Democratic Rep. Jake Auchincloss (Massachusetts) on Sunday expressed confidence that President Biden “could” win the election and is “fully fit” to be the country’s leader now, while also noting the concerns he has about the prospects of Democrats in November.
“Fox News Sunday” anchor Shannon Bream, speaking with Auchincloss, pointed to recent stories from other Democrats, including Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), who claimed the president did not recognize him at an event. She asked Auchincloss if Biden is “not good enough to win” and if he can currently govern.
“First of all, I think Joe Biden can win the elections in November. Whether he is the strongest candidate to win the elections in November is an open question,” he said. “I also think he’s completely fit to be commander in chief right now. And, frankly, his record over the last three and a half years shows that this is the first president in American history who took office and had to defend democracy in the country and abroad.”
This comes as Biden faces growing calls from members of his own party to withdraw from the race due to concerns he will not be able to defeat former President Trump at the polls in November. The calls began earlier this month after his disastrous debate against Trump last month, during which the president’s speech was frequently interrupted and he at times appeared to lose his train of thought.
Auchincloss revealed that he is concerned about the Democrats’ performance at the polls in November, while also noting that the elections are still four months away.
“If the election were held today, Democrats would be in trouble. I don’t think there’s any empirical way to say otherwise,” he said. “But the election is in four months. And not only do we have very strong candidates in the House and Senate, but we also have strong replacements. [Vice President] Kamala Harris, who can prosecute a case, which is good because Trump is a convicted felon. We have [Transportation Secretary] who can talk about infrastructure in the economy to voters in swing states. We get [Commerce Secretary]a successful governor who now leads the strategy to win the competition with China.”
He compared these leaders to Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), whom he called a “MAGA shapeshifter.”
Biden acknowledged his weak debate last month, but says he intends to stay in the race.
Several House Democrats, along with some senators, have publicly urged the president to step aside in the 2024 race.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
