A sitting House Democrat has become the first to suggest President Joe Biden should resign in a stunning statement.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., said ahead of Biden’s highly anticipated news conference Thursday that she has “doubts” about his “health and fitness to do the job” after their disastrous debate two weeks ago.
Perez also said he is concerned about whether he is really “the one making important decisions about our country, rather than unelected advisors.”
“Americans deserve to feel that their president is fit enough to do the job,” he continued in a statement to local channel KGW8.
“The crisis of confidence in the President’s leadership must come to an end. The President must do what he knows is best for the country and put the national interest first.”
His statement goes beyond the growing chorus of Democrats (14 so far, to be exact) who have called on Biden to drop out of the 2024 race.
A sitting Democrat became the first to suggest President Joe Biden should resign from office in a stunning statement
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., said ahead of Biden’s highly anticipated news conference Thursday that she has “questions” about his “health and fitness to do the job.”
Two weeks after Biden’s dismal debate performance against former President Trump, questions are emerging on Capitol Hill about whether his leadership will help or hurt Democrats in lower congressional districts.
And now 14 elected Democrats have come out publicly urging Biden to drop out of the race.
Perez’s colleague, Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, was among the first sitting House members to urge Biden to drop the 2024 bid.
Amid the chaos, Biden campaign advisers Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti and Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon arranged a last-minute meeting with Democratic senators.
But lawmakers emerged from their private meeting discussing Biden’s political future with little to celebrate — most with more questions than they had when they entered.
“Some of my concerns have been allayed, others have deepened,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told reporters after the private meeting. “I need more analysis of the kind that shows the path to success.”
“We need more data, more analysis to allay my concerns,” he said. “More important than my concerns are the questions that the American people have raised.”
“I think Joe Biden needs to stand up to Donald Trump and calm people’s concerns.”
“And I think he’s capable of doing that, but he has to show the American people the stark contrast and existential threat that Donald Trump represents to American democracy.”
Blumenthal’s concerns are shared by many in Congress.
Another senator, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, spoke at a fundraising event earlier this week and described “nervousness” about the top spot on the Democratic ticket, DailyMail.com has learned exclusively.
Earlier this week, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared on Biden’s favorite morning show on MSNBC and said the president needs to decide whether he still wants to be the Democratic nominee.
The problem is that he sent a letter to all Democrats on Capitol Hill just days earlier saying he fully intends to stay in the race despite concerns about his age and debate performance.
Her insistence that the president’s decision has not yet been made has led other Democrats to echo the former House speaker’s stance that Biden must make his own decision.
Pelosi also said Biden should focus on his solo press conference at the 2024 NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., and not worry about making a decision until after his long-awaited remarks.
Reports indicate Democrats across Congress could rally against the president after his speech Thursday night in an effort not to undermine the country’s leader as he navigates sensitive foreign relations.
“Tonight will be important,” Blumenthal said of the event.
“The press conference can be a turning point, but it has to be more than just a press conference.”