Democratic Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts expressed confidence Sunday that President Biden “can win” the election and is “fully qualified” to lead the country at this point, but expressed concern about Democrats’ prospects in November.
“Fox News Sunday” anchor Shannon Bream spoke with Auchincloss, pointing to recent reports of other Democrats, including Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), claiming the president didn’t recognize them at the event. Bream asked Auchincloss if Biden “isn’t good enough to win” and could govern at this point.
“First of all, I think Joe Biden has a chance of winning the election in November. It’s an open question as to whether he’s the favorite to win the election in November,” he said. “I also think he’s fully qualified to be commander in chief at this point, and frankly, his track record over the last three and a half years shows that he is the first president in American history who has had to defend our democracy at home and abroad after taking office.”
Biden’s speech comes amid growing calls from members of his own party for him to drop out of the race over concerns he will not be able to beat former President Trump in November’s vote. The calls began earlier this month after his disastrous defeat in a debate with Trump last month. During the debate, Biden frequently paused and at times appeared to lose his train of thought.
Auchincloss said that while there are still four months until the election, he is concerned about how Democrats will fare on the ballot in November.
“If the election were held today, Democrats would be in trouble. I don’t think there’s any empirical way to say otherwise,” he said. “But the election is four months from now, and not only do we have very strong candidates at the House and Senate level, we also have strong surrogates. [Vice President] Kamala Harris can sue, which is a good thing because Trump is a convicted felon. [Transportation Secretary] Someone who can talk to voters in battleground states about economic infrastructure. [Commerce Secretary]a successful governor who is now leading the strategy to beat China.”
He contrasted these leaders with President Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), calling him a “MAGA shapeshifter.”
Biden has acknowledged he performed poorly in last month’s debate but has insisted he intends to continue campaigning.
Several House Democrats and senators have publicly called on the president to recuse himself from the 2024 presidential race.
