Minnesota Representative Angie Craig became the fifth Democratic lawmaker to call for President Joe Biden to remove himself from the 2024 presidential race, saying there is too much at risk in the November election to allow the president to run for re-election.
On Saturday, Craig joined some of her colleagues in asking Biden to drop out of the presidential race after his dismal debate performance against Donald Trump.
“I have great respect for President Biden’s decades of service to our nation and his steadfast commitment to making our country a better place,” Craig wrote.
“However, given what I saw and heard from the President during last week’s debate in Atlanta, coupled with the lack of a forceful response from the President himself following the debate, I do not believe the President can effectively campaign and win against Donald Trump,” she added.
Craig’s statement echoes that of Representatives Mike Quigley, Seth Moulton, Raúl Grijalva and Lloyd Doggett who have also asked the president to withdraw from the race after the first presidential debate.
Biden’s hoarse voice and muddled speech during the debate last week gave the appearance of an elderly, weak man who appeared distracted and, at times, confused. The president’s poor performance has sent the Democratic Party into slight chaos as they work to restore the party’s reputation while trying to maintain consistency.
While leaders in the party, like former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the vice president and more have maintained they will support Biden’s re-election campaign, others like Craig have broken away from that.
Biden has refused to step aside, thus far.
In an interview with ABC News on Friday, the president assured Americans he is capable of successfully running against Trump, claiming the debate was “a bad night” for himself because he was battling a cold and sleep deprivation. Biden said he consulted his physicians who told him he was “exhausted”.
But when asked if he would take a cognitive or neurological test and release the results to the public, Biden stopped short of agreeing to it. Instead, he pointed to his busy schedule and day-to-day activities as evidence of his functioning mental state.
It’s unclear if Biden’s words will be enough to convince Americans that he is capable and worth supporting.
So far, post-debate polling shows a significant decline in support for Biden. Trump is leading in several swing states and more voters have signaled they would rather vote for Trump than Biden.
Given the direction public opinion is headed in, Craig said there is “too much at stake” to risk Trump possibly winning re-election.
“If we truly believe that Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans must be stopped, there is only a small window left to make sure we have a candidate best equipped to make the case and win,” Craig wrote.
“The future of our country is bigger than any one of us. It’s up to the President from here.”
