A third incumbent Democrat has turned on President Joe Biden, saying he believes the “painful debate” against Trump has cost Democrats dearly.
Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, 36, said KATU News who believes in President Biden’s performance in the election last week.
She told the outlet she believes “the damage has already been done” and that she tuned into the debate for only “five very painful minutes.”
Despite his damning comments, he stopped short of calling for him to step down and said Democrats have to accept the results of the primary election.
Gluesenkamp Pérez said: “A fundamental principle of democracy is to accept the results of an election and the reality is that the primary votes have already been held to such an extent that Biden is the candidate.”
Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, seen here, told KATU News she believes last week’s debate performance against Biden has cost him the election.
Despite his damning comments, he stopped short of calling on Biden to step down and said Democrats need to accept the results of the primary election.
She added: “About 50 million Americans tuned in and watched that debate. I was one of them for about five very painful minutes.”
“We all saw what we saw, you can’t undo that, and the truth, I think, is that Biden is going to lose to Trump. I know it’s hard, but I think the damage has already been done with that debate.”
It comes after Maine Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, 41, said he expects Trump to win after Biden’s terrible debate performance.
“After the first presidential debate, many Democrats are panicking over whether President Joe Biden should step down as the party’s nominee,” he wrote for a Maine newspaper.
“Biden’s poor performance in the debate was not a surprise,” he continued.
“I’m not as affected by this as others, because I’ve been clear about the outcome of this election for months: even though I’m not going to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win. And that seems fine to me.”
Golden became the second current member of Congress to oppose Biden this week.
Texas Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett, 77, was the first to speak out Tuesday, comparing the difficult decision he says Biden must make for the good of the nation to one made by another sitting Democratic president decades ago.
“I represent the heart of a congressional district once represented by Lyndon Johnson,” the Texan said in a statement. “Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to retire.
“President Biden should do the same,” he continued. “While much of his work has been transformative, he has pledged to be transitional.”
Lyndon B. Johnson decided to withdraw from the race in 1968 because mounting casualties in the Vietnam War had made him extremely unpopular.
Biden faces plummeting support following his disastrous performance in Thursday’s debate.
“You have the opportunity to encourage a new generation of leaders from whom a candidate can be chosen to unite our country through an open and democratic process,” Doggett’s statement continued.
“My decision to make these strong reservations public is not one I made lightly and in no way diminishes my respect for all that President Biden has accomplished.”
Gluesenkamp Perez flipped a traditionally Republican seat in 2022 when he defeated Republican Joe Kent
Joe Biden uses teleprompters to discuss extreme weather at the DC Emergency Operations Center in Washington
‘After the first presidential debate, many Democrats are panicking over whether President Joe Biden should step down as the party’s nominee,’ Golden wrote.
Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett became the first sitting Democrat to call for Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race
President Joe Biden is said to be “humiliated” and “painfully conscious” of his image following his debate car crash that saw him stumble over his words and lose his train of thought.
‘Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not to himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw.
I respectfully request that you do so.”
While other former Democrats and liberal pundits have speculated about Biden’s ability to hold on to the presidency through 2028, should he win, no other sitting Democrats have gone as far in their predictions as Doggett.
Doggett, 77, is a respected member of the House Democratic Caucus, having served in the chamber since 1995.
He also praised Biden’s job as president, but ultimately admitted that Joe’s performance in the debate was not that of a competitive candidate.
The president retreated to Camp David with his wife, children and grandchildren to take a break from the campaign trail and weigh his options after the debate.
“President Biden has continued to lag substantially behind Democratic senators in key states and has trailed Donald Trump in most polls,” he said.
“I was hoping that the debate would provide some impetus to change that. It didn’t.”
‘Instead of reassuring voters, the President failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments or expose Trump’s numerous lies.’
National Republican Congressional Committee communications director Jack Pandol criticized Doggett’s announcement as coming too late.
“The cowards in the Democratic Caucus have spent every day since the debate in witness protection, too scared to say what they are thinking,” Pandol said in a statement.
‘Americans remember that House Democrats were complicit in covering up and misleading the public about the president’s condition, and voters are prepared to punish them in November.’