WASHINGTON — Republican lawmakers were quick to react Sunday to President Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race, saying it wasn’t all that surprising, with some calling for the 81-year-old president with about four months left in his term to step down.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) was one of the first lawmakers, and not just the Democratic nominee, to call for Biden to resign due to concerns about his mental acuity following Biden’s disastrous performance in the June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump.
“Biden did the right thing for the Democratic Party, but now will he do the right thing for the country?” Issa said in a post on X.
Representative Sen. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) agreed.“For the good of our country, @JoeBiden should step down and resign from office,” he posted to X.
“If Joe Biden is not capable of seeking reelection, [sic] Enough to allow me to continue serving as President,” he wrote.
Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY) also said that if Biden was “unfit to run for president, he’s unfit to serve.”
“I call for his immediate resignation,” he said. “Democratic party leaders have known for five years how unfit he is to lead this country. They and their media partners have covered it up and lied about it.”
“Let’s not forget: Biden’s terrible record is Kamala Harris’ terrible record,” he added, referring to Harris, the vice president and presumptive front-runner for the Democratic nomination.
“If Joe Biden cannot run for reelection, he cannot serve as president either,” Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines of Montana said in a statement.
“Being president is the hardest job in the world, and I can no longer be confident that Joe Biden can effectively perform his duties as commander in chief,” he said. “Out of concern for our national security, I am formally asking President Biden to resign.”
Daines said he was “shocked” by how little support there has been so far for Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed Biden, even though Biden himself has pledged to support the vice president taking over as his top nominee.
“I find it astonishing that none of the Senate Democrats who worked with VP Harris have called for her to replace President Biden,” he said. “I think they believe she is unfit to serve as commander in chief.”
Calls for Biden to resign were not limited to Congress, as Republican leaders and former Trump administration officials also expressed concerns about the president’s ability to make important decisions for the country ahead of the inauguration.
“While many Republicans would prefer to run against Biden, the president’s decision not to run for reelection, while unavoidable, is what’s best for our country,” Heather Nauert, a former State Department spokesperson in the Trump administration, said on X.
“Biden should step aside and allow a competent person to make the decision at least until January 25th,” she added.
“Democratic leaders have deceived the American people for over a year, hiding the reality of Biden’s mental decline and failed policies,” Rep. Dan Meuser (D-Pennsylvania) said in a statement.
“They knew Biden was unfit to be president, but they claimed what we were seeing with our own eyes was a ‘deep fake,'” he said. “Now the Democratic Party establishment and left-wing media have ignored the will of the voters and got rid of him.”
“We must ask whether the administration’s goals of self-preservation outweighed its duty and oath to uphold the Constitution and protect the American people,” he added, but did not say whether Biden should leave office.
On the campaign trail, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said he wasn’t concerned that the Democratic nominee changes would hurt Trump’s chances of retaking the White House in November.
“Americans are fed up with Biden-Harris’ open border policies and the rising cost of living that is putting a strain on household finances.” He wrote to X“Changing the candidate won’t fool anyone. Changing horses midway will not stop the bad policies and reckless policies of the Democratic Party leaders.”
Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.), known for his tongue-in-cheek posts on X, offered a less serious response to the news, pointing out the irony of ice cream-loving Biden dropping out of the race on Sunday.
“Today is ice cream day.” He wrote“A coincidence? No way!”
