The push by Democratic party elites to force Joe Biden aside has led to intense speculation about Barack Obama and his role in orchestrating the anti-Biden coup.

Obama issued a public statement supporting Biden after his disastrous debate performance last month, but he has been quiet since then as prominent Democrats ramped up pressure on Biden to step down.

Many nevertheless see clear signs of Obama's influence in the effort to push Biden aside, which has shined a light on old resentments and jealousies between the two Democratic presidents.

Is Obama behind Biden coup?

This week, Politico reported that Obama received a "heads up" from actor George Clooney that he was going to call on Biden to drop out.

"While Obama did not encourage or advise Clooney to say what he said, he also didn’t object to it," the report said.

Obama famously discouraged Biden from running for president in 2016 to clear the way for Hillary Clinton, who went on to lose to Donald Trump.

Four years later, Obama was skeptical of Biden's third presidential bid, and he did not endorse him during the Democratic party's fractious primary.

Biden did not win the nomination until securing the endorsement of prominent black Democrat James Clyburn (D-Sc.), who rocketed Biden to a key victory in South Carolina.

Biden vs. the "elites"

Fast forward to the present, and Biden is leaning on support from black voters as he accuses Democrat "elites" of ignoring the will of primary voters and scheming to get rid of him.

Former Obama advisers, like David Axelrod, have been among the loudest voices urging Biden to step aside.

MSNBC's Morning Joe openly speculated Thursday that Obama was behind the push to get rid of Biden.

Co-host Joe Scarborough noted that Biden is "deeply resentful of his treatment under not only the Obama staff but also the way he was pushed aside for Hillary Clinton."

“One thing that we do have to underline here — just so viewers can follow what’s going on behind the scenes — is the Biden campaign and many Democratic officials do believe that Barack Obama is quietly working behind the scenes to orchestrate this,” he said.

For now, the party remains divided and in a state of unabated panic as Biden continues to double down. Will Biden's defiance force Obama to make a more dramatic show of force in the coming days?