Democratic Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett became the first congressional Democrat on Tuesday to call for President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race following a disastrous debate.
Biden began facing calls to drop out of the 2024 presidential race following his Wednesday debate performance in which he appeared confused, stumbled through answers and committed some senior moments. While many Democratic strategists and politicos have voiced their uneasiness with Biden being the nominee, Doggett is the first congressional Democrat to publicly make his opinions on the situation known. (RELATED: White House Aides Reportedly Confirm Biden Exhibits Classic Dementia Symptom)
“My decision to make these strong reservations public is not done lightly nor does it in any way diminish my respect for all that President Biden has achieved,” Doggett said in a statement. “Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so.”
INBOX: Rep. Lloyd DOGGETT (D-Texas) becomes the first sitting Democratic lawmaker to publicly call on BIDEN to withdraw from the 2024 race.
“Rep. Doggett Calls on President Biden to Withdraw”
Doggett has served in the House since 1995. pic.twitter.com/EH9JStCsiq
— Mychael Schnell (@mychaelschnell) July 2, 2024
Just got off the phone with Doggett.
He said he warned the WH on Friday of his move and made his feelings known to House Dem leadership Friday after the debate.
“After the debate, the risk of a Trump presidency has grown so much that I felt forced to take this action.”
— Matthew Choi (@matthewichoi) July 2, 2024
Doggett warned the White House on Friday that he planned to speak out against the president, and also “made his feelings known” to Democratic leadership in the House the same day, according to Texas Tribune reporter Matthew Choi.
“After the debate, the risk of a Trump presidency has grown so much that I felt forced to take this action,” Doggett reportedly said. However, the lawmaker refused to name specific alternatives to Biden whom he would support, according to Choi.
As Democrats’ calls for Biden to drop out of the race amplified, the president and his reelection campaign began their damage control. While the president’s campaign assured constituents that Biden was not dropping out of the race, the 81-year-old addressed concerns himself.
“I know I’m not a young man. I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to, but I know what I do know — I know how to tell the truth,” Biden said at a North Carolina rally on Friday.
But even as Biden tried to quell concerns, he met with his family at Camp David over the weekend to reportedly discuss his fate in the 2024 presidential race, sources told NBC News. On the matter, “the entire family is united” as Hunter Biden, the first son, is pushing the hardest for his dad to stay in the race, sources told the New York Times.
Biden gave unplanned remarks on Monday to address the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity. In his first major appearance since his debate performance, the president spoke for just five minutes and took no questions on the concerns about his fitness for office.
“I represent the heart of a congressional district once represented by Lyndon Johnson. Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw. President Biden should do the same,” Doggett wrote.
