WASHINGTON

Donald Trump and his advisors hope President Joe Biden stays in the presidential race, believing they can beat him, The Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing four people familiar with the discussions. 

But they are also stepping up their attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris, it said.

According to the report, Trump’s advisors started working on different possibilities, thinking that it could be harder to beat another Democrat who is not Biden or Harris.

The report came after The New York Times reported that Biden told key allies he is weighing whether to continue in the race following a poor performance in last week's presidential debate.

The White House responded, saying he is not considering dropping out.

"Absolutely not," spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, when asked if Biden is considering leaving. "And you heard directly from the campaign as well."

During remarks at a fundraiser late Tuesday, Biden reportedly blamed his poor performance in the debate on jet lag and too much traveling.

Trump said in an interview Monday that he will continue to campaign whether or not Biden is the Democratic candidate.

“The funny thing is we’re beating him badly in the polls, but nobody else is doing any better,” he added.