Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi question Joe Biden's election path to victory

The pressure on Joe Biden to stand aside has heightened as former president Barack Obama weighs in on the fiasco, ITV News' Correspondent Robert Moore reports

Former US president Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi have called into question Joe Biden's path to victory in November's presidential election, sources say.

Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, has warned that Biden's candidacy could prevent the Democrats from winning the House, according to the Associated Press.

The Washington Post has reported that Obama believes Biden, who was diagnosed with Covid on Thursday, should reconsider his chances of winning the election against Donald Trump, as they have declined.

It comes as Biden's health and age have been heavily scrutinised, following his disastrous head-to-head debate with Trump last month.

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Pressure has continued to grow on the US president after he made several gaffes during the recent Nato conference, where he introduced Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "President Putin".

Obama is reported to have recently engaged in calls with anxious Democrats, including Pelosi, and shared views about Biden's challenges.

The 62-year-old is alleged to have said he "feels protective" of Biden and that he has been a great president.

But he is said to be particularly concerned with polling data that shows Trump's path to electoral victory is expanding.

Pelosi is reported to have taken an active role behind the scenes in the Democratic Party to thwart Biden's efforts to end the debate about his electability.

Twenty Democratic members of Congress have now called on Biden to withdraw from the presidential contest.

Biden has consistently insisted he will not stand down and, when pressed about reports that he might be softening to the idea of leaving the presidential race, his deputy campaign manager, Quentin Fulks, said "he is not wavering on anything".

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