Brutal week for Biden ends with deluge of calls to quit

US leader insists he remains most viable candidate to beat Trump as concerned Democrat donors hold $90m hostage

- ALEX WOODWARD, ANDREW FEINBERG

Joe Biden is facing more public calls to abandon his re-election bid after embarrassing verbal stumbles at the Nato summit, and amid reports that Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi have spoken privately about persuading him to quit.

After a competent but faltering appearance at a high-stakes new conference on the world's stage, his campaign is hoping to end talk of his replacement as the Democratic candidate over concerns about his fitness for office. But aides have been unable to stop a deluge of Democrats in Congress, celebrities, and donors calling on him to quit, with potentially $90m (£69m) worth of donations now at stake if he remains atop the ticket.

Barack Obama has reportedly spoken privately with former House speaker Nancy Pelosi about concerns that Mr Biden may not be up to the task of defeating Donald Trump, adding to fears that the president will spend the next several months heading into an election he cannot win. According to multiple reports, Mr Obama and Ms Pelosi are still unsure of how to make the case to Mr Biden that he needs to stand down.

Mr Obama appeared with Mr Biden at a fundraiser last month, before the 81-year-old president's floundering performance in his first 2024 debate against Trump. He initially spoke up in Mr Biden's defence in a post-debate social media post, but he hasn't spoken on the matter since, and appears to be taking a wait-and-see approach in the hopes that Mr Biden will make a decision on his own.