President Biden returned to Camp David on Saturday after a weekend schedule that included a post-debate campaign rally in North Carolina and some glitzy fundraisers with some big donors. 

Joe and Jill Biden were joined by family members. On the agenda is the big question - does the Big Guy stay in the race or does he step away? 

The drumbeat since the debate has been strong from within the Democrat Party. It's time for Biden to go. 

Senator Raphael Warnock appeared on Meet the Press. The backbencher who has no accomplishments in office must have been the only elected Democrat willing to go on the Sunday morning show. His justification for Biden remaining in the race was that Trump is a liar. I'm not kidding. After lying that Joe Biden shows up and does his job every day, he pivoted to talking about Trump lying in the debate. Is that the best Democrats have to offer? 

The problem for the hangers-on who are willing to still prop Biden up is that everyone saw the horrible shape Biden is in when he must work without teleprompters and a speechwriter, as he did during the debate. Americans are angry that they have been lied to for four years. The anger goes to Biden, the White House, and the media that covers the president. The American people have been deceived at an epic level.

Republicans and others who have been sounding the alarm about Biden's dementia have been vilified by Team Biden all the while working to cover up the president's decline. Now they have to save face because they have been caught in all their lies.

Allegedly the family gathering at Camp David was planned before the debate. How do we trust anything coming out of the Biden White House, though? Everything has been a lie. 

Joe and Jill were joined by their children and grandchildren on Saturday night. Today the family is supposed to have a big discussion. 

Democrat elected officials are split. Many were so shocked by Biden's performance that they immediately came out and said he should be replaced. Others who are committed to fighting for the status quo and holding on to power at the expense of our country say that only Joe and Jill can make the choice of whether he remains in the race.

At the same time, there is an understanding among top Democrats that Biden should be given space to determine next steps. They believe only the president, in consultation with his family, can decide whether to move forward or to end his campaign early — and that he won’t respond well to being pushed.

“The decision-makers are two people — it’s the president and his wife,” one of the sources familiar with the discussions said, adding: “Anyone who doesn’t understand how deeply personal and familial this decision will be isn’t knowledgeable about the situation.”

 Despite the happy face that is put on by diehard Biden supporters, those who know the situation say Biden is humiliated. He's lost confidence.

Despite delivering a rousing speech at a rally in North Carolina on Friday that calmed some of his allies, Biden was described by one person familiar with his mood as humiliated, devoid of confidence, and painfully aware that the physical images of him at the debate — eyes staring into the distance, mouth agape — will live beyond his presidency, along with a performance that at times was meandering, incoherent and difficult to hear.

“It’s a mess,” this person said.

Another person familiar with the dynamics said Biden will ultimately listen to only one adviser.

“The only person who has ultimate influence with him is the first lady,” this person said. “If she decides there should be a change of course, there will be a change of course.”

Axios has statements of Biden diehards who point out that there needs to be a gentle approach. Biden can't be forced to get off the stage. Perhaps his sister and his old friend and aide can help out.

A Democratic official talked us through the gentle approach to getting Biden to end his run on his terms. This official, who demanded anonymity for self-evident reasons, said Biden's sister, Valerie Biden, and longtime friend, Ted Kaufman, should make this case to the president:

• "This is not about him submitting to the will of others yelling at him that he failed. Joe Biden is too proud for that argument. He will not be dragged off the stage," said the official, who is outside the White House and campaign.
• "The goal is to let him walk off the stage. He came; he saw; he conquered. He wanted to get rid of Trump for the country; he wanted to prepare America for the future; and he wanted to help nurture the next generation to be a transitional president."

"He can say to himself, in all honesty: All three have now been accomplished," the strategist continued. "He got rid of Trump; helped prepare America through his legislation for the future; and, under his tenure, a generation of new Democrats have emerged."

This is a tough situation for Democrats. They did it to themselves and do not deserve an ounce of sympathy for the mess they got themselves into. Now they are stuck with a candidate that everyone knows is not the one running the country and a vice president who is waiting in the wings who is a complete disaster. The scary truth is that if Biden is re-elected, he will not make it through another four years so we will get President Kamala. That can't happen.

We know that Jill Biden will not tell her husband to quit. She seems to want it more than he does. There are lots of rules and deadlines that are likely barriers to replacing Biden at this late date. We are a little more than four months out from election day. We'll see if Biden stays in and Democrats organize to do something at the convention. 

I think Biden will stay. His ego won't allow him to admit defeat and he hates Donald Trump. Democrats don't have the nerve to replace a black woman with a white alternative. Kamala ensures that Biden stays in.