As pressure mounts on Joe Biden to quit and Elton John turns up to back him… Democrat insiders reveal the President was set up to fail in a ‘soft coup’

President Joe Biden was removed from office in a “soft coup” to remove him from office, a top Democratic insider claimed last night.

The 81-year-old US president is facing increasing calls to step aside following his disastrous debate performance on Thursday, with sources telling The Mail on Sunday that many believe he has been deliberately set up to fail.

A former Hillary Clinton aide said, “There’s never been a debate this early. Traditionally, the debates are held after the Republican and Democratic conventions, which are in July and August.

‘Most years, the first debate is in early September, prior to the November elections.

‘Biden’s inner circle demanded this early debate. There is a growing belief that this was a ‘soft coup’ because they know he is not fit to govern and they have known that for some time.

“They wanted to test him early against Trump, while there was still time to replace him if he failed to rise to the occasion. Which he did, of course, in spectacular fashion.”

Another source said: ‘The whole thing doesn’t pass the smell test. Publicly, the Democratic leadership supports Biden because they do not want to appear disloyal to the president, but privately there has long been talk of him being too old to beat Trump.

“For weeks there were whispers that ‘Joe was going to the debate.'”

One of the favorites to replace Biden – 52-year-old Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer – secretly sent a team to Washington DC “weeks ago” to prepare for her potential presidential campaign.

The team has been “on maneuvers” and has spoken to Democratic officials. The source said: “Gretchen was the first to act. Now the floodgates are open.”

Although Biden has insisted the debate – which was seen by 48 million people – was “a bad night”, his leadership is in crisis as he faces pressure to quit.

Jill Biden has admitted her husband knows he has underperformed. He told reporters on Friday: “After the debate last night, he said, ‘You know, Jill, I don’t know what happened. I didn’t feel great.’

Former President Barack Obama has now been called on to “stage an intervention” to convince his close friend and former vice president to withdraw from the race.

The source said: “Obama is probably the only person, besides his wife and sister, that Biden will listen to.

“I know of at least one major donor who has appealed directly to former President Obama to intervene and put an end to this mess so we can move forward.”

The liberal New York Times — which Biden says he “reads first thing every morning” — ran a scathing editorial calling him “reckless.”

It read: ‘Mr. Biden is not the man he was four years ago. The greatest public service Mr. Biden can perform now is to announce that he will no longer run for re-election.’

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a friend of the president for four decades, is also “open” to replacing him, according to multiple reports in the US.

Clinton’s adviser said: ‘The coming days will be crucial as new polls come in and the party deals with the fallout. There is a lot of negotiating going on behind the scenes.

“Nobody will come out until Joe decides to step aside. He was a stubborn young man and he is a stubborn old man.”

Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon scheduled a hasty meeting with staff and donors on Friday.

“She was trying to calm people down,” the source said. “She said this was a bad night. The mood was not good. This cannot be helped.”

This comes as Biden faces a “financial catastrophe” as major donors freeze their funds and high-profile supporters threaten to abandon his campaign.

Hollywood fans like George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Steven Spielberg – who have already raised millions – are said to have “serious doubts” about his future.

One Hollywood donor said: “Whether Biden stays or goes depends on one thing: cold, hard money. Fundraisers are being canceled because there is no confidence in Biden.

“He is behind Donald Trump financially for the first time and there is a sense of panic that big money and star power are about to abandon him.

“Celebrities are fickle and no one wants to be associated with a loser.”

However, Elton John appeared to support Biden on Friday when the two unveiled the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center in New York, a museum celebrating the birth of the LGBTQ+ movement in America.

The singer praised the American president for his support of the museum, which stands on the site of the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar where protests took place in 1969 after a police action.

Eight weeks ago, Biden had a $100 million lead over his political rival. Then Trump was convicted of bribing porn star Stormy Daniels and saw $53 million pour in within 24 hours. The presumptive Republican nominee now has $240 million in his war chest, compared to Biden’s $212 million.

“It’s a disaster for Biden,” the former aide added. “His campaign is making a big deal about the fact that $14 million has come in from small donors since the debate. That’s nonsense.’

Vice President Kamala Harris, whose own polls are low, flew to LA last night to host a fundraiser alongside Frozen star Idina Menzel. Sex And The City star Sarah Jessica Parker and her husband Matthew Broderick were expected to attend, along with Gwyneth Paltrow and Michael J Fox. A source said: ‘No one knows who will turn up. There are still tickets available.’

Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs, and billionaire Hollywood producer Haim Saban have reportedly suspended their donations pending whether Biden will resign.

Democratic party leaders and potential replacements for Biden will hold a series of in-person and Zoom meetings in the coming days as America prepares to celebrate Independence Day on Thursday.

“Washington is closed, making it easier for people to have private conversations,” a campaign insider said. “If Joe goes, it will be decided next week. He has a week to prove himself.

“If he can be persuaded to step aside, that announcement will come in two and a half to three weeks.” That’s the timeline.’

New polls also show that voters have lost confidence in the president.

A Morning Consult poll found that 60 percent believe he “definitely” or “probably” should be replaced, while an Ipsos poll found that 73 percent of viewers believe his performance was “bad or terrible.” used to be.