Thursday Briefing

President Biden’s third bout with Covid sidelined him as he was trying to re-energize his campaign in Nevada.Credit…Eric Lee/The New York Times

Biden’s still in but ‘willing to listen,’ Democrats say

President Biden has become more receptive in the last several days to hearing arguments about why he should drop his re-election bid, Democrats said, after Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the party’s top leaders in Congress, privately told him they were deeply concerned about his prospects.

The president tested positive for Covid yesterday, according to the White House, forcing him to cancel an event in Las Vegas and most likely sidelining him for days. A spokeswoman said he was “experiencing mild symptoms” and would “carry out the full duties of the office while in isolation.”

Three weeks after Biden’s disastrous debate performance, allies and supporters continue to press him to quit the race, saying he has little chance to defeat Donald Trump in November. Democratic Party leaders agreed to delay the start of Biden’s nomination by a week, prolonging the debate over the viability of his candidacy.

Quotable: One person close to the president said he was “willing to listen” to the case for dropping out but had no plans to abandon his campaign.

A growing rebellion: Nearly two-thirds of Democratic voters want Biden to quit the race, according to a recent survey. And Congressional Democrats have warned that his sagging prospects will make it much harder for them to win critical House and Senate races in November.

Biden’s mind-set: What would cause the president to drop out of the race? He has offered a list of scenarios — which has recently grown.