the most likely candidate. The 59-year-old has struggled with low approval ratings, but her support among Democrats has increased since the Biden-Trump debate.
