Joe Biden faces increasing pressure to quit the race, but has spent a lifetime overcoming the odds

WASHINGTON (AP) — To borrow a favorite phrase from the man himself, President Joe Biden is at an inflection point.

Is his on-the-ropes reelection campaign about public service or his ego? About securing his legacy or shaping the future? Such opposing forces of American politics have been clashing with each other since his awful debate with Donald Trump.

Biden now is weighing whether to bow to the mounting pressure to step aside. His decision will be based not just on this moment but on his long history in public life and the extraordinary personal struggles he has endured since the dawn of his political career.

His party’s swelling crisis of confidence in Biden’s capacity to beat Trump is confronting his legendary self-assuredness. The next days will prove to be critical.

Right now, he's dug in and he and his campaign have insisted he's staying in the race.

In the three weeks since the debate, Biden has banked on inertia and the fear of the unknown — and there are a lot of unknowns — to stem the panic in his party. But Democrats are increasingly seeking to push him out because of what they believe they do know: Biden is currently trailing Trump and threatens to bring them all down with him.

First with private signals, and now with coordinated leaks, some of the most influential Democrats in the country — among them Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer — let it be known they had doubts about Biden’s viability. Some told him so directly. All let it be known publicly. The polls — not great before the debate — are worse.

It suddenly looks like the walls are closing in.

Biden’s orbit, already shrinking, has grown smaller in recent days. He’s down to a few longtime aides as he decides what to do.

His loyalists express frustration that the Democratic criticism of the president is harming his ability to beat Trump. Campaign officials have said Biden has grown even more committed to staying in the race as the calls for him to go have mounted.

But there is also time for Biden to reconsider — a brief opening seemingly being exploited by party leaders trying to plot his exit.

Biden has kept a brisk schedule since the June 27 debate catastrophe, working to convince voters he has not gone to seed, that he is up for the task of another four years, that the debate was merely a “bad night."

After some well-received speeches mixed with so-so TV interviews and a day featuring an extended news conference in which he displayed a nuanced grasp of policy but also committed a few gasp-inducing gaffes, he got COVID-19.

Meanwhile in Milwaukee, energized and united Republicans celebrated Trump's nomination at their convention, their adoration stoked by his defiant response in the seconds after a gunman opened fire at his Pennsylvania rally in a failed attempt on his life.

Biden retreated to Delaware to isolate and recover. His biggest supporter and one of his closest advisers, Jill Biden, is with him.

Some Democrats hope Biden, while off the campaign trail for a while, will take a fresh look at the trajectory of the race and how he wants history to remember him over the coming days.

For Biden’s team it’s whiplash. His aides thought the president had quelled the flaring post-debate concerns about his age and acuity — twice.

First, he made a surprise call into MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” to make a flat-out challenge: “Any of these guys that don’t think I should run, run against me. Announce for president, challenge me at the convention!”

Then, he held his own for an hour last week at a news conference closing the NATO summit — speaking assuredly in a high-pressure, unscripted setting. Though, he flubbed when he named Trump instead of Kamala Harris as his vice president, after calling Ukraine’s president “Putin” and quickly correcting himself.

After a weekend time-out to let the country absorb the shock of the assassination attempt on Trump, calls for Biden to exit the race resurfaced. Even Joe Scarborough of “Morning Joe” added his voice to that chorus.

It sure didn't seem like isolation was changing his mind. On Friday, he bluntly called for restored unity and sought to shift the focus back to Trump’s agenda. He said he was looking forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week to challenge the Republican’s claims, “while making the case for my own record and the vision that I have for America: one where we save our democracy, protect our rights and freedoms, and create opportunity for everyone.”

“The stakes are high, and the choice is clear,” he said. Together, we will win.”

The president's loyalists are torn. Some believe they can quell the concerns once again, but there's also a new fear that maybe this time it’s for real. But Biden's entire life and history are stacked up against calling it quits. For him, giving up has never been the right answer.

