Washington DC - Joe Biden is "absolutely not" pulling out of the White House race, his spokeswoman said Wednesday, as pressure mounted on the president following his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump.

On Wednesday, the New York Times and CNN reported that Biden had acknowledged to a key ally that his re-election bid was on the line if he failed to quickly reassure the public that he was still up to the job.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre rejected those reports outright and insisted Biden had "absolutely" no intention of withdrawing as the Democratic nominee.

"The president is clear-eyed, and he is staying in the race," she told reporters

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Biden conceded in a call with campaign and party staffers that his incoherent, unfocused answers against Trump had damaged him, multiple media outlets reported – but he insisted he was in the race for the long haul.

"Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can – as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running... no one's pushing me out. I'm not leaving. I'm in this race to the end, and we're going to win," the veteran Democrat said, according to Politico.

Democratic lawmakers have begun to go public with their doubts about Biden, with two saying Tuesday they expected Biden to lose to Trump in November and another calling for him to quit the White House race.