Former Trump Secretary of Defense Mark Esper expressed concern Sunday about how President Biden’s debate performance was being received on the world stage, suggesting it could sow doubts among foreign allies and adversaries about his ability to do his job.
“This is very serious stuff. Any foreigner, any ally, any partner is going to look at this and ask: Does he have the capacity to do another four years?,” Esper said on CNN. “And the answer has to be no.”
Biden has faced intense scrutiny following his poor performance in last week’s debate with former President Trump, which left some Democrats wondering whether he could win reelection and lead the country for another four years.
Esper, who served in the Trump administration for nearly two years, has said he will vote for his former boss in November’s presidential election, but he suggested Biden would become increasingly worse over time.
“We know what he’s battling … unfortunately, our parents and grandparents see it too, but every day, every week, he gets a little bit worse,” he said.
“And the thing is, in an era of great power competition, pitting autocracies in Russia, Iran and North Korea against Western democracies, at a time when the world needs American leadership, American leadership matters. And our commander in chief matters too,” he continued.
Esper also argued it was important to ask whether U.S. adversaries, such as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, see “weakness” in Biden.
Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), have suggested Biden’s cabinet should consider using the 25th Amendment to remove him from office, saying he was being targeted by America’s enemies “at the vulnerability of the White House.”
The 25th Amendment to the Constitution, which governs presidential succession, allows the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet to vote to declare that the president is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office” and to designate the vice president as acting president.
Despite calls from a growing number of Democrats, pundits and unnamed lawmakers for him to withdraw from the race, Biden and the White House have insisted he will not step down.
Biden has already won the primary and will not be ousted at the Democratic National Convention in August unless he agrees to withdraw.
