That is how the New York Post put it. The original report comes from NBC News:
President Joe Biden is expected to discuss the future of his re-election campaign with family at Camp David on Sunday, following a nationally televised debate Thursday that left many fellow Democrats worried about his ability to beat former President Donald Trump in November, according to five people familiar with the matter.
The trip to Camp David was scheduled before Thursday’s debate, but that doesn’t mean the conversation won’t take place. So who are the key players?
“The decision-makers are two people — it’s the president and his wife,” one of the sources familiar with the discussions said, adding: “Anyone who doesn’t understand how deeply personal and familial this decision will be isn’t knowledgeable about the situation.”
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Another person familiar with the dynamics said Biden will ultimately listen to only one adviser.“The only person who has ultimate influence with him is the first lady,” this person said. “If she decides there should be a change of course, there will be a change of course.”
My reading of Jill Biden is that she would sooner slit her wrists than leave the White House.
The New York Times, which has been among the leaders in calling on Biden to step down, refers to the Democrats’ situation as “a mess” and says they are in a “frenzy.” The Times obviously has many sources within the Democratic Party, but the current reporting doesn’t indicate a consensus. They say Biden’s campaign for survival is having an effect:
By Saturday, their efforts appeared to have successfully slowed the tide of prominent Democrats calling for Mr. Biden to step aside.
One striking thing is that, based on reporting by the Times and others, no one within the Democratic Party is seriously saying that Biden is capable of serving a second term. Rather, the sole imperative is to beat Donald Trump. That has taken on the aura of a holy crusade.
So the question isn’t Biden’s capacity–of course he is senile–but rather, do the Democrats have a viable alternative?
One of Mr. Biden’s top advisers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preserve relationships, said the idea that a younger candidate could replace Mr. Biden and still beat Mr. Trump in November was akin to a “D.C. parlor fantasy.” The adviser compared that hope to the speculation that Nikki Haley or other Republicans could have knocked Mr. Trump off the G.O.P. ticket.
As Steve says, this morning’s talk shows may provide a clue as to which way the wind is blowing. And if Biden’s polls crater, that might force the issue. But I believe it is true that the Democrats don’t have a way to get rid of Biden without his consent, and if that decision does lie in Jill Biden’s hands, the opinions of all the nation’s pundits and newspaper editors may not matter.