This is a man who has been through so many personal trials and rebounded from the brink, dating back to the days after he was first elected to the Senate, when his first wife and baby daughter were killed in a car wreck that seriously injured his two young boys.

He suffered and survived two brain aneurysms. He has weathered the death of son Beau, the one he has often said should have been president some day. He's dealt with his other son's descent into drug addiction and more recently, conviction on gun charges.

Biden's been counted out politically many times, only to defy the conventional wisdom. He lost the first two presidential primaries in 2020 only to recover and win the election. Pundits predicted the midterm elections in 2022 would be a massive sweep by Republicans, but they were not.

So, how does Biden balance these very real concerns — about protecting the institutions he loves in a risky election where he says the bedrock of the nation is at stake, with a stubborn streak built by decades of experience that tells him to press forward through headwinds of doubt?

There are just a few weeks before a self-imposed deadline by Democrats to nominate Biden as their guy for 2024.

It's an effort to restore order — and tamp down any other signs of mutiny. Biden has to decide whether to shut it all out — the polls, the worries, the noise — and wager his public service legacy against Trump. To him, it's a gamble that risks democracy itself, as he’s put it, if he should lose.

Influential Democrats from the highest levels of the party apparatus, including congressional leadership headed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, are sending signals of worry.

Using mountains of data showing Biden’s standing could seriously damage the ranks of Democrats in Congress, frank conversations in public and private and now the president’s own few days off, many Democrats now see an opportunity to encourage a reassessment.

Former President Obama has privately expressed concerns, and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi privately warned Biden that Democrats could lose the ability to seize control of the House if he doesn’t step away.

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., who called earlier for Biden to quit the race, said Thursday he has had frequent conversations with Pelosi about this. Asked about reports that Pelosi is working behind the scenes to persuade Biden to step down, Smith said no other Democrat has the party's pulse more than she does.

“We respect Nancy right up to the fact that she stepped aside,” he said. “She still was very capable, but she passed the torch to the next generation.”

Smith added, “So I think she’s a good person to listen to about where we’re at right now as a party.” Biden is 81; Pelosi, 84.

Nearly two-thirds of Democrats say Biden should withdraw from the presidential race and let his party nominate a different candidate, according to a new survey by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Biden has dismissed the polls as an imperfect measure.

And he really is the only person to have beaten Trump. With 108 days until the election, in a year that has already seen shocking twists and turns, there's time for something else to happen to tip the scales one way or another.

There’s also no guarantee that another candidate, such as Vice President Kamala Harris, would fare better, and private squabbles in the party have broken out over who the replacement would be if Biden steps aside.

Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, Biden's closest friend in Congress and the co-chair of his campaign, was asked Thursday bout Biden staying in the race.

“I don’t have anything to tell," he said, shaking his head. “I don’t know.”

Associated Press Writers Zeke Miller and Calvin Woodward in Washington, Darlene Superville in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and Ellen Knickmeyer in Aspen, Colorado, contributed to this report.

FILE - President Joe Biden disembarks Air Force One as he arrives at Dover Air Force Base, in Dover, Del., July 17, 2024, from a campaign trip in Las Vegas. Biden now is weighing whether to bow to the mounting pressure to exit the presidential race. He insists he's staying in, but his decision will be based not just on this fraught moment but on his long history in public life and the extraordinary personal struggles he has endured since the dawn of his political career. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

President Joe Biden disembarks Air Force One as he arrives at Dover Air Force Base, in Dover, Del., Wednesday, July 17, 2024, from a campaign trip in Las Vegas. Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling in Las Vegas and is experiencing "mild symptoms" from the infection. Biden is going to his Rehoboth Beach home, where he will "self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time." (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

President Joe Biden takes the stage to speak at the 115th NAACP National Convention in Las Vegas, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Joe Biden speaks at the 115th NAACP National Convention in Las Vegas, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Biden is aiming to showcase his administration's support for Black voters. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

FILE - President Joe Biden speaks at a news conference on the final day of the NATO summit in Washington, July 11, 2024. Biden now is weighing whether to bow to the mounting pressure to exit the presidential race. His decision will be based not just on this fraught moment but on his long history in public life and the extraordinary personal, (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. Find the AP’s top photos of the day in Today’s Photo Collection. For up-to-the-minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan in AP Newsroom.

