Some in President Joe Biden's campaign are expecting him to drop out of the 2024 presidential race in the coming days following his disastrous debate performance, a report has claimed.

A "top campaign official," who was not identified, has told some of Biden's campaign donors that "it's only a matter of time" before he withdraws, TMZ reported. Enstarz could not independently verify this information.

The official said the Democratic Party is now focusing on the goal of retaining the White House rather than solely supporting the 81-year-old president, an unnamed insider told the outlet.

A new poll conducted by The New York Times and Siena College showed that Donald Trump's lead in the race widened following their debate, with the former president (49%) now ahead of Biden (43%) by six percentage points among likely voters nationally.

President Joe Biden
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the Chase Center July 14, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Despite the White House insisting that Biden is "staying in the race," the campaign official was not hopeful that the polls "are going to improve" anytime soon.

According to the source, in the event of a withdrawal, the official reportedly thinks the person likely to replace Biden as the party's presidential candidate is Vice President Kamala Harris.

The official noted that only Harris could seamlessly use the millions of funds raised by the Biden-Harris campaign if the president drops out.

Kamala Harris and Joe Biden
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris introduces President Joe Biden during an event about their administration's work to regulate artificial intelligence in the East Room of the White House on October 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

On Wednesday, Biden sought to reassure his campaign staff that he will be the Democratic nominee, The New York Times reported.

"No one's pushing me out," he said during a conference call. "I'm not leaving."

Harris, who joined the call, backed Biden, saying: "We will not back down. We will follow our president's lead. We will fight, and we will win."

Billy Porter, Doug Emhoff, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Philonise Floyd
Actor Billy Porter, U.S. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden and Philonise Floyd, brother of George Floyd, attend a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House on June 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

Biden's suitability for the presidential role has been questioned repeatedly over the past several months.

Concerns about Biden's mental fitness grew after last week's debate, where he left long pauses and struggled to string sentences together.

Unnamed allies who have spoken with the president told the Times that Biden is aware that he may have to withdraw if he does not perform well in his next appearances and show voters he's up for the job.

"He knows if he has two more events like [the debate], we're in a different place" by the end of this week, one ally said.

Biden has an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos and campaign stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin scheduled for this week.

Joe Biden And Kamala Harris Introduces More Members Of Their Incoming Administration
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden speaks during an event to announce new cabinet nominations at the Queen Theatre on December 11, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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