Democratic congressman asks Biden to abandon campaign – DW – 07/02/2024

Veterans and Democratic congressmen questioned this Tuesday (07/02/2024) the suitability of 81-year-old President Joe Biden to assume a second term, with the first public calls for him to withdraw his candidacy.

Congressman Lloyd Doggett said in a statement, “Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not to himself, I expect he will make the difficult and painful decision to step back.”

He added, “I respectfully ask you.” Doggett is the first lawmaker in the party to publicly ask Biden not to stay on.

“I think it’s a legitimate question: ‘Is this an episode or is this a state?’” the highly influential Nancy Pelosi, the former Democratic speaker of the United States House of Representatives, told MSNBC.

Pelosi was referring to last Thursday’s disastrous debate between Biden and former Republican President Donald Trump, in which the Democrat appeared tripped up at times and lost, raising fears about his mental acuity.

Since that day, Democratic leaders have been hesitant. “We have to be honest with ourselves and say this wasn’t just a terrible night,” Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley told CNN on Tuesday.

RR (AFP/AP)