New York Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, a Democrat, said Wednesday that President Biden should withdraw from the presidential race, expressing concern about whether he can defeat former President Trump in November’s election.
“President Biden deserves eternal gratitude for what he has accomplished. [former President Trump] “Since taking office in 2020, he has led the nation’s recovery from the pandemic and helped restore faith in America at home and abroad,” said Delgado, who is also a former congressman. Said In a statement posted on social platform X on Wednesday.
“I have deep respect and admiration for his deep and abiding commitment to the American people and the ideals of our founding democracy. By wrapping up his campaign and making room for new leadership, he will be able to demonstrate his strength and grace and further build on his legacy,” she added.
Delgado joined a growing chorus of voices in his party calling for Biden to drop out of the presidential race following his shaky performance in last month’s presidential debate, in which he stumbled and croaked, raising concerns among Democrats about his age, mental health and ability to retake the White House in November.
“There is no greater threat to our democracy than former President Donald Trump, and he must be defeated,” Delgado said in a statement. “That is why I join millions of Americans, including ordinary New Yorkers from all walks of life, who are voicing legitimate concerns about whether President Biden can successfully run the election against Trump.”
“We’re calling on Joe Biden to step aside in the next election and make good on his promise to be a bridge to a new generation of leadership,” Delgado’s colleague, New York Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan, told The New York Times in an interview published Wednesday.
“I truly hope, from the bottom of my heart, that he listens,” he added.
Biden and his allies have resisted calls for him to withdraw from the race, with the president saying in an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos last week, “If the Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, withdraw from the race,’ I would withdraw from the race. The Almighty is not going to come down.”
