'Frantic Phone Calls' and Lots of 'Waiting': Inside the Biden Campaign as Democrats Push for New Nominee (Exclusive)

“Everyone believes privately he needs to go,” a Democratic Party source tells PEOPLE about Joe Biden’s candidacy. “But he’s a stubborn guy”

Joe Biden's floundering campaign for a second term is leading to "endless frantic phone calls across the party" about the president dropping out, according to a Democratic Party source.

Reports have been surfacing for weeks saying that powerful Democrats are privately urging Biden to abandon his reelection bid. Many of those conversations have begun spilling into public view, as calls for him to step aside grow louder by the day.

“Everyone believes privately he needs to go," the source claims of Biden's campaign staffers. "But he’s a stubborn guy, so most people are waiting. They will believe it when they see it.”

Related: Why Powerful Democrat Adam Schiff Is Joining the Call for Biden to Step Aside: ‘Our Nation Is at a Crossroads’

The source adds that, within the campaign, people are comparing the situation to dealing with an aging parent: “Ever try taking a car away from your elderly parent? That’s literally what’s happening right now."

When reached for comment, a Biden campaign spokesperson denied the source's claims and directed PEOPLE to the July 19 broadcast of Morning Joe, in which campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon refuted that Biden is considering an exit from the race.

Related: George Clooney Urges His Friend Joe Biden to ‘Save Democracy’ by Exiting 2024 Race: ‘One Battle He Cannot Win’

During her Morning Joe appearance, O'Malley Dillon said that Biden is "absolutely" still in the race and that he's "more committed than ever to beat Donald Trump."

"You've heard him say that time and time again, and I think we saw on display last night [at the Republican National Convention] exactly why, because Donald Trump is not going to offer anything new to the American people," O'Malley Dillon said. "[Trump is] the same person he was in 2020. He's the same person he was on the debate stage. He's the same person that is about himself and not about the American people."

"...And we believe on this campaign we are built for the close election that we are in, and we see the path forward," she added. "The president is the leader of our campaign and of the country, and he is clearly in our impression and what we've built and in our engagement with voters, he's the best person to take on Donald Trump and prosecute that case and present his vision versus what we saw last night."

Related: Republican National Convention: Read the Full Recap

After being asked to address Democratic leaders' public calls to let other potential candidates challenge Trump, O'Malley Dillon acknowledged that its been "a tough several weeks for the campaign" and that "the American people know the president is older."

"Yes, of course we have a lot of work to do to make sure we are reassuring the American people that, yes, he's old, and he can do the job and he can win. I think that's really fundamentally what we're built for as a campaign," she said. "This entire campaign has been built for how close this race is going to be. It was close in 2020. It's going to be close in 2024."

Related: Kamala Harris Would Outperform Joe Biden in 2024 Matchup Against Donald Trump: New Poll

Since the June 27 presidential debate in Atlanta, during which Biden had a weak performance against Trump, a growing chorus of influential Democrats have expressed their concerns about the campaign both in public and behind closed doors.

A CNN poll conducted by SSRS after the debate suggested that Vice President Kamala Harris could have a stronger lead over Trump than Biden would. An AP-NORC poll released on Wednesday, July 17, revealed that two-third of Democrats and 77% of independents want Biden to drop out.

Related: Joe Biden Says Only ‘the Lord Almighty’ Could Make Him Drop Out of the 2024 Presidential Race

Speaking with BET in an interview excerpted by The New York Times, Biden said he would consider dropping out if he "had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody, if doctors came to me and said, 'You got this problem and that problem.' "

Biden was also asked at an earlier press conference if he would step aside if polling showed Harris, 59, had a better chance in the election. "No, unless they come back and say, 'There's no way you can win,' " he said, adding, "no poll's saying that."

In a statement released on July 17, the White House revealed that Biden tested positive for COVID-19 after a Las Vegas event and would be "returning to Delaware where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time."

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