
Sources revealed last week that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer visited President Joe Biden at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware just eight days before the president’s sudden announcement that he was withdrawing from the presidential race to encourage Biden to drop out.
According to sources who spoke to ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl, the president’s sudden about-face came as a surprise to even some of his closest staff, who were unaware of the president’s decision until just one minute before the letter announcing he was dropping out was posted on social media.
Elizabeth Alexander, First Lady Jill Biden’s communications director, told Jonathan Karl that Mrs. Biden left the final decision up to her husband, playing only a “supportive” role.
Frank Biden, the president’s youngest brother, told ABC News that the decision to drop out of the race was a “close call” that was only reached after several discussions with members of the Biden family in the week leading up to the announcement.
Frank Biden said the family, led by the First Lady, had always supported the president’s decision to do what was best for the country.
In the end, however, the decision stemmed from concerns about the president’s “overall health and vitality” rather than any cognitive problems, Frank Biden told ABC News. He added that because his brother is “a proud guy,” he would get angry about how he “shuffles when he walks.”
Frank Biden told ABC News that the family was frustrated by how the media and some Democrats turned on Biden. He suggested that his brother’s decision was motivated by his concern for the country.
However, a source close to the Biden family dismissed Frank Biden’s portrayal of the events surrounding the president’s decision to drop out, noting that the president had not spoken to Frank in weeks.
The source also disputed the younger Biden’s claim about the president’s health being a factor in the decision, calling it “completely untrue.”