- 35 Democratic members of Congress demanded Biden end his re-election bid
Senator Joe Manchin is the latest to call on President Joe Biden, 81, to end his re-election bid.
The former Democratic senator from West Virginia, now an independent, joins 35 Democratic members of Congress who have publicly called on Trump to step aside after a disastrous debate performance last month that set off a series of gaffes.
“I made the decision with a heavy heart that I think it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation,” Manchin told CNN’s State of the Union.
In a separate interview on ABC This Week on Sunday morning, Manchin said he is concerned that Biden will not be able to…finish this job that he started and finish it the way he wanted.’
“I’m concerned about the president’s health and well-being, I really am,” he added.
Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat turned independent, is the latest on the left to call for President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential election.
Calls for Biden to abandon his campaign only grew after he was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week and removed from the campaign during a visit to Nevada during the Republican National Convention.
The West Virginia senator, once considered a potential bipartisan candidate for 2024, urged an “open process” to replace Biden and said he is “supportive of governors.”
Manchin’s comments Sunday follow similar calls from two of the Senate’s most vulnerable Democrats, Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.).
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) is backing Biden and campaigning for him in North Carolina this weekend. He dismissed the concerns of Manchin and other colleagues.
“I have enormous respect for Senator Manchin, but you heard him say he’s a fiscal conservative… and he wants a more moderate ticket,” Khanna told ABC This Week host Martha Raddatz.
But even some prominent Democrats in Congress considered allies and defenders of Biden are willing to see him drop out of the 2024 race.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) publicly expressed displeasure with Biden amid concerns about his suitability for office.
“While the decision to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch,” the congressman said in a statement Wednesday.
“And in doing so, we will secure his legacy of leadership by enabling us to defeat Donald Trump in the next election,” Schiff added.
Calls have grown for Biden to step aside after his disastrous debate performance was followed by weeks of blunders, and now a COVID-19 diagnosis has sidelined him from the campaign trail.