Members of the Congressional Black Caucus are supporting President Biden as a growing number of Democrats call on him to suspend his 2024 campaign.
On Sunday, Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Florida) issued a scathing rebuttal of those calling for Biden to resign.
“Any ‘leader’ calling for President Biden to step down needs to get his priorities straight and stop undermining this incredible real leader who has delivered real results for our country,” Wilson said in a statement. “And when you compare that to a dangerous figure like Donald Trump pushing a radical agenda to be a dictator from day one and destroy our democracy, we must do everything in our power to defeat him; Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the ticket to doing just that.”
She went on to say that Project 2025, a set of policy proposals that some conservatives have promised to enact if former President Trump wins in November, is a “draconian 920-page plan to end democracy in the US.”
“What Democrats need to do is stop listening to these political pundits and focus on what’s at stake in this election: our democracy,” Wilson added. “End of story. I stand with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and so should all Americans.”
His comments came after Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-C.), one of Biden’s most prominent black allies in Congress, repeatedly expressed his support for the incumbent, adding that should the president step aside, he would support his vice president. -President Harris. to replace it.
Five House Democrats publicly called for Biden to suspend his campaign following his poor debate performance last month. Biden has remained adamant that he will continue to seek re-election.
But some Black Democrats have warned that the party’s infighting could alienate Black voters, a crucial demographic that many say played a critical role in sending Biden to the White House in 2020.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) gave a passionate response to calls for Biden to step aside at the Essence Festival last week.
“He should have done better in the debate, but damn, he’s already starting to do better,” she said. “Did you see the last interview? And he gets stronger and will do better every day.”
She also addressed concerns about Biden’s age, noting that she is older than the 81-year-old president and calling Trump a “useless, deplorable, lying, despicable human being.”
“Do we need to talk about the difference between these two? There will be no other Democratic candidate. It will be Biden, and you better know that,” she said.
Meanwhile, Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, also threw her support behind Biden.
In an interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Beatty said he is “100 percent with the president.”
“We are supporting the Biden-Harris team because they have contributed to protecting our freedom and our democracy,” she said.
But as Biden faces growing criticism from his party, former Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) pointed out that most of those calling for Biden to resign are white Democrats.
“I find it interesting that no African-American members [of Congress] asked the president to resign,” Richmond told POLITICO Playbook on Monday. He added that these lawmakers “risk alienating part of their base” by withdrawing their support for Biden.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
