Biden began considering dropping out Saturday evening: report

According to sources close to the president who were granted anonymity for the report, Biden had remained determined to run for weeks leading up to the dropout, even though the writing for him to step aside had been on the wall with bad polls and top Democrats pressuring him to step down.

Biden reportedly confided in his top aides that he was "open to an alternative ending," as reported by the outlet. Mike Donilon, Steve Ricchetti, as well as deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini and senior advisor to Jill Biden, Anthony Bernal, were reportedly privy to the discussions in Rehoboth.

This led to phone calls to Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden’s chief of staff Jeff Zients, as well as the Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon. Biden then phoned calls with a few senior advisors before putting out the announcement on Sunday that he was stepping out of the race.

The post on X reportedly blindsided many White House staffers, who had apparently been told that he would be sticking in the race up until they saw the post with the letter from Biden.

“I could not be more proud to work for President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the American people — alongside all of you, the best White House team in history,” Zients said in an email to Biden staffers obtained by the outlet.

Pressure for Biden to drop out had been increasing for weeks after he had a dismal debate performance against Donald Trump in late June. When Biden dropped out, he immediately endorsed Harris for the presidency.