It appears that if Democrats want a different presidential candidate, they will have to do it the hard way. President Joe Biden’s team stated that he has no plans to drop out of the race after an embarrassing showing at Thursday night’s debate performance.

The news comes amid widespread speculation about Democrats’ chances of retaining the White House after November’s election.

President Biden is “not dropping out” of the 2024 race, a campaign official said following a shaky debate performance late Thursday that spurred talk among some Democrats of whether he should be replaced atop the ticket.

“Of course he’s not dropping out,” Biden campaign spokesperson Seth Schuster said in a text message.

The president himself brushed off talk over whether he should bow out during a stop at a Waffle House following the debate.

“No. It’s hard to debate a liar. The New York Times pointed out he lied 26 times,” he said, referring to former President Trump.

Biden’s performance in Thursday night’s debate with Trump was largely panned by Democrats, some of whom have acknowledged it will stoke conversations about whether the president should be replaced atop the Democratic ticket before August’s convention.

The president’s voice was often raspy, which the White House later attributed to a cold, and he at times lost his train of thought or struggled to make his point clearly.

JUST IN: CNN reports that the Biden campaign is not dropping out and is committed to the second debate in September pic.twitter.com/fgbnZvmGrE

— HOT SPOT (@HotSpotHotSpot) June 28, 2024

Members of the chattering class – including those on the left – widely panned Biden’s performance, noting his lackluster manner and difficulty making his points. A CNN snap poll showed that 67 percent of respondents believed former President Donald Trump won the debate, while only 33 percent said the same of Biden.

CNN: Who won the debate? The answer is a resounding DONALD TRUMP pic.twitter.com/5zcXF1YUOJ

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 28, 2024

On Friday, the chatter about Biden’s performance was so critical that several left-leaning news outlets published pieces suggesting how Democrats might replace him. If this development is accurate, this is precisely what they will have to do if they want a different candidate.

It will be difficult to pull off such a move, but it is not impossible. RedState’s Jennifer Van Laar explained how this might happen.

It is still too early to tell how Democrats might proceed when it comes to continuing with Biden or seeking to replace him. Some, such as former President Barack Obama, have indicated that they are still backing Biden.

In a post on X, Obama acknowledged that “bad debate nights happen” but argued that “this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself”:

Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself. Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the…

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 28, 2024

Nevertheless, several reports indicate that Democratic Party officials and insiders are seriously considering how they might put another contender in Biden’s place. At this point, their only options are to replace Biden against his will, or hope they can convince Jill Biden to talk her husband out of running.