Grassroots group holds ‘Pass the Torch’ rally in front of the White House

Pass the torcha new grassroots group calling for Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race held a rally in front of the White House on Saturday.

“Thanks, Joe; It’s time to go!” group sang outside the gates. According to organizers, around 100 people were present.

President Biden has faced intense pressure from members of his own party to lose the Democratic nomination since his disastrous debate performance in late June. As of Saturday, 35 Democrats have publicly called for Biden to resign.

In a statement released before the rally, Pass the Torch explained that its movement is based on concerns that Biden will not be able to defeat former President Trump, characterizing November as an “existential election.”

“We need a presidential candidate who has the best chance of defeating Trump, and a growing majority of Democrats believe that President Biden is not that candidate and should step aside,” wrote Aaron Regunberg, a member of the organization’s steering committee. “That’s why we’re organizing something that’s harder to ignore: a rally in front of the White House.”

“Biden has done an incredible job over the last four years,” Claudia Nachega, a 19-year-old participant from Maryland, told The Hill. “I also think that with Biden’s poll numbers dropping, it’s definitely time to have a new Democratic candidate that we can be confident will win in November.

“That’s why I came today to ask Joe Biden to pass the torch so that especially young people can support a new candidate.”

Some, including the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, have characterized those calling for the president’s departure as Democratic elites.

“I think it’s factually incorrect to say that,” Emily O’Keefe, a 22-year-old from Virginia who attended the rally, said in response.

“This is a concern that is held by broad sectors of the Democratic Party,” repeated Quentin Colón Roosevelt, a 20-year-old DC native who participated in the rally. “I think behind closed doors there are many members of Congress, including progressives, who want to see a new leader in the Oval Office.”

“We were just, you know, a group of us – regular people – who care and want to have the best chance of securing a future,” O’Keefe emphasized.

President Biden is currently in Delaware where he is self-isolating as he recovers from COVID. In a statement released on Friday, Biden’s campaign once again doubled down on its commitment to remain in the race until November.

“Donald Trump’s bleak vision for the future is not who we are as Americans. Together, as a party and as a country, we can and will defeat him at the polls,” Biden said. “The risks are high and the choice is clear. Together, we will win.”

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story