After Joe Biden’s disastrous performance in his first debate against Donald Trump supercharged concerns about his age and fitness for office, the president faces growing calls to stand down as the Democratic nominee this November.
Biden has pushed back hard, telling MSNBC that “elites in the party” were behind calls for him to quit, claiming strong support from actual voters, and challenging doubters in his own party to “run against me. Go ahead. Announce for president – challenge me at the convention!”
Nobody has gone that far yet but a growing number of elected Democratic officials have either publicly called for Biden to quit or reportedly done so in private. Here they are:
Lloyd Doggett (Texas)
The Texas congressman veteran was first out of the gate, saying last week: “Recognising that, unlike [Donald] Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so.”
Raúl Grijalva (Arizona)
A senior progressive congressman from a battleground state, Grijalva has sway in his party. Following Doggett, the 76-year-old told the New York Times: “What [Biden] needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat – and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race.” Grijalva also said Democrats “have to win this race, and we have to hold the House and hold the Senate”, because if not, the party’s achievements under Biden would “go down the sewer”.
Seth Moulton (Massachusetts)
The former US marine and congressman, who briefly challenged Biden for the nomination in 2020, told a Boston radio station: “President Biden has done enormous service to our country, but now is the time for him to follow in one of our founding father George Washington’s footsteps and step aside to let new leaders rise up.” Moulton has since doubled down, citing the “disaster” of the debate.
Mike Quigley (Illinois)
Speaking to MSNBC on Friday, Quigley, a congressman from Illinois, said: “Mr President, your legacy is set. We owe you the greatest debt of gratitude. The only thing that you can do now to cement that for all time and prevent utter catastrophe is to step down and let someone else do this.”
Angie Craig (Minnesota)
On Saturday, the congresswoman said: “Given what I saw and heard from the president during last week’s debate in Atlanta, coupled with the lack of a forceful response from the president himself following that debate, I do not believe that the president can effectively campaign and win against Donald Trump. That’s why I respectfully call on President Biden to step aside as the Democratic nominee for a second term as president and allow for a new generation of leaders to step forward.”
Adam Smith (Washington)
On Monday, the top Democrat on the House armed services committee said the party’s candidate for president must be able to clearly, articulately and strongly make his or her case to the American people. “It is clear that President Biden is no longer able to meet this burden,” Smith said, on CNN. Smith also said he was “pleading” with Biden to “take a step back. Look at what’s best for the party, look at what’s best for the country.”
Mikie Sherrill (New Jersey)
On Tuesday, the New Jersey congresswoman said in a statement that the stakes of a second Trump presidency were too high for her to stay silent. “I know that President Biden and his team have been true public servants and have put the country and the best interests of democracy first and foremost in their considerations,” she said. “And because I know President Biden cares deeply about the future of our country, I am asking that he declare that he won’t run for re-election and will help lead us through a process toward a new nominee.”
Pat Ryan (New York)
The congressman from New York who faces a tough re-election bid in November told the New York Times Wednesday that Biden should step aside. “I’d be doing a grave disservice if I said he was the best candidate to serve this fall,” he said. “For the good of our country, for my two young kids, I’m asking Joe Biden to step aside in the upcoming election and deliver on the promise to be a bridge to a new generation of leaders.” He added: “I really hope, with all my heart, that he will listen.”
Peter Welch (Vermont)
Late Wednesday evening, Vermont senator Peter Welch called on Biden to withdraw from the election, becoming the first Senate Democrat to do so. Welch said he is worried because “the stakes could not be higher.” Welch said in a Washington Post opinion piece: “I understand why President Biden wants to run. He saved us from Donald Trump once and wants to do it again. But he needs to reassess whether he is the best candidate to do so. In my view, he is not.
“For the good of the country, I’m calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race.”
Reported: Jerry Nadler (New York), Mark Takano (California), Joe Morelle (New York)
According to multiple reports, on Sunday three senior Democratic congressmen joined Smith in using a private call arranged by Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, to call for Biden to stand down. Others on the call reportedly expressed serious concerns but did not go so far as to say Biden should quit.
Nadler is a senior figure, the top Democrat on the House judiciary committee. On Capitol Hill on Tuesday, though, he signaled a retreat, telling reporters: “As the president said, 90% of Democrats voted for him in the primaries and that’s the end of the matter.”
