Biden Under The Microscope As Donors, Business Leaders Step Up Call For Him To End Race: ‘Unfortunately … The President’s Debate Performance Was Not An Anomaly’

President Joe Biden’s own party members, his ardent backers and Democratic megadonors have stepped up calls for him to quit the race following his abysmal debate performance, reportedly sending a private letter on Friday urging him to do so.

What Happened: In the letter, which was organized by the “Leadership Now Project,” a prominent group of political donors, civic leaders and business executives said, “We respectfully urge you to withdraw from being a candidate for reelection for the sake of our democracy and the future of our nation,” according to the Washington Post.

The letter was signed by 168 people and continued to gain signatures even after its delivery to senior White House officials, the report said. It was reportedly delivered to multiple White House advisers.

Leadership Now Project, founded in 2018, works toward mitigating threats to democratic norms as well as “protect and renew American democracy.”

The signatories include:

• Christy Walton, the billionaire daughter-in-law of Walmart’s founder Sam Walton
• Retired NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue
• Billionaire investor Mike Novogratz
• Ex-Google executive Ning Mosberger-Tang
• Warburg Pincus Managing Director Harsha Marti
• Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig
• New York University professor and podcaster Scott Galloway
• Weyco Group CEO Tom Florsheim
• Former Army secretary Louis Caldera
• Hedge fund investor Kevin Brennan of Bridgewater Associates
• Vicky Hausman, the CEO of Forward Majority, a group that supports Democrats in state legislative elections

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Daniella Ballou-Aares, the CEO of the Leadership Now Project, said in an interview with CNBC that the organization’s primary concern is the risk that Trump presents and the potential of him returning to the White House.

“Unfortunately, I think the president’s debate performance was not an anomaly,” she said.

“We should do everything possible to see the new nominee, for him to pass the torch to the very capable bench of Democratic candidates,” she added.

In the letter, the signatories called upon Biden to cement his legacy by passing the torch just as George Washington did.

Opposition Brewing In Democratic Camp: Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is striving to mobilize some likeminded Democratic senators to ask Biden to exit the presidential race, a separate Washington Post report said, citing people with direct knowledge of the effort.

The senator reportedly told his colleagues that the president can no longer be in contention due to his faltering debate performance. He told them that he was deeply concerned that Biden has not been able to run a campaign to effectively challenge Trump, the report said.

Biden told reporters that he spoke with 20 Congress members, all of whom supported him staying in the campaign, with Warner being the sole member advocating for him to end it.

“There’s a growing consensus among Senate Democrats that the situation with Biden at the top of the ticket is untenable, and senators are trying to determine the best way to relay that message to an insulated president,” the Washington Post noted. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has reportedly told senators to try to wait to make any moves until there is more polling data about Biden and the Democrats’ standing among voters.

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