Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a veteran lawmaker and establishment fixture now running for Senate, has joined 19 other House Democrats in publicly calling for President Joe Biden to drop out of the race. In a statement provided to the Los Angeles Times, Schiff cited doubts over Biden's ability to defeat Donald Trump in November.
The announcement, coming from a lawmaker who had gained considerable stature after leading impeachment proceedings against Trump in 2019, represents a heavy blow to Biden and a sign that the rebellion within his party, briefly contained in the wake of an assassination attempt against Trump, is far from over.
In his statement, Schiff said that Biden “has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history, and his lifetime of service as a Senator, a Vice President, and now as President has made our country better." But, he continued, "our nation is at a crossroads. A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November.”
The Democratic Party had been engulfed in panic since a halting debate performance by Biden in June brought to light his apparent decline in fitness and ability to coherently make the case for a second term. In addition to the Democrats who have publicly urged Biden to step aside, many others are despairing in private over the prospect of him leading them to disaster — or, in the reported case of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, working behind the scenes to push the president out.
Biden has so far remained defiant, but he has often stumbled as he has tried to convince voters and lawmakers alike that is still capable of winning. In one call with House members from the moderate New Democrat Coalition, Biden shouted down dissenting lawmakers and insisted that polls showing him falling behind Trump were wrong, prompting concerns that he was aloof from reality and not receiving complete information from a shrinking circle of trusted aides and family.
An AP-Norc poll released on Wednesday found that 65% of Democratic voters want Biden out, flying in the face of repeated claims by the president that he is listening to voters and defying "elites." But Schiff acknowledged that the only realistic path to finding a new party nominee is for Biden himself to concede he shouldn't be the candidate.
“While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch,” he said. “And in doing so, secure his legacy of leadership by allowing us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election.”
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