The White House continued to deny reports that the president was weighing the future of his campaign, but talks of who would step up if he did withdraw escalated.
Senior sources at the Biden campaign, the White House and Democratic National Committee told Reuters that Harris, the vice-president, was the top alternative.
Harris, a former senator, from California, has been by the president's side as he has weathered the debate fallout this week. Reportedly she told campaign staffers on Wednesday: "We will not back down. We will follow our president's lead."
But pundits advocating that she take over the ticket have pointed to polls suggesting that she could have advantages over Biden in a race against Donald Trump.
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