Former California Senator Barbara Boxer said President Biden should have two weeks to prove to the American people that he is ready for president, amid concerns about his position at the top of the Democratic ticket.
On a interview with Los Angeles Times columnist Mark BarabakBoxer said Biden deserves a chance to demonstrate that his shaky debate performance was, in fact, an anomaly.
“The man did this over and over again,” Boxer said of Biden in the interview published Wednesday. “Every time he was counted, he came back. Can he do it one more time? I do not know the answer. But out of respect and admiration for what he did, we will give him time to do it.”
“And if he can’t, he can’t,” Boxer said. “And there will be someone else.”
Boxer, who mentored the president while they both served in the Senate, said she was surprised by Biden’s performance last Thursday.
“We don’t know what happened to Joe,” she told Barabak, who said Boxer speculated that perhaps Biden’s lifelong stutter “emerged under the studio lights” or that he was feeling the effects of cold medicine.
Still, Boxer told Barabak, “I think the president owes the country an explanation.”
She highlighted the importance of proving that he is capable, saying: “He needs to leave without a script. No teleprompter and just facing the press, facing the public,” adding, “That’s critical.”
The interview comes amid doubts about the best path forward for the party, given Biden’s difficult debate last week. Two House Democrats have already called for Biden to resign, while others remain by the president’s side. The White House said Biden is ready to do the job over the next four years and dismissed the debate as a poor performance.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
