In a concerning turn of events for President Biden, at least four senior House Democrats have privately urged him to step aside from the 2024 presidential election. This comes after Biden’s widely criticized debate performance last month. Sources revealed to The Hill that Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.), and Adam Smith (D-Wash.) expressed their support for a change at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket during a private phone call on Sunday afternoon.
The conversation took place with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and other top leaders in the House Democratic Caucus. The quartet, who are all ranking members of key House committees, were vocal about the need for new leadership. Nadler serves on the Judiciary Committee, Morelle on the Administration Committee, Takano on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Smith on the Armed Services Committee.
“They were part of the general sentiment that we need to do something else,” one source told The Hill.
This private dissent aligns with the public calls from five other Democratic lawmakers—Reps. Lloyd Doggett (Texas), Mike Quigley (Ill.), Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.), Seth Moulton (Mass.), and Angie Craig (Minn.)—who have urged Biden to withdraw from the race following his debate performance, where he appeared to stumble over his words and lose his train of thought.
In an effort to address these concerns, Biden sat for an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Friday. However, some Democrats remain unconvinced. “The interview didn’t put concerns to rest,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Schiff added that Biden’s debate performance had “rightfully raised questions among the American people about whether the president has the vigor to defeat Donald Trump.”
Despite the mounting pressure, Biden remains steadfast in his decision to stay in the race. “Let me say this as clearly as I can: I’m the sitting President of the United States. I’m the nominee of the Democratic party. I’m staying in the race,” Biden wrote on the social platform X on Friday.
Veteran House Democrats, including Jeffries and Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), have thus far stood by Biden. They reiterated last week that Biden should not step out of the race, and a spokesperson for former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) stated she has “full confidence in President Biden and looks forward to attending his inauguration on January 20, 2025.” However, Pelosi raised some eyebrows last week by telling MSNBC that it is “legitimate” to ask both Biden and Trump, “is this an episode or is this a condition?”
As the 2024 election approaches, the Democratic Party faces growing internal conflict over Biden’s candidacy, leaving many to wonder what steps will be taken next in the race for the White House.
Credit: The Hill
