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 set up in a 'soft coup' to oust him, a top Democratic insider claimed last night.

The 81-year-old US President is facing mounting calls to step aside after his disastrous debate performance on Thursday, with sources telling The Mail on Sunday that many believe he was purposely set up to fail.

A former aide to Hillary Clinton said: 'There has never been a debate this early before. Traditionally the debates are held after the Republican and Democratic conventions, which are in July and August.

'Most years the first debate is early September ahead of the November election.

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

'They wanted to test him against Trump early, while there was still time to replace him if he failed to rise to the occasion. Which, of course, he did spectacularly.'

Another source said: 'The whole thing doesn't pass the smell test. Publicly the Democratic leadership has been backing Biden because they can't appear to be disloyal to the President, but privately there have been discussions going on for a long time that he's too old to beat Trump.

'There were whispers for weeks that 'Joe's going down at the debate'.'

One of the favourites to replace Biden – Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, 52 – secretly sent an advance team to Washington DC 'weeks ago' to prepare for her possible presidential run.

The team has been 'on manoeuvres', meeting with Democratic officials. The source said: 'Gretchen was the first to act. Now the floodgates have been opened.'

While Biden has insisted the debate – seen by 48 million people – was 'one bad night', his leadership is in crisis as he faces pressure to quit.

Jill Biden has admitted her husband knows he performed badly, telling reporters on Friday: 'After last night's debate, he said, 'You know Jill, I don't know what happened. I didn't feel that great.'

Former President Barack Obama has now been called on to 'stage an intervention' to persuade his close friend and former Vice President to withdraw from the race.

The source said: 'Obama is probably the only person aside from his wife and sister who Biden will listen to.

'I know of at least one major donor who has appealed directly to former President Obama to stage an intervention and put an end to this misery so we can move on.'

The liberal New York Times – which Biden says he 'reads first every morning' – published a scathing editorial calling him 'reckless'.

It said: 'Mr Biden is not the man he was four years ago. The greatest public service Mr Biden can now perform is to announce he will not continue to run for re-election.'

Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority leader, who has been a friend of the President for 40 years, is also 'open' to replacing him, according to multiple reports in the US.

The Clinton aide said: 'The next few days will be critical as new polling figures come in and the party deals with the fallout. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes deal-making going on.

'No one will go public until Joe decides to stand aside. He was a stubborn young man and he's a stubborn old man.'

Jen O'Malley Dillon, Biden's campaign chairwoman, scheduled a hasty meeting with staff and donors on Friday.

'She was trying to calm people down,' a source said. 'She said this was one bad night. The mood wasn't good. There is no fixing this.'

It comes as Biden is facing a 'financial catastrophe' as major donors freeze funds and celebrity supporters threaten to abandon his beleaguered campaign.

Hollywood supporters like George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Steven Spielberg – who have already raised millions – are said to have 'grave doubts' about his future.

A Hollywood donor said: 'Whether Biden stays or goes will come down to one thing; cold, hard cash. Fundraisers are being cancelled because there is no confidence in Biden.

'He is trailing Donald Trump financially for the first time and there is a sense of panic that the big money and star power is on the brink of abandoning him.

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

However, Elton John appeared to back Biden on Friday as the pair 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 US President for backing the museum, which stands on the site of the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar which was the site of protests in 1969 after a police raid.

Eight weeks ago, Biden held a $100 million advantage over his political rival. Then Trump was convicted of paying off porn star Stormy Daniels and saw $53 million pour in within 24 hours. The Republican presumptive nominee now has $240 million in his war chest compared with Biden's $212 million.

'It's a disaster for Biden,' the former aide added. 'His campaign is making a big deal of the fact that $14 million has come in from small donors since the debate. That's chicken feed.'

Vice President Kamala Harris, whose own poll numbers are low, jetted into LA last night to host a fundraiser alongside Frozen star Idina Menzel. Sex And The City star Sarah Jessica Parker and husband Matthew Broderick were due to attend, along with Gwyneth Paltrow and Michael J Fox. A source said: 'No one knows who will turn up. Tickets are still available.'

Laurene Powell Jobs, the billionaire founder of Emerson Collective, and billionaire Hollywood producer Haim Saban, have been identified among other megadonors trading concerned messages about a situation many Democratic operatives consider so dire that Biden might have to withdraw before the convention in Chicago.

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

'Washington has closed down which makes it easier for people to have private conversations,' a campaign insider said. 'If Joe goes, that will be decided in the 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' time. That's the timeline.'

New poll figures also show that voters have lost confidence in the President.

A Morning Consult poll showed 60 per cent believe he should 'definitely' or 'probably' be replaced, while an Ipsos poll reveals 73 per cent of those who watched the debate think his performance was 'poor or terrible'.