EXCLUSIVE: Biden, 80, should 'ride off into the sunset': Despairing Democrat insiders call for president to retire or allow a wide-open primary in 2024 - with him 'one trip' away from disaster

A whispering campaign among panicking Democrats to force Joe Biden to stand down in favor of a younger 2024 nominee is reaching fever pitch, DailyMail.com can reveal.

Behind the scenes there is widespread and growing alarm over the 80-year-old president's recent string of gaffes, and increasing frustration at his determination to stand for re-election.

A senior former White House official, who worked with Biden, told DailyMail.com: 'We are one figurative or literal trip away from Biden reinforcing that he is simply too old, and then it may be too late to stand up another candidate.

'There's a lot of hand wringing and a lot of Democrats not sleeping soundly because they're worried about what this is going to look like a year from now.

Joe Biden falls up the stairs boarding Air Force One at Joint base Andrews, Maryland

'The Democratic party needs to move on, and Biden needs to recognize this is about more than one person, more than one president. It's an opportunity [for him] to ride off into the sunset having transited the country to safer waters.'

If he won't retire there are growing calls from senior figures for Biden, at the very least, to face a wide-open primary taking on all-comers.

A current member of the Democratic National Committee told Dailymail.com: 'People have expressed concern to me about his age and indicated they have some hesitancy.

'I think a primary is always a good way to ensure you have the most effective candidate.'

It came as Dean Phillips, a Democratic congressman from Minnesota, broke cover and said he was 'thinking about' a primary challenge, although he said there were other more widely known figures.

Names being mentioned privately by disgruntled senior Democrats include Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, California governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker, Senator Cory Booker and Senator Amy Klobuchar.

Potential younger candidates: Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (right) and  lllinois Governor J. B. Pritzker (center) chat with Hillary Clinton

But the White House has been accused of blocking them from the spotlight as they desperately try to keep a lid on dissent.

One source said there was a deliberate campaign by the White House to 'ostracize' anyone in the party who criticizes Biden publicly

He has already refused to debate his two current challengers Robert Kennedy Jr. and self-help guru Marianne Williamson.

Those who want to drop Biden before 2024 told DailyMail.com there is no appetite for a simple coronation of Vice President Kamala Harris as the nominee.

'I don't think in this town you'll find many people who believe that Kamala Harris is our best alternative to Biden,' said the senior former White House official.

'She's had shaky run in office and we need to put forward our strongest candidate. There are a number of others.'

California Governor Gavin Newsom is said to have irritated the White House due to his high profile

Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, has said she won't run for the Democrat presidential nomination but many Democrats want her to

It comes as the strongest argument to keep Biden - that he is the best placed to beat Donald Trump - is being sharply eroded.

A Washington Post/ABC poll last week showed Trump 10 points ahead in a hypothetical head-to-head.

Meanwhile, an Associated Press/NORC poll found 77 percent of Americans believe Biden is too old for re-election. That included 69 per cent of Democrats.

The whispering campaign went public in recent weeks when David Ignatius, a supporter of Biden, wrote a column in the Washington Post arguing he should not seek re-election.

But, according to one former staffer, there is no one who could dissuade Biden from running even if they wanted to, including his closest family members.

He is said to believe that his policies are bearing fruit and his achievements have not been communicated properly to the American people.

However, his staff have spent much of their time dealing with the fallout from a litany of gaffes, which appear to be increasing in frequency.

In the last week alone Biden repeated the same story twice in minutes, confused a black group with a Hispanic one, and mangled LL Cool J's name, also calling him 'boy'.

The White House have had him hold few press conferences, having previously had to deal with ad hoc policy announcements and confusing statements.

Biden underwent his last annual physical exam at the Walter Reed National Medical Centre in Maryland in February and was declared healthy, but his cognitive abilities were not assessed.

An emerging White House tactic has been for him to deal with questions about his age by making jokes about it, and also to attack Trump, 77, over his age.

Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville, said it was overwhelmingly clear voters do not want a choice between Biden and Trump.

He told DailyMail.com: 'Age is a factor that people are weighing and weighing it pretty seriously.

Bill Clinton strategist James Carville said it was clear the public wanted a different choice than Biden or Trump

'All I can tell you is what the public thinks. And the public does not want this choice. It’s very clear. The political system has to decide if it’s going to provide them with an alternative choice. But I can tell you, it’s repeated, overwhelming, and consistent data that the public does not want this choice. I can’t say it any other way.'

He said it 'could change' and it was 'never too late' for another candidate, adding: 'There’s no magical cutoff day here.'

Carville, a key strategist in Bill Clinton's successful 1992 campaign, has warned that Biden could lose.

His advice to the current Biden team was to 'do what they’re doing' and 'gut it out'.