A U.S. congressman said he decided to join calls for Joe Biden, 81, to drop out of the presidential race after he failed to recognize him at a recent event.
Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts was one of the first Democrats to call on Biden to drop out of the race shortly after Biden’s brutal defeat in last month’s debate. Moulton on Friday doubled down on his push to remove Biden from the 2024 presidential race, writing an op-ed blasting Democrats in the race. The Boston Globe.
Moulton said he met Biden with a small group commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings on June 6. “The first time, he didn’t seem to recognize me,” the Democrat wrote. “Of course, that can happen to anyone as they get older, but having watched the disastrous debate a few weeks ago, I was forced to acknowledge that what I saw at Normandy was part of a much deeper problem.”
“It was a shocking reality — not just because a loved one had a difficult night, but because everything hinges on whether Biden can beat Donald Trump in November.”
Last week, former president and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was the target of an assassination attempt. Moulton said the shooting “has changed the national debate for now.” [but] What hasn’t changed are these basic facts: Biden is lagging behind Trump in key battleground states and has not yet demonstrated a willingness or ability to change strategy.”
Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state had even harsher words for Biden on Saturday, calling the presidential campaign’s acknowledgement of Biden’s candidacy a “spectacular act of political malfeasance.”
He told the BBC’s Today programme: “Democratic leaders across this country need to stop being coy and silent and polite about this and make it very clear that they believe the president should step aside and go to President Biden’s campaign team and say, ‘You are committing a spectacular act of political malfeasance’. Please stop and put the interests of your party and your country above the selfish interests of Joe Biden.”
Biden, who is recovering from COVID-19, has been under intense pressure to resign since his performance at last month’s debate was panned. The president has tried in a series of television interviews and public remarks to ease concerns about his age and his ability to do the job, but his gaffes continue and calls for him to resign persist.
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Last week, during a make-or-break news conference for NATO, Biden mistakenly referred to Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump” and earlier in the day mistakenly introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin.”
Biden said Friday he looked forward to “returning to the campaign trail next week” after the number of Democrats calling for his resignation surpassed 30.
