Pressure Mounts on Biden to Withdraw from Presidential RacePressure Mounts on Biden to Withdraw from Presidential Race Support for President Joe Biden’s presidential run has plummeted after his underwhelming debate performance against Donald Trump. Democratic Senator Peter Welch has urged Biden to step aside, citing concerns about his age, health, and abilities, which have overshadowed Trump’s flaws. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and actor George Clooney have joined the chorus of those questioning Biden’s fitness for office. Clooney, who once supported Biden, now believes he cannot withstand the demands of the presidency. Despite mounting pressure, Biden remains resolute in his decision to run, asserting that he is confident in his ability to defeat Trump. He has vowed that only “the Lord Almighty” could convince him to withdraw. The Republican-led House Oversight Committee has summoned senior White House aides to testify about Biden’s health, raising further doubts about his fitness for office. Committee Chairman James Comer has accused Biden of being “unfit” and alleges that his staff is not being transparent. White House spokesperson Ian Sams has dismissed the summons as a political stunt, accusing the committee of using the issue to score headlines rather than seeking legitimate information. As the race heats up, Biden faces increasing scrutiny over his age and health, with concerns persisting about his ability to lead the nation.
Support for US President Joe Biden for the presidential race in the upcoming elections has further dwindled after a Democratic Senator publicly asked the 81-year-old to step aside following his poor performance in the debate with former President and Republican pick Donald Trump on June 28.
Peter Welch publicly asked Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race in an op-ed published in The Washington Post. He said Democrats cannot “unsee” the US President’s “disastrous debate performance”.
“We cannot ignore or dismiss the valid questions raised since that night. For the good of the country, I’m calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race,” Welch wrote.
The Senator further urged Joe Biden to reassess whether he is the best pick to beat former President and Republican candidate Donald Trump, adding that mounting concerns and talks about the 81-year-old’s age, health and abilities have shifted focus from Trump’s flaws.
“Trump is a felon. He is a pathological liar. He is a menace. And he is sure to be emboldened by his activist Supreme Court, which granted him near total immunity. But the national conversation is focused on President Biden’s age and capacity. Only he can change it,” Peter Welch wrote in the op-ed.
Peter Welch is among a host of other Democratic heavyweights who have cast doubts on Biden’s ability to run as President again. Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Hollywood actor George Clooney have joined the calls.
In an interview with news channel MSNBC, Pelosi stressed that Joe Biden has a “decision” to make because “time is running short”. “It’s up to the president to decide if he’s going to run. We’re all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short,” she said.
Clooney, on the other hand, a Democrat who co-hosted a star-studded fundraiser for the US President last month, also dropped his backing for Joe Biden with a strong opinion piece in the New York Times, saying he “loved” him, but he cannot win the “fight against time”.
“None of us can. It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal’ Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate,” the actor wrote in the op-ed.
Despite increasing pressure to quit the presidential race, Joe Biden has stayed firm on his decision to stay in. On Monday, in a strong letter to his fellow Democrats, he reiterated that he wasn’t going to back out, adding that he would not be seeking re-election if he wasn’t sure he was “the best man to defeat Donald Trump in 2024”.
Furthermore, in a recent interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News, Joe Biden said only the Lord Almighty can convince him to stay out of the race.
Amid concerns over Joe Biden’s age, the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee has summoned three senior White House aides, demanding they sit for depositions regarding the Democratic President’s health, the panel said in a statement.
It has summoned First Lady Jill Biden’s top aide Anthony Bernal, deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini, and senior adviser Ashley Williams, Axios reported.
Republican U.S. Representative James Comer, the panel’s chairperson, said in the statement that key White House staff must appear before the committee so that Americans can get the “transparency and accountability” that they deserve. He also called Joe Biden “unfit” for office and alleged his staff were not being transparent.
White House spokesperson Ian Sams, however, called the summons a “baseless political stunt” and that James Comer was “weaponising” them to get headlines instead of “seeking information through the proper constitutional process”, news agency Reuters reported.
Published On:
Jul 11, 2024
