Update (1130ET): It appears the situation is escalating fast in Democratic Party central this morning.

Axios reports that President Biden may decide to drop out of the presidential race as soon as this weekend, according to several top Democrats who believe the rising pressure will persuade the incumbent.

The 81-year-old president, now self-isolating with COVID, remains publicly dug in.

But privately he’s resigned to mounting pressure, bad polls, and untenable scrutiny making it impossible to continue his campaign, the Democrats tell us.

Others are reporting similar narratives and timelines building…

🚨 BOMBSHELL from @mikeallen + @JimVandeHei: Top Dems now believe Biden will exit

“Top Biden aides – including ones who initially urged him to fight on after the debate – are saying it’s now when, not if, Biden announces he’s not running.”https://t.co/R45PhVPO5Q

— Jake Wilkins (@JakeWilkns) July 18, 2024

The news prompted a surge in the odds of VP Kamala Harris getting the Democratic Party nomination (and collapse in Biden’s odds)…

Source: Bloomberg

This comes after reports of yet more gaffes by the aging Biden as he read aloud a note passed to him by a staffer during a virtual call with Democratic caucuses:

A staffer gave the 81-year-old president a note card with tips as he attempted to persuade members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus on Saturday that he was fit to serve and able to defeat former President Donald Trump on Election Day, the New York Times reported.

“Stay positive, you are sounding defensive,” Biden said on the call, seemingly reading directly from his staffer’s short missive.

You can’t make this up anymore.

Visualization of Democrats right now…

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As we detailed earlier, calls for enfeebled President Biden to call off his re-election bid are not only growing more numerous, but also more powerful, as three top Democratic officials — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — have all reportedly told the president that his campaign is worse than hopeless. 

Suggesting a coordinated effort, news about three separate conversations that happened in the last week all dropped on Wednesday. The gap between the discussions and the reports is likely attributable to a desire to first give Biden a chance to bail out gracefully race before more pressure was added using leaks to the media.

BIDEN: “Look at the heat I’m getting because I, I named a, uh, the, uh, secretary of defense — the black man” 🥴 pic.twitter.com/PJYzDznpIV

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 18, 2024

Pelosi was said to have shared specific polling results indicating Biden has no path to victory, and that his continued presence atop the 2024 ticket could doom the Democratic Party’s chances of re-taking control of the House. According to CNN’s sources, Biden insisted he can win, saying he’s seen polls that give him hope that it’s a closer race than other say. Trying to bolster her case, Pelosi asked longtime Biden advisor Mike Donilon join the call to review the numbers. 

According to a Thursday report in Axios, top Democrats think Biden may decide to drop out of the presidential race as soon as this weekend.

The seeming next step for Pelosi — and the others — would be a public statement urging Biden to quit. A Pelosi ally told Politico that such a statement is a possibility, saying, “The speaker does not want to call on him to resign, but she will do everything in her power to make sure it happens.” 

BIDEN: “And guess what? Save billions of tons of because of, of pollution, because people, uhwhenuhh, all the studies show, when you get from point A to point B in a train or a vehicle at the same distance you take the train.” pic.twitter.com/1yAzSGqTfq

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 16, 2024

News of Pelosi’s conversation came soon after word that Schumer had his own pointed conversation with Biden on Saturday. In a personal visit to Biden’s home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Schumer was said to have bluntly told Biden that quitting the race would be best for America and the Democratic Party.

Like Pelosi, Schumer attempted to use polling to paint a picture for the defiant 81-year-old. While many national polls show a relatively narrow margin, what counts is the seven battleground states — and Trump is ahead in all of them. Even CNN’s John King recently showed why Trump could be on track for a landslide win. While details are thinner, ABC News reports that Jeffries also voiced the same concerns directly to Biden, politely nudging him to quit. 

All of this came on what was already a very rough day for Biden. After looking especially weak speaking from podiums on the campaign trail, the White House announced that Biden had tested positive for Covid-19 and would return to Delaware to isolate while still performing his presidential duties. Notably, as he boarded and exited Air Force One, he was maskless — something that contravenes a leftist core belief.

More notable than his bare face was his exceedingly frail appearance: 

After exiting Air Force One, President Biden appears to struggle getting into the car, ultimately requiring Secret Service to physically lift him into place and even manually adjust his legs for him. 😬 #Parkinsons pic.twitter.com/mgY2ojsUi9

— gato 🐝 (@reina_amarillo) July 18, 2024

Forget a second term — will Biden even finish his first?