Scoop: Inside Biden's shrinking inner circle

• Democrats inside and outside the White House tell Axios they're worried that Biden isn't receiving a 360-degree view of his — and his party's — perilous political situation.
• In the two weeks since Biden's disastrous debate, those concerns grew as many members of Congress found it difficult to communicate with Biden, three people familiar with the matter told Axios.
• The White House moved to address some of those concerns with stepped-up outreach to lawmakers today, in Zoom sessions with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Asian Pacific American Caucus.
• Even so, some members complained that the conversation was controlled and that questions were stifled.

Driving the news: Since the debate, Biden is relying even more on longtime advisers Mike Donilon, Steve Ricchetti, and Bruce Reed — a trio sometimes referred to inside the White House as "the poobahs," "the grey hairs" and, less often, "the triumvirate."

• The three are flush with the one currency that is most valued by Biden and his family members: loyalty. They are as close to family as staffers can get.
• The White House now is being run by "the family and staff who are effectively family," a group that also includes the First Lady Jill Biden's top aide Anthony Bernal and deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini, according to a person familiar with the West Wing power structure.
• Bernal and Tomasini were subpoenaed this week by the GOP-led House Oversight Committee, which wants to investigate whether Biden's staff is covering up the president's health situation. The White House responded by saying Oversight chair James Comer (R-Ky.) was abusing his subpoena power.

The intrigue: The five people in the inner circle are now in a separate category from fellow top aides such as Anita Dunn, lawyer Bob Bauer, and Jeff Zients and Ron Klain — Biden's current and former chief of staff, respectively.

• Bernal has become increasingly powerful in the West Wing and is seen internally as the "loyalty police," according to two people in the Biden orbit.
• That has made some aides wary of presenting inconvenient facts to the president for fear of being labeled disloyal.

Zoom in: Current and former Biden aides say the "poobahs" often avoid conflicts with the president and enable his sometimes-meandering decision process.

• Ricchetti and Donilon are the most involved in politics, while Reed, who is nearly always by Biden's side on the road, focuses on policy.
• "Steve has been the closest aide to the president since (Biden) left the vice presidency," a person close to Biden's inner circle told Axios.
• "None of them is known for delivering bad news," said one person in the Biden orbit.

Those in the tighter inner circle are careful about the tenor of the information they put in front of Biden, and shy away from telling him things that could be hurtful, current and former Biden aides say.

• Several aides see this dynamic as a sign of the inner circle's affection for Biden rather than anything nefarious, but say it can have negative consequences.

The intrigue: Some Biden aides have long been skeptical of Ricchetti's political instincts and organization skills, and now worry about how he's handling this critical moment.

• That skepticism is partly why some Biden aides successfully blocked Ricchetti from becoming chief of staff after Klain left last year — a move that deeply upset Ricchetti, people familiar with the matter told Axios.

The other side: Some of Biden's advisers say the core group's influence is being exaggerated.

• A person close to the president's inner circle said they "never heard" people refer to them as "grey hairs" or "triumvirate" and that the "poobahs" refers to a much larger group of senior aides.
• "It is not true that they and family are effectively running the White House," this person said.
• This source also disputed that Biden's closest aides avoid telling him what he doesn't want to hear. "These guys have many times had to share bad news with the president," the source said.

Since the debate, West Wing officials have gathered in Zients's office each weekday at 9am, stay in touch throughout the day, and then meet by Zoom at 9pm.

• Ricchetti is focused on Capitol Hill, where Democrats' rebellion against Biden continues. Zients and Jen O'Malley Dillon are tasked with staying in touch with governors and donors. Zients also does CEO outreach. Dunn is handling Biden interviews, while Donilon drives Biden's overall message.

What they're saying: Biden "has not made changes to the group of advisers he consults, who he trusts, because they've demonstrated the integrity to tell the truth and keep the well-being of the American people front of mind," White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told Axios.

What we're hearing: In the past week, Biden's comments expressing doubts about his poor polling numbers have reinforced some aides' fears that he's not getting complete information.

• "Too many of his top aides are his friends," said one former Biden aide.
• Another former aide said the dynamic is less like friends and more like adult children, all vying for their father's approval.
• "Mike Donilon needs to tell the president he is losing," said a third former aide.

No one wants to tell the president the hard truth: that his probable path to victory is exceedingly narrow, another former administration official said.

• Some Biden aides say the president is surrounded by such people in part because his temper can be unleashed on those who give him bad news.
• Others in Biden's orbit say he's become less receptive to criticism as he has aged.