The White House and President Biden’s reelection team has swiftly denied the New York Times report on Wednesday claiming that after a disappointing debate performance, the president confided to an ally his doubts about saving his candidacy. According to the report, Biden acknowledged the challenges of his re-election campaign after a lackluster debate, and expressed his concerns to a close ally about his chances of revitalizing his candidacy.

Despite the setback, the president appears committed to his campaign. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said to The Hill on Wednesday, “That claim is absolutely false. If the New York Times had provided us with more than 7 minutes to comment we would have told them so.”

“He knows if he has two more events like that, we’re in a different place” by the end of the weekend, an ally said to the New York Times, referring to Biden’s disjointed showing in the debate. The person who spoke with the president within the last 24 hours requested anonymity to talk openly about the delicate circumstances.

The New York Times reported on Wednesday:

The conversation is the first indication to become public that the president is seriously considering whether he can recover after a devastating performance on the debate stage in Atlanta on Thursday. Concerns are mounting about his viability as a candidate and whether he could serve as president for another four years.

A top adviser to Mr. Biden, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the situation, said the president was “well aware of the political challenge he faces…”

Mr. Biden has been slow to personally reach out to key Democrats, which has fueled anger in the party and frustrated some of his own advisers. He called only Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the House Democratic leader, on Tuesday night, five days after the debate, and still had not spoken with Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Senate Democratic leader, as of Wednesday morning. Key donors expressed exasperation that he did not join a campaign call on Monday meant to assuage them…

Key party donors have been privately calling House members, senators, super PACs, the Biden campaign and the White House to say that they think Mr. Biden should step down, according to Democrats familiar with the discussion.

Following the first presidential debate, the race for the White House has tilted towards Trump. A new CBS News poll released Wednesday morning revealed that Trump is now ahead of Biden, with a 2-point lead nationally at 50 percent to 48 percent, and a slightly larger 3-point advantage in battleground states at 51 percent to 48 percent.

Over 90% of supporters on both sides stated they would never consider switching their allegiance to the other candidate, a sentiment that was unchanged by the recent debate. Despite a temporary boost for Biden in June following Trump’s felony convictions in New York, the overall dynamics of the race were not significantly affected. Currently, the polling suggests a potential Electoral College advantage for Trump.

According to the poll, half of the voters who supported Biden in 2020 now believe he should not be running this year. This skepticism is dampening their enthusiasm for the upcoming election, making them less likely to vote and more inclined to support either Trump or a third-party candidate. On the other side, most Republicans are feeling energized following the debate, with many saying it has increased their likelihood of voting. Meanwhile, the independent vote remains a close contest, with Trump currently gaining a slight edge among this critical group.