Biden is only listening to polling data from loyalists, according to new report
President Joe Biden's inner circle is shrinking and now mainly includes family members and loyalists, The New York Times reported.
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- Recent polls show Trump leading Biden after Biden's poor debate performance.
- Biden's inner circle is shrinking, The New York Times reported.
- Many Democrats are concerned about Biden's chances against Trump, urging him to drop out.
The polls do not look great for President Joe Biden, but according to The New York Times, Biden hasn't checked in directly with his campaign's team of pollsters.
A new report from The Times describes the president's inner circle as shrinking and comprised of family members, including First Lady Jill Biden and his son Hunter, and a small group of loyalists.
The outlet reported Biden has instead been getting updates from his longtime friend Mike Donilon, a former pollster who the Times previously reported was responsible for delivering polling news, good and bad, to the president.
The Times cited conversations with more than three dozen people for its report, which emphasized a growing divide between Biden — and those who are staunchly backing him — and many Democratic voters and elected officials concerned about his ability to beat former President Donald Trump in November.
The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
But Biden on Monday gave some indication that he's increasingly relying on himself to make decisions about his candidacy.
In an interview with NBC at the White House, Lester Holt asked Biden who he listens to on "deeply personal issues" like whether or not to stay in the race.
"Me," Biden responded. "Look, I've been doing this a long time. The idea that I'm the old guy — I am, I'm old — but I'm only three years older than Trump, number one, and number two, my mental acuity has been pretty damn good."
According to a FiveThirtyEight analysis that looks at the averages of many polls, Biden and Trump were neck-and-neck for a good chunk of June. After Biden's disastrous debate perforce, FiveThirtyEight's analysis shows Trump pulling out ahead and currently leading by more than 2 percentage points.
A comparison of national polling averages from the Cook Political Report, based on 21 national polls, also found a stark gap between the candidates last week. The report found Trump polling at an average of 46.7% and Biden at 44.3%.
And polling of the presidential race isn't the only kind he should worry about.
A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll last week found most Democrats think Biden should drop out of the race after his debate performance.