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WEEKEND COVERAGE

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For weekend stories, please click here for the Weekend Lookahead digest.

ADDS: ESCAPED-BULL-LASSOED; FINANCIAL MARKETS FRANCE-BARNIER-GAY RIGHTS ; SUPREME COURT-FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES; ELECTION 2024-DICK CHENEY-HARRIS; MAINE SHOOTING

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CAPITOL RIOT-INSIDE THE COURTHOUSE — Inside Washington’s federal courthouse, there’s no denying the reality of Jan. 6, 2021. Day after day, judges and jurors silently absorb chilling sights and sounds from television screens: rioters beating police, shattering windows and hunting for lawmakers. Hundreds of cases have systematically documented the weapons wielded, crimes committed, lives altered by physical and emotional damage. But outside the courtroom, in the political arena, it’s a starkly different story. By Michael Kunzelman, Alanna Durkin Richer and Cal Woodward. SENT: 1,410 words, photos. WITH: CAPITOL RIOT-INSIDE THE COURTHOUSE-MICHAEL FOY; CAPITOL RIOT-INSIDE THE COURTHOUSE-THOMAS WEBSTER; CAPITOL RIOT-INSIDE THE COURTHOUSE-SHANE JENKINS (all sent).

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TOP STORIES

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TRUMP-HUSH-MONEY — A judge agrees to postpone Donald Trump’s sentencing in his hush money case until after the November election, granting him a hard-won reprieve as he navigates the aftermath of his criminal conviction and the homestretch of his presidential campaign. By Michael R. Sisak and Jennifer Peltz. SENT: 930 words, photos.

ELECTION-2024 — Shortly after appearing in court for an appeal of a decision that found him liable for sexual abuse, Donald Trump steps in front of television cameras and brings up a string of past allegations of other acts of sexual misconduct, potentially reminding voters of incidents that were little-known or forgotten. By Jill Colvin, Michelle Price and Will Weissert. SENT: 1,040 words, photos, video. WITH: ELECTION 2024-TRUMP — Trump addresses the Fraternal Order of Police. Developing from speech now underway;; TRUMP-COLUMNIST-LAWSUIT — Former President Trump looked on as his lawyers pressed federal appeals judges to overturn a verdict finding him liable for sexual abuse and defamation. (sent).

GEORGIA-HIGH-SCHOOL-SHOOTING — The 14-year-old suspect in a shooting that killed four people at a Georgia high school and his father will both stay in custody after back-to-back court hearings. Their lawyers declined to seek bail at the hearings. Colt Gray was advised of his rights along with the charges and penalties he faced. Shortly afterward, his father, Colin Gray, was brought into court. Colin Gray was charged Thursday in connection with the shooting for letting his son possess a weapon. By Jeff Amy and Jeff Martin. SENT: 930 words, photos, video, audio. WITH: EDUCATION-SCHOOL SHOOTINGS — How to talk to kids about school shootings; GEORGIA-HIGH SCHOOL-SHOOTING-VICTIMS; SCHOOL SHOOTING-AN INSIDE LOOK; GEORGIA-HIGH-SCHOOL-SHOOTING-GUN-LAWS -- Georgia school shooting stirs debate about safe storage laws for guns. (all sent)

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-AMERICAN-KILLED — Israeli soldiers killed an American woman participating in an anti-settlement protest in the West Bank on Friday, another protester who witnessed the shooting told The Associated Press. Two doctors said she was shot in the head. By Julia Frankel and Aref Tufana. SENT: 1,040 words, video. WITH: ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Israeli forces appear to have withdrawn from three refugee camps in the occupied West Bank; MIDEAST-TENSION-THE-LATEST. (both sent).

