US President Joe Biden has told an ally that he knows he may not be able to salvage his candidacy if he cannot convince the public in the coming days that he is up for the job after his debate performance last week, the New York Times reports.
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After the report was published, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates wrote on social media: "This claim is absolutely false".
The Times quoted an ally as saying that Biden "knows if he has two more events like that, we're in a different place" by the end of the weekend.
The report described the ally as "key" but did not name the person.
The headline of the report said that Biden told the ally he is weighing whether to continue in the race.
The text of the report did not include any reference to those comments.
CNN later reported a similar conversation with an unnamed ally, who was quoted as saying that Biden is "not oblivious".
In its report, CNN said Biden had privately acknowledged to an ally that the next stretch was critical to whether he can save his re-election bid.
"The polls are plummeting, the fundraising is drying up, and the interviews are going badly. He's not oblivious," CNN quoted the ally as saying.
The president has said he was tired during the debate after two foreign trips, and during the debate, White House officials said he had a cold.
Biden's campaign has held damage control calls with donors, and is planning to hold a meeting with Democratic governors later on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris has been the White House's first line of defence following the dismal debate showing.
She conceded to a few dozen donors in San Francisco, the president's performance was "not his finest hour."
However, she said, "the outcome of this election cannot be determined by one day in June."
The moment could hardly be more delicate for the 59-year-old Harris, who is the first woman, Black person and person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president.
Although some Democrats have pointed to her as a logical successor if Biden steps aside, others are drawing up wish lists of potential replacements that don't include her on the ticket at all.
Depending on how the coming days and weeks unfold, her work on Biden's behalf could lead to a political dead end, or secure her future within the party by providing fresh opportunities to prove her doubters wrong.
Chad Griffin, a member of the campaign's national finance committee, said the White House was fortunate to have a vice president that is "tough as nails" and "out there defending the president and talking about the stakes of this election."
"They're a team," he said.
"And we're increasingly seeing the other half of that team."
A wounded Biden appears to be pulling Harris closer.
They were scheduled to have one of their occasional private lunches on Wednesday, and the vice president was belatedly added to the schedule for his Fourth of July celebration at the White House on Thursday.
Only 39 per cent of US adults have a favourable view of Harris, which is in line with Biden's 40 per cent, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in June.
However, her unfavourable rating is 49 per cent, lower than Biden's 57 per cent, and 12 per cent said they weren't familiar enough with Harris to have an opinion of her.
with AP
Australian Associated Press
