Is this the week that finally broke Joe Biden?

Within the last week, Joe Biden acknowledged that he initially ran as a “transitional” candidate, claimed that no poll has shown any other Democratic candidate winning against Donald Trump, and that he would end his campaign if he was diagnosed with an urgent “medical condition.”

And, as if in response, prominent Democratic Party leaders told him to hang up his re-election campaign, poll after poll indicated there is no way he can win, and then he got COVID-19.

There have been daily “is this the end?” moments for Biden’s campaign since his first 2024 debate against his Republican rival on June 27, each one eclipsed by the one that followed, and every time the president has insisted that he will remain the nominee.

But a series of events within just the last 24 hours appear to have thrown that guarantee into jeopardy, more so than any other point within the last few weeks, with the trajectory of the presidential race and the country’s future hanging in the balance. On Thursday, reports emerged that Biden was more “receptive” to discussions of another candidate atop the ticket, and top Democrats told one outlet that he could step down as soon as this weekend.

The same day that a 20-year-old gunman fired an AR-15-style rifle at Donald Trump — who seized on the moment by raising a defiant fist in the air — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was meeting with the president in Delaware, reportedly urging him towards the exits.

Separately, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has reportedly told the president that polls are showing that there is no clear path to winning in November. Congressman Adam Schiff has also joined a growing chorus of House Democrats this week publicly urging him to drop out.

House Minority Leader Hakeem