The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., has called on President Joe Biden to end his candidacy following what he described as an “alarming” debate performance. Smith’s statement marks him as one of the most senior Democratic lawmakers to publicly urge Biden to step aside, adding to a growing chorus of concern within the party about Biden’s fitness for office and the need for a new candidate capable of defeating former President Donald Trump.
Smith emphasized the importance of having a candidate who can clearly, articulately, and strongly make their case to the American people. “It is clear that President Biden is no longer able to meet this burden,” Smith said in a statement. “I’m pleading with him − take a step back. Look at what’s best for the party, look at what’s best for the country,” he added in an interview with CNN.
Earlier on Monday, Biden responded to his critics by challenging them to run against him. In a letter to congressional Democrats and during a telephone interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Biden said, “If any of these guys don’t think I should run, run against me. Announce they’re running for president. Challenge me at the convention.”
Smith urged Biden to step down as soon as possible to allow a new candidate time to make their case to American voters. He argued that Biden’s debate performance and failure to address concerns about his fitness have damaged his credibility in the eyes of voters. “The President’s performance in the debate was alarming to watch, and the American people have made it clear they no longer see him as a credible candidate to serve four more years as President,” Smith said. “Since the debate, the President has not seriously addressed these concerns.”
Despite his statement, Smith pledged to support Biden if he remains in the race, stating that Biden is still a far better choice than Trump. “If he gets the nomination, I’m all in,” Smith said. However, he stressed that Biden running is, in his view, the wrong move. “If the President continues his campaign, it would be a mistake. He should step aside now so that we can find a new candidate that will put us in the strongest possible position to beat Donald Trump in November.”
Congressional Democrats are set to hold an emergency weekend meeting to discuss Biden’s candidacy, following a primetime television interview that failed to dispel doubts triggered by the debate fiasco. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democrats’ leader in the House of Representatives, scheduled the virtual meeting for Sunday with ranking committee members, even as Biden struck a defiant posture in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.
In a 22-minute interview from a school library in Wisconsin, Biden brushed off his poor debate performance as “a bad night” and insisted he would only withdraw his candidacy if the “Lord almighty” ordered it. However, his stance appeared to reinforce the views of those Democrats who had already publicly urged him to quit the race, while others were privately infuriated by his seemingly insouciant attitude toward the prospect of defeat at the hands of Trump.
On Saturday, Congresswoman Angie Craig of Minnesota became the fifth House member to publicly urge Biden to stand aside. “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 him following it, I do not believe Biden can effectively campaign and win against Donald Trump,” she said.
Asked by Stephanopoulos how he would feel if he had to turn the presidency back to an opponent he and his party loathe, Biden said, “I’ll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did the best job as I know I can do – that’s what this is about.” The response seemed to minimize the consequences of handing over power to a rival who tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election, incited a mob to attack the US Capitol, and vowed to seek “retribution” on his opponents if he won again, a threat that has unnerved many Democrats.
The convening of Democratic House members by Jeffries follows a similar move by Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, who called on fellow senators from his party to meet to discuss Biden’s candidacy. Warner has been reported to be leading an effort by Senate Democrats urging the president to stand aside.
Democrats who had already called publicly for an end to Biden’s candidacy reiterated the sentiment after the interview, in which Biden projected greater assuredness than in the debate with Trump, yet affected obliviousness to concerns over his mental acuity or loss of support in the polls. Lloyd Doggett, a veteran Texas Democrat who had been the first congressman to call for Biden to withdraw, said the interview only confirmed his view. “The need for him to step aside is more urgent tonight than when I first called for it,” he told CNN.
Mike Quigley, an Illinois congressman who was the fourth to urge the president to stand aside, called aspects of the interview “disturbing,” adding that it showed “the president of the United States doesn’t have the vigor necessary to overcome the deficit here.” Addressing Biden’s response to a potential Trump re-election, he told CNN, “He felt as long as he gave it his best effort, that’s all that really matters. With the greatest respect: no.”
Julián Castro, a former Democratic presidential hopeful, acknowledged to MSNBC that Biden had been “steadier” than in his debate performance but was in “denial about the decline that people can clearly see.” Addressing Biden’s comments on a possible second Trump presidency, Castro said, “I think the most chilling was when Stephanopoulos asked him, ‘Well, what if you lose to Trump, then how are you gonna feel?’ and President Biden said, ‘Well, as long as I gave it my all,’ that, basically, that he would feel OK.” “That’s not good enough for the American people. That’s not good enough with the stakes of Donald Trump winning.”
Other Democrats criticized Biden’s resistance to the idea of taking a cognitive test. He dismissed the suggestion out of hand by telling Stephanopoulos, “I take a cognitive test every day,” referring to the daily work of the presidency and running for re-election. “I found the answer about taking a cognitive test every day to be unsettling and not particularly convincing, so I will be watching closely every day to see how he is doing, especially in spontaneous situations,” Representative Judy Chu of California told Politico.
Tim Ryan, a former representative from Ohio who has also urged a Biden withdrawal, echoed that sentiment, telling the same network, “I think there was a level of him being out of touch with reality on the ground.” He also said, “I don’t think he moved the needle at all. I don’t think he energized anybody. I’m worried, like I think a lot of people are, that he is just not the person to be able to get this done for us.”
Several Biden loyalists, including Senator Chris Coons of Delaware and John Fetterman, a senator from Pennsylvania, voiced their continued support. But even among supporters, there were doubts. Ro Khanna, a California congressman and Biden surrogate, issued a statement saying he expected the president to do more to show he has the vigor to fight and win the election and “that requires more than one interview.” “I expect complete transparency from the White House about this issue and a willingness to answer many legitimate questions from the media and voters about his capabilities,” Khanna said.
Gavin Newsom, the California governor who has been widely discussed as a potential successor to Biden, was campaigning on Saturday for the president in Pennsylvania’s Bucks County. Kamala Harris, the vice-president, was due to make a public appearance at the Essence culture festival in New Orleans the same day.
Source: USA Today, The Guardian
