Biden Insider Warns Obama Asking President to Step Aside Could Cause Him to ‘Dig In,’ Reports Alex Thompson

A pressure campaign from party elders — and especially former President Barack Obama — to get President Joe Biden to step aside could backfire, Axios’s Alex Thompson reported during a CNN appearance Friday afternoon.

“I’m wondering if you’ve heard from sources about this reporting that former President Obama and Pelosi have spoken privately about the future of Biden’s campaign and that they’ve expressed concerns over his ability to win reelection. Have they shared any thoughts on what that means?” CNN’s Boris Sanchez asked Thompson.

“Well, the the tricky thing for both of them is that neither of them want Joe Biden to dig in further. And that’s sort of the problem that all Democrats are facing, even ones that want to get him out,” replied Thompson. “There’s a risk that Joe Biden could actually dig in deeper. And that’s particularly true with Barack Obama. I was talking to a former Biden aide pretty recently, and they said, ‘You know, Obama already pushed Joe Biden out of one presidential race back in 2015. You don’t get to do that again.'”

“Now, Barack Obama does not see it that way. His team doesn’t see it that way,” continued Thompson. “But I can tell you that Joe Biden’s team sees it that way. They felt that that Obama and his staff sort of selected Hillary Clinton over him. And that’s part of the the tricky dynamics. If Joe Biden and his team think that Barack Obama is trying to get him out of this race, it could actually sort of make them more determined to stay in.”

It has been reported that actor George Clooney consulted Obama prior to publishing a New York Times op-ed calling on Biden to drop out of the presidential race and that Obama has had private discussions with former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) about the viability of Biden’s campaign.

Watch above via CNN.