ECONOMY-JOBS-REPORT —Hiring by America’s employers picked up a bit in August from July’s tepid pace, and the unemployment rate dipped for the first time since March in a sign that the job market may be cooling but remains sturdy. Employers added a modest 142,000 jobs, up from a scant 89,000 in July, the Labor Department said. By Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 1,140 words, photos.

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-CITY-IN-MOURNING – Thousands of mourners have gathered for funeral services in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv for victims of a Russian missile attack that killed seven people, including a mother and her three daughters. The pre-dawn blasts earlier this week in the historic center of the city also injured dozens of civilians and have shocked Ukrainians as the country endures a renewed round of Russian bombardment. SENT: 570 words, photos. WITH: RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-MILITARY-AID — Ukraine’s president has told U.S. and allied military leaders meeting in Germany that his country needs the ability to strike deep within Russia now. (sent)

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MORE NEWS

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ESCAPED-BULL-LASSOED — A bull that escaped from an Illinois farm spent hours on the run before men on horseback finally lassoed the beast in a scene straight out of the Old West. SENT: 270 words, photos, video.

BRAZIL-OBIT-SERGIO-MENDES — Sergio Mendes, the Grammy-winning Brazilian musician whose hit “Mas Que Nada” made him a global legend, has died at age 83 after months battling the effects of long COVID. SENT: 280 words, photo.

ITALY-TREVI FOUNTAIN — Rome city officials are considering a 2-euro fee to access Rome’s famed Trevi Fountain. SENT: 370 words, photo.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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ELECTION-2024-EDUCATION-CHILD-CARE — When former President Donald Trump was asked about how he would bring down the cost of child care for American families, he cited hiking taxes on foreign goods. But economists said the tariffs are unlikely to bring in enough money to tackle child care after funding Trump’s tax cuts. Just how much would the government need to spend to bring down the cost of child care? Previous large-scale proposals offer some hints. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos by 4 p.m.

ELECTION 2024-RUSSIAN INFLUENCE — The indictment of two Russian state media employees accused of paying a Tennessee company to create pro-Russian content is revealing Moscow’s latest tactic for meddling in the November election. U.S. authorities say the company employed several popular right-wing influencers who regularly criticized America’s support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. SENT: 940 words, photos.

ELECTION-2024-WALZ-ISRAEL-HAMAS — Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz said that those protesting American support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza are doing so for “all the right reasons,” as the Democratic ticket looks to balance its support for Israel with the humanitarian plight of civilians in the war-torn enclave. SENT: 560 words, photos.

BIDEN-WORKERS — President Joe Biden signs an executive order for federal grants that would prioritize projects with labor agreements, wage standards and benefits such as access to child care and apprenticeship programs. SENT: 500 words, photos.

ELECTION 2024-DEBATE-ABC NEWS — Kamala Harris and Donald Trump aren’t the only ones with a lot riding on Tuesday’s debate. So is ABC News, which is responsible for running it. By David Bauder. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.

ELECTION 2024-DEBATE HISTORY — It could be a well-rehearsed zinger, a too-loud sigh, or a full performance befuddled enough to shockingly end a sitting president’s reelection bid. Notable moments from past presidential debates demonstrate how the candidates’ words and body language can make them look especially relatable or hopelessly out-of-touch. SENT: 1,260 words, photos.

Find all debate content on the APNewsroom hub.

ELECTION-2024-BALLOT-MEASURES-ABORTION — Abortion rights questions are on the ballot in nine U.S. states in November and could help draw more voters to the polls. Experts say whether that helps put Democrats over the top in close elections may depend on whether candidates talk much about the issue. SENT: 1,190 words, photo, video.

ELECTION 2024-NORTH CAROLINA BALLOTS — ARobert F. Kennedy Jr. has scored a pair of legal victories Friday in the battleground states of North Carolina and Michigan in his quest to get his name off of the ballots. SENT: 720 words, photos.

