Three more House Democrats called on President Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race following Thursday night’s pivotal press conference, a worrying sign for the incumbent as he presses ahead with his campaign despite concerns following his disastrous performance in last month’s debate.
Democratic Reps. Jim Himes (Conn.), Scott Peters (Calif.) and Eric Sorensen (Ill.) said Biden should step aside minutes after concluding his roughly hour-long news conference, arguing that he is not the strongest candidate for defeat former President Trump in November. They join 13 other House Democrats and one Senate Democrat, Peter Welch (Vt.), who have urged the president to step aside.
While the newest trio of opponents is smaller than the wave of resistance that some predicted would emerge after the press conference – which culminated in the NATO summit held in DC – the number reflects growing discontent with Biden within the Democratic Party, and is fueling questions about whether he can survive at the top of the list.
“The 2024 elections will define the future of American democracy, and we must present the strongest candidate possible to confront the threat posed by Trump’s promised MAGA authoritarianism,” Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement. “I no longer believe he is Joe Biden, and I hope that, as he has done over a lifetime of public service, he continues to put our nation first and, as he promised, pave the way for a new generation of leaders.”
Peters, who has served in the House since 2013, wrote in a statement that the president’s “record of accomplishments will not translate into similar success in his re-election campaign.”
“The debate has raised real concerns among elected leaders, supporters and voters that the President will not be able to wage a winning campaign,” he added. “That wasn’t a blip.”
“In 2020, Joe Biden ran for president with the purpose of putting country above party,” Sorensen, a frontline lawmaker, said in a statement. “Today, I’m asking him to do it again.”
Biden answered questions from reporters for about 50 minutes during the press conference, addressing Ukraine’s war with Russia, the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East, the growing threat from China and, the most prominent topic, concerns about his fitness for office and viability as a Democratic Party presidential candidate.
“There is a long way to go in this campaign,” Biden said. “Then I’ll keep walking. Keep moving and because, I have more work to do.”
“I’m not in this for my legacy. I’m in this to finish the work I started,” she added at another point.
Perhaps the night’s two most memorable moments, however, were two gaffes that highlighted the president’s vulnerabilities that have worried Democrats since last month’s debate.
During his response to the first question of the night, Biden referred to Vice President Harris as “Vice President Trump.” And just before the press conference, when introducing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Biden said “ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” before correcting himself.
“Really terrible. Of all the gaffes,” one House Democrat told The Hill about the Zelensky-Putin mess.
The press conference came amid fallout from Biden’s disastrous debate performance last month, during which he stumbled over his words and at times appeared to lose his train of thought, prompting calls for him to withdraw from the race.
Reaction from House Democrats was mixed. While all three lawmakers joined calls for Biden to step aside, some of their allies defended him on social media. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida), for example, wrote on X that she was “#RidinwithBiden,” praising his handling of foreign policy and national security issues.
The House Democrat, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic, said Biden’s performance was “mixed.” Another Democratic lawmaker, who had previously told The Hill that he thought Biden should step aside, said “I think he was strong.” They, however, did not respond when asked whether the night would affect their thoughts on Biden’s future.
The press conference and the reaction to it are fueling questions about whether, or when, more lawmakers might join the effort to strip him of the nomination.
Himes, who said he purposely waited to release his announcement until the end of the NATO conference, signaled that more House Democrats could follow his example in the coming days.
“I’m far from the only Democrat who believes this, that the numbers, the trajectory, what Americans feel right now suggest not only that Joe Biden would lose this race, but that he or we would lose the Senate and the House. ,” he said on MSNBC in an interview.
“And the stakes are so high that we need to set aside this loyalty and this poetry and this romance and command of the light brigade and we all go together in favor of a really hard look at whether this is the way forward. ,” he added.
The congressman warned his colleagues: “If you don’t look at this cold and hard, you will be complicit in Donald Trump’s second presidency.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
