The latest news on Trump and the investigation following the assassination attempt, live:
Greg Landsman was interviewed at his office in the Longworth Building, Washington, on November 3. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images)
Ohio Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman said on CNN on Tuesday that the assassination attempt on Donald Trump has “moved” the conversation about whether President Joe Biden should drop out of the presidential race.
Landsman, whose seat is described as “competitive” by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, suggested last week that he was “increasingly” joining the number of Democrats who have publicly called on Biden to step down after his disastrous performance in last month’s debate against Donald Trump.
That was before the attempt on Trump’s life turned the presidential race upside down, however.
On Tuesday’s “CNN This Morning,” Kasie Hunt asked Landsman, “Are you prepared to tell President Biden that you think he should step aside?”
“No. First of all, what we all saw on Saturday was … the attempted assassination of former President Trump,” Landsman replied. “As you can imagine, it overshadowed the conversations we were having at home.”
Landsman said he has conveyed his concerns to party leaders and will leave the decision up to them and Biden.
“I have expressed my concerns to the leadership about the president’s ability to fight Donald Trump,” Landsman said. “Hopefully their input will inform the decision they make or the decision they make.”
In his comments last week, Landsman said he wanted to talk to his constituents in Ohio before making a decision about the president’s political future.
Speaking with Hunt, Landsman also took issue with Trump’s vice presidential pick J.D. Vance, who criticized his “inflammatory” language and claimed it goes against the message of unity Trump is trying to convey.
“As a guy from southwest Ohio who grew up at the same time and maybe five miles from J.D. Vance (we’re both from Butler County), it’s a problem that he (Trump) picked a guy who is divisive and uses inflammatory language,” Landsman said.