SUPREME COURT-FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES — Justice Samuel Alito reports that he accepted $900 worth of concert tickets from a German princess, but discloses no trips paid for by other people, according to a new financial disclosure form. SENT: 490 words, photo.

ELECTION 2024-DICK CHENEY-HARRIS — Former Vice President Dick Cheney, a lifelong Republican, will be voting for Kamala Harris for president, his daughter Liz Cheney says. SENT: 200 words, photo.

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NATIONAL

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WHITEY-BULGER — A former Mafia hitman has been sentenced to 25 years in the 2018 prison killing of notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger. Fotios “Freddy” Geas was sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. The 89-year-old Bulger was beaten to death in his cell at a West Virginia prison hours after arriving from a Florida penitentiary. SENT: 810 words, photos.

HURRICANE-RECOVERY-LOUISIANA — Although it has been nearly four years since hurricanes Laura and Delta decimated southwest Louisiana and caused an estimated $22 billion in damage nationwide, some residents say they are still far from recovery. Delays in Congress and a lengthy process to approve federal funding forced people in a city where one-fifth of the population falls below the poverty line to dip into their savings to afford rent. SENT: 1,460 words, photos, video. A 1,000-word abridged version also has moved.

RECKONING-PUBLIC-HEALTH — More than 200 cities and counties declared racism was a public health crisis in the past few years, mostly after George Floyd was murdered by police in Minneapolis. Racial justice advocates say they felt heard by the swell of political will to address disparities, but community organizers and public health advocates say not much has changed. SENT: 1,400 words, photos.

MAINE SHOOTING — Maine’s governor says there has been a huge jump in law enforcement requests for Maine courts to allow guns to be seized from people deemed a danger to themselves or others since the deadliest mass shooting in state history. SENT: 690 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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FRANCE-BARNIER-GAY RIGHTS — Critics have found a skeleton in the closet almost as soon as Michel Barnier was named France’s new prime minister. Back in 1981, when he was a 30-year-old lawmaker, Barnier was among more than 150 conservatives in the National Assembly who voted against a law that decriminalized young homosexuals. SENT: 770 words, photos.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE

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SCI-STUCK-ASTRONAUTS -- Boeing’s beleaguered astronaut capsule is set to depart the International Space Station without its crew. SENT: 280 words, photos, developing.

AFRICA-MPOX-RESPONSE-PLAN — The Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization launched a continent-wide response plan to the outbreak of mpox, three weeks after WHO declared outbreaks in 12 African countries a global emergency. SENT: 470 words, photo.

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BUSINESS

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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Another rout hit Wall Street, leaving the market with its worst week in 18 months, after a jobs report billed as the most important of the year came in weak enough to keep worries high about the economy. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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ENT-MUSIC-PARIS-HILTON-INTERVIEW — Nearly two decades ago, Paris Hilton released her debut album, 2006’s eponymous “Paris” — an album of breezy pop music that offered a soundtrack to her cheery and decadent public-facing lifestyle, anchored by the reggae-lite sugar rush of “Stars Are Blind.” On Friday, she will release her long-awaited follow-up, “Infinite Icon,” executive produced by Sia and featuring Rina Sawayama, Megan Trainor, Megan Thee Stallion and Maria Becerra. SENT: 500 words, photos, video.

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SPORTS

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FBN-PACKERS-EAGLES — The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers will play the first regular-season game ever to take place in South America when these two 2023 playoff teams open their seasons against each other. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. The game starts at 8:15 p.m.

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The Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar, left, bids farewell to Pope Francis, as he leaves after signing the "Joint Declaration of Istiqlal 2024" at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. Pope Francis urged Indonesia to live up to its promise of "harmony in diversity" and fight religious intolerance on Wednesday, as he set a rigorous pace for an 11-day, four-nation trip through tropical Southeast Asia and Oceania. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump waves as he departs a campaign event at the Economic Club of New York, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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