President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance is forcing lawmakers to grapple with a crisis that could upend the election and change the course of history.
President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance has reverberated across the Democratic Party, forcing lawmakers to grapple with a crisis that could upend the presidential election and change the course of American history.
The Democratic president has signaled he has no intention of dropping out of the race against Donald Trump despite the halting and uneven debate delivery that threw a spotlight on questions about Biden’s age and capacity to be president. But as Democrats make the case the stakes of the election are momentous — challenging no less than the foundations of American democracy — they’re wrestling with how to approach the 81-year-old who’s supposed to be leading the charge for their party.
Here’s how Democrats are handling the debate aftermath:
Rep. Lloyd Doggett, of Texas, on Tuesday became the first sitting Democrat in Congress to call for Biden to withdraw from the race. He praised Biden but said he “has the opportunity to encourage a new generation of leaders from whom a nominee can be chosen to unite our country through an open, democratic process.”
“Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so,” said Doggett, who’s 77.
Some other congressional Democrats have moved in recent days to outspoken concern not just over Biden’s performance during the 90-minute debate last week but also the level of transparency Biden’s team has offered about his mental fitness. They’ve tiptoed toward embracing the idea Biden should withdraw.
“Everybody is asking one question within the Democratic Party … which is how do we defeat Donald Trump and how are we going to defeat the threat of authoritarianism,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, a prominent Democrat from Maryland, said on MSNBC late Tuesday.
He added that the question of whether Biden stays as the presidential candidate or Democrats select someone else “is a moving target. It has to happen quickly.”
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., told a local CBS-affiliated television station he was “horrified” by both Biden’s performance and Trump’s falsehoods during the debate.
“People want to make sure that this is a campaign that’s ready to go and win,” Whitehouse said.
