Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., said Friday on NBC’s “Today” that he supports Joe Biden’s candidacy for president, but Democrats have an Aug. 19 deadline to hold their convention.
Co-host Craig Melvin asked, “We have 17 members of the House, 17 Democrats, one of whom is a sitting senator, who are calling on the president to step aside. Two days ago, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said, ‘It’s up to the president to run. Time is running out and we’re all urging the president to make a decision.’ This is not a full endorsement from your friend, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Should we continue to have this discussion about the president stepping aside from this race?”
Clyburn responded, “No, you shouldn’t.”
Melvin said, “That conversation must be over now, right?”
Clyburn said, “No, the debate should be focused on the record of this administration, the alternatives to his election, and we must continue to let Joe Biden make his own decision about his future. He’s earned that right, and I’m going to give him that much respect. If he decides to change his mind later, we’ll accommodate that. The convention runs until August 19th, so I hope that we use our time now to focus on the record that we present to the American people, reminding them of what’s in store for them if Project 2025 becomes law in some form. That should be our focus.”
Melvin asked, “Again, how can this candidate stand? How can this candidate, run or candidate survive? How can a campaign be successful when literally every day Democrats are calling on the president to drop out of the race and every day lower-ranking Democrats are answering questions about the president’s mental acuity?”
“Joe Biden is focused on the future of our country, and I’ve always said the best predictor of future performance is past behavior. Let’s continue to compare Joe Biden’s past behavior to the past behavior of his opponent, Donald Trump, and let that guide our responses going forward, and then I think we’ll give the American people exactly what they need to make a choice,” Clyburn said.
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