Democratic benefactors request Biden to make way – The Washington Post

In the aftermath of a chaotic debate between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, dissatisfaction is escalating among crucial supporters and endorsers.

On Friday, a collective of 168 individuals who support the Democratic Party, composed of prominent financiers and scholars, drafted a letter to President Biden, encouraging him to withdraw his pursuit of reelection, according to anonymous sources cited by The Washington Post. The past week has seen a rise in claims from multiple media sources suggesting increasing pressure on Biden from within his party, despite the incumbent's staunch resistance to capitulating.

The televised debate between Biden and his Republican adversary Donald Trump last week exacerbated concerns over the 81-year-old's mental and physical capacity to govern the nation for another term. Biden's performance was marked by hesitations and he looked physically fragile and mentally disoriented – circumstances that he and his campaigners attribute to a cold and exhaustion from travel.

The Post's Friday feature detailed the letter's polite request for Biden to "withdraw from the candidacy for reelection for the sake of our democracy and the future of our nation."

The entreaty refers to the potential "perils of a second Donald Trump term" and advises Biden to ensure his legacy by "passing the torch, just like George Washington did."

The Post reported that the 168 signatories included individuals such as Christy Walton, the mega-rich daughter-in-law of Walmart's founder, billionaire investor Mike Novogratz, and Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig, in addition to numerous other elite business leaders and scholars.

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings expressed his perspective to the New York Times on Wednesday, stating, "Biden needs to step aside to allow a strong Democratic leader to trump Trump and secure our safety and prosperity." Hastings was one of the earliest Democratic sponsors to air his disappointment publicly, though it's suggested that there's a similar sentiment shared privately among his contemporaries.

Charles Myers, chair of Signum Global Advisors and another notable Democratic Party contributor, disclosed to Bloomberg Surveillance on the same day that Biden has a "four to five-day" window to demonstrate his fitness to persist in the election race.

Despite all the suggestions he should withdraw, the President remains resolute.

"I want to be as clear and unequivocal as I can: I am running... nobody is forcing me out. I am not exiting," the politician declared on a call with campaign staff members on Wednesday.