25 Democratic House Members Are Ready to Call for Biden’s Withdrawal from 2024 Race: Report
"It looks like the dam has broken," a House Democratic aide told Reuters in the ongoing aftermath of Biden's debate performance
Twenty-five Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives are prepared to call for President Joe Biden to end his reelection bid, according to a Reuters report.
The outlet reports that an anonymous House Democratic aide said they will make the move if Biden, 81, appears "shaky" in the "coming days."
Biden is set to have a high-stakes interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on Friday, July 5, and has several upcoming appearances scheduled.
Reuters' reporting comes less than a week after Biden and presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump had their first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle on Thursday, July 27.
During the debate Biden appeared frail, and he struggled to articulate his points. He addressed his poor performance at a North Carolina rally the next day. "I don't walk as easily as I used to. I don't speak as smoothly as I used to. I don't debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know, I know how to tell the truth," he told the crowd, with much more energy than he displayed the night before.
Reuters reports that a second House Democratic aide alleged that “moderate House Democrats in competitive districts were getting hammered with questions in their districts" following the debate.
That second source continued, saying, "It looks like the dam has broken," as calls for Biden to step aside grow louder from members of his own party.
On Tuesday, July 2, Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett became the first Democratic member of Congress to publicly call for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, according to CNN.
In a statement obtained by the outlet, Doggett said, "I represent the heart of a congressional district once represented by Lyndon Johnson. Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw [from the 1968 presidential race]. President Biden should do the same."
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He continued, expressing that Biden should end his candidacy for the good of the country.
"Recognizing that, unlike 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,” Doggett wrote. “I respectfully call on him to do so.”
Doggett later told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that he wishes he “said it earlier because I think we needed — this needed to be a decision that was made much earlier in the process."
Earlier on Tuesday, CNN suggested that the aftermath of Biden’s debate performance could hurt Democrats down the ballot — and potentially "cost Democrats the House come November" — which has placed additional pressure on Democratic lawmakers.
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On Wednesday, The New York Times reported that Biden recently spoke to an anonymous key ally about the uncertainty of his political future. The ally said of the conversation, "He knows if he has two more events like that, we’re in a different place” and claimed that the president is aware that his campaign may not be salvageable without a quick change in the narrative.
A White House spokesperson denied the Times' report, calling it false.
As of now, Biden is committed to debating with Trump again in September.
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