A sixth Democrat in Congress has now called on Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race, accusing his team of ignoring concerns within the party.
Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, candidly told CNN host Jake Tapper on Monday afternoon that he doesn’t think the 81-year-old is the best candidate to beat former President Trump in November’s presidential election.
“I think he should step down. He’s clearly not the best person to carry the Democratic message,” Smith said.
He pointed to the US economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and argued that Biden has done a “great job” so far.
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Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, is the latest Democrat to call on Biden to step down. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“And the other, Donald Trump, is a total failure,” Smith said. “We have a good message. The president has demonstrated an inability to communicate that message effectively.”
Smith also pushed back against calls from Biden’s allies to keep talk of Biden’s eligibility out of the news.
“A lot of Democrats are saying, ‘Okay, let’s move on. We’re not the ones bringing this up. We’re not the ones saying, ‘Anytime, Anywhere.’ Only Joe Biden was on stage with Donald Trump,” Smith said.
“Our voters are raising this issue, our country is raising this issue, and the election strategy of ‘shut up, comply and ignore it’ has simply not worked so far.”
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Biden’s poor debate performance has raised concerns among Democrats (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
He is among several national Democrats urging Biden to step down following his dismal performance at last month’s CNN presidential debate. Even some of Biden’s allies expressed concern after Biden spoke hoarsely, blaming a cold and repeatedly stumbling over his answers during the primetime debate. Viewers also saw Biden appear fatigued and noticeably less agile than when he faced off against Trump in 2020.
“I had concerns leading up to the debate,” Smith said when asked if the incident alone made him skeptical of Biden. “And it hasn’t gotten any better since the debate.”
The Washington state Democrat also stressed that he is not calling for Biden to leave office early, but added that he could support Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.
Meanwhile, the president himself has repeatedly refused to step down since the debate.
He also sent a letter to Democratic lawmakers early Monday morning making it clear he has no intention of backing down.
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Democrats worry about whether Biden can beat former President Trump in November (Felipe Ramares for Fox News Digital)
“The question of how to proceed has been debated for well over a week now,” Biden wrote, “and it’s time to end it. We have one job: to defeat Donald Trump.”
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Other Democrats who have called on Biden to step down include Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona), Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) and Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Massachusetts).
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Biden campaign for comment.
Smith’s CNN interview came before House Democrats gathered in the same room for the first time since the debate to hold their regular caucus meeting on Tuesday morning.
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