President Biden issued a statement on Friday  promising to return to the campaign trail next week, even as pressure mounts for the president to step aside to allow a younger Democrat to run at the top of the ticket.

Furthermore, multiple news organizations, citing sources close to the president, have been reporting different variations of the same account: that some Democrats think the president could withdraw from the race as soon as this weekend.

On Friday, Mr. Biden, who has been isolated at his Delaware beach house due to a COVID diagnosis,  vowed to return to the campaign trail as soon as his period of isolation concludes.

“I look forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week to continue exposing the threat of Donald Trump’s Project 2025 agenda while making the case for my own record and the vision that I have for America,” Mr. Biden said in his statement.

But even as Mr. Biden promises to return to the campaign trail, the pressure campaign to get Mr. Biden to drop out is ramping up with 30 of the 264 congressional Democrats publicly calling on him to step aside. 

Also on Friday, Senator Heinrich became the third Democratic senator to call on Mr. Biden to stand down. Mr. Heinrich is facing a challenge from Republican Nella Domenici, whose father represented New Mexico in the Senate for 35 years.

Though the Democratic congressional leadership have yet to publicly call on Mr. Biden to drop out, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Speaker Pelosi, and Senator Schumer have reportedly privately expressed their concerns about his ability to win. Multiple reports in the last 24 hours have said Ms. Pelosi, who retains enormous influence, has privately told Mr. Biden that his chances of beating Trump are slim. She has also not restrained her close allies, such as Congressman Adam Schiff, from publically calling on Mr. Biden to withdraw from the race.

On Friday, Mr. Jeffries publicly reiterated his support for Mr. Biden, saying in response to a question about his support for Mr. Biden that “I’ve answered that question repeatedly, my answer has not changed.”

“President Biden, as I’ve said repeatedly, is our nominee,” Mr. Jeffries said at an event about Brooklyn public schools. “He has a tremendous track record of success. He is one of the most accomplished American presidents in our history and he has the vision, I believe the ability, the capacity, and the track record to make a case to the American people that will result in us being successful in November.”

Mr. Jeffries did not address who he would support if Mr. Biden were to drop out of the race, saying “We have the ticket right now and we’re going to support because the stakes are too high at this moment.”

A new memo from the Biden campaign also appears to indicate that Mr. Biden does not intend on dropping out of the race, saying “Joe Biden has made it more than clear: he’s in this race and he’s in it to win it. Moreover, he’s the presumptive nominee, there is no plan for an alternative nominee.”

“While voters consistently mention President Biden’s age when contacted, our target voters — both reengagement and true swing voters — are still planning to vote for him, making it clear the debate has not hurt support among the voters who will decide this election,” the memo reads, according to NBC News.

The question of whether there would be an open convention or if Ms. Harris would become the nominee is beginning to percolate, despite Mr. Biden’s defiance.

On an Instagram Live last night, Congresswoman Alexandria Occasio-Cortez, who has been a vocal supporter of Mr. Biden, warned of the potential risks of entering the convention without an apparent nominee.

There are signs, however, that some of Mr. Biden’s inner circle are beginning to come to terms with the notion that Mr. Biden would face an uphill battle to win the campaign.

NBC News reports that Mr. Biden’s family has been discussing what an exit from the 2024 competition could look like, though the White House has denied that such conversations are happening.