- Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, on Tuesday called for Biden to withdraw
- He explained that he hopes Biden will make the “painful decision to withdraw.”
For the first time, a sitting Democrat has called on President Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race.
Texas Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett on Tuesday called for President Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race.
Doggett is the first sitting Democrat to call for Biden to step aside.
“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.”
Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett is the first sitting Democrat to call for Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race
“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.”
“Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not to himself, I hope that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully ask that he 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.
Calls for President Joe Biden to step aside as the party’s presumptive nominee have grown louder in the days since his disastrous debate with Donald Trump.
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.
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.
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.
“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.’
