WASHINGTON — President Biden is "absolutely" in the race for a second term, his campaign leader said Friday, beating back growing speculation that he is preparing to withdraw because of concerns from fellow Democrats that he cannot win the race and may be incapable of serving a second term.

"We're looking at polling. We're seeing ... what a lot of people are seeing, of course," said Biden's campaign chair, Jen O'Malley Dillon, on "Morning Joe." "But we're also looking at a lot of numbers that matter, which is what is happening on the ground."

Dillon said the campaign is built for a close race and that opinions of the Republican nominee, former President Trump, are "hardened." She argued that Trump would not gain voters concerned about Biden; Democrats simply need to win them back by knocking on doors and other organizing efforts.

She said Biden, who has had no events since a COVID-19 diagnosis late Wednesday, would return to the campaign trail next week.

"We know that we've slipped a bit from the debate," she said, referring to Biden's dismal performance last month that set off Democratic concerns. "And we know that the president has to prove to the American people exactly what he believes, that he's in this to win, that he can do this."

Biden has been under extreme pressure to leave the race, intensifying this week as party leaders see national and swing state polling that make his path to victory look dire. Multiple reports have suggested he could leave the race this weekend. Polls show large majorities of voters, including Democrats, would also like him to withdraw from the campaign.

Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, considered the most politically vulnerable Democrat in the Senate, became the latest member of Biden's party to call for a change at the top of the ticket Thursday night, just as Trump was accepting his party's nomination.

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