On Thursday evening, the New York Times reported that ‘people close to Biden’ say the president has “begun to accept the idea that he may not be able to win in November and may have to drop out of the race.”

The Biden campaign swiftly answered – insisting that wasn’t true, while longtime Biden ally Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) – whose daughter Biden sniffed – said that the president is still seeking ‘input’ from colleagues on what to do.

On Friday, Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon insisted on MSNBC‘s ‘Morning Joe’ that the president is staying in the campaign against all odds.

“He’s our nominee and he’s going to be our president for a second term,” she said, acknowledging that “this has been such a hard week,” but that Biden will be “back on the trail next week” after allegedly contracting COVID.

“This is an organization built for the Biden-Harris ticket,” she continued.

BREAKING – YOUR REACTION: Biden-Harris Campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon (@jomalleydillon) says no alternative plan to replace Biden, says after knocking on 100,000 doors in battleground states, 76% of people said they stand with Joe Biden, others have questions being addressed.… pic.twitter.com/2pS9GCUZLL

— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) July 19, 2024

New Biden campaign email just now: “Joe Biden has made it more than clear: He’s in this race and he’s in it to win it. Moreover, he’s the presumptive nominee — there is no plan for an alternative nominee. In a few short weeks, Joe Biden will be the official nominee.”

— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) July 19, 2024

Meanwhile, more prominent Democrats issued statements on Friday calling for Biden to drop out.

Reps. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Marc Veasey (D-Texas), Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) issued a joint statement Friday morning, writing that while they have “great admiration” for Biden, the public worries over his age and fitness for office are threatening his chances of winning the election, zeroing in on his disastrous debate performance last month. -The Hill

“Mr. President, with great admiration for you personally, sincere respect for your decades of public service and patriotic leadership, and deep appreciation for everything we have accomplished together during your presidency, it is now time for you to pass the torch to a new generation of Democratic leaders,” the four wrote in a letter. “At this point, however, we must face the reality that widespread public concerns about your age and fitness are jeopardizing what should be a winning campaign.”

“These perceptions may not be fair, but they have hardened in the aftermath of last month’s debate and are now unlikely to change,” the lawmakers continued, writing that “We believe the most responsible and patriotic thing you can do in this moment is to step aside as our nominee while continuing to lead our party from the White House.“

Veasey marks the first member of the Congressional Black Caucus to call on Biden to step aside, while the other three, Huffman, Garcia and Pocan, are members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

The four see Vice President Kamala Harris as leading the pack of the “deep and talented branch” Biden could pass the torch to.

“Democrats have a deep and talented bench of younger leaders, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, who you have lifted up, empowered, and prepared for this moment,” they wrote. “Passing the torch would fundamentally change the trajectory of the campaign.”

Also meanwhile, a Democratic Party committee will meet on Friday to discuss a virtual voting process to nominate Biden as the party’s candidate. The vote would take place ahead of the DNC’s in-person convention, which begins Aug. 19 in Chicago. It’s unclear how the nominating process would continue if Biden were to leave the race.

The prediction markets are less confident…