Biden tells ally he's weighing whether to stay in the race: Reports

President Joe Biden has told a key ally that his reelection campaign against former President Donald Trump may not be recoverable if he cannot quell concerns about his fitness for office in the coming days, The New York Times first reported Wednesday.

The unnamed ally said Biden is still invested in the reelection fight, but he is aware that his upcoming public appearances must go well after his devastating presidential debate with Trump last week.

"He knows if he has two more events like that, we're in a different place" by the end of the weekend, said the ally, according to the Times.

The Times quoted one of Biden's top advisors, also anonymously, who said the president is "well aware of the political challenge he faces."

Later on Wednesday, CNN reported that Biden had acknowledged his perilous position in a similar conversation with an ally. "He sees the moment. He's clear-eyed," that ally told CNN.

It was unclear if the two outlets were reporting the same conversation. CNBC and NBC News have not independently confirmed the reports.

Biden maintained in a call with campaign staff on Wednesday that he is staying in the race.

"Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can, as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running," Biden said, an official on the call told NBC News.

"No one is pushing me out," he said. "I'm not leaving. I'm in this race to the end and we're going to win."

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre affirmed during a briefing Wednesday afternoon that Biden is "absolutely not" considering stepping down.

Biden spokesman Andrew Bates had previously denied the Times' report.

"That claim is absolutely false," Bates wrote on social media site X. "If the New York Times had provided us with more than 7 minutes