It seems like only moments ago we reported that a source inside the Biden campaign, an unnamed "senior White House official," indicated President Joe Biden's defiance--that he intended to remain in the race, and that he was in it to win it.

Newsmax's Mark Halperin has the scoop; say hello to Captain Whiplash:

BREAKING NEWS: Multiples sources outline the apparent state of play on Biden at this time:

* plans to announce withdrawal from nomination as early as this weekend, with Sunday most likely

* Jon Meacham polishing up remarks

* Biden with NOT resign the presidency

* Biden will… https://t.co/l0LrfDTvOL

— Mark Halperin (@MarkHalperin) July 18, 2024

The post reads:

BREAKING NEWS: Multiples sources outline the apparent state of play on Biden at this time:

* plans to announce withdrawal from nomination as early as this weekend, with Sunday most likely

* Jon Meacham polishing up remarks

* Biden with NOT resign the presidency

* Biden will NOT endorse Harris

* open convention with Harris and about 3 others

* super delegates will not be allowed to vote on 1st ballot

* Harris is vetting at least four possible running mates, including Andy Beshear and possibly Shapiro

An experienced circus acrobat from the Ringling Brothers circus couldn't keep up with all the twists and turns in this matter.

The Trump campaign has been saying all along that the Democrats can't even decide, at this late date, who their nominee will be. It's sure looking like the Trump team is correct.

On Thursday, a Trump campaign official told Fox News "when you look at what we’ve done with this convention, we’ve demonstrated to the American people that not only is the Republican Party unified, but we have a unifying vision for the entire country with President Trump’s agenda and plan for America well established."

"At the same time, the Democrats can’t even figure out who their nominee should be," the official argued.

See Related: Unnamed Senior WH Official Says Claims Biden Is More Open to Leaving Race 'Not True'

Defiant Biden Handlers Just Threw Obama, Schumer, and Pelosi Under the Bus and Then Backed Over Them

Look at the specifics of this statement, assuming it's all accurate and these are the conditions under which Joe Biden will walk away from the campaign and, in so doing, tacitly admit that his administration and reelection efforts were failures.

• He won't resign the presidency. This is something of a head-scratcher; he is withdrawing because he is broadly assumed to be no longer fit (if he ever was) to be president, but he intends to remain in office.
• He will not endorse his vice president, Kamala Harris, pushing instead for an open convention, wherein the vice president will have to face other contenders; Harris will likely view this as an unforgivable breach of faith by her boss, and it will be interesting to see, if true, how well she conceals any anger.
• Kamala Harris is presumably already vetting her own running mates. That is the prudent move, so she can hit the ground running if she does receive the presidential nod.

Whoever emerges from this will be facing Donald Trump and JD Vance, both of whom are experienced debaters. Trump has already been president and is familiar with the issues that are likely to be brought up in a presidential debate. Kamala Harris is... not. The current vice president, to put it very bluntly, was never renowned for her intellect.

The Democrats are facing a generational crisis that it may take a decade or two to recover from. If any members of that party's leadership are curious to know who is responsible for this crisis, they need to look no further than the nearest mirror; the Democrats' leftward drift, with the befuddled Joe Biden dragged along, has placed them outside the pale. Joe Biden in particular is emblematic of the Democrats' unwillingness to deal with reality; they have sheltered Joe Biden, denied any issues with his health, denied his obvious physical and mental deterioration--until the first presidential debate, and several interviews since, have stripped away the veil.

Only moments after Mark Halperin's claim, White House insider Andrew Bates issued a denial, calling it "fan fiction":

This fan fiction is wrong https://t.co/czcwH6qUpd

— Andrew Bates (@AndrewBatesNC) July 18, 2024

The drama continues! It's apparent that we won't know until we know - so we'll keep an eye on this and keep you informed, no matter how dizzy it makes us.

This seems appropriate.