United States – Democratic California Congressman Adam Schiff asserted that President Biden should drop his campaign; this reignited a trickle of opposition to Biden within the Democratic Party that had momentarily ceased after a failed assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump the previous weekend, as reported by The New York Times.
Statement on President’s Service
Mr. Biden “has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history, and his lifetime of service as a senator, a vice president, and now as president has made our country better,” Mr. Schiff said in a statement to The Los Angeles Times. But, he said, “A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the president can defeat Donald Trump in November.”
Private Concerns Echoed in Public
During a closed-door donor conference over the weekend, Mr. Schiff warned that should Mr. Biden stay as the Democratic Party’s candidate, not only would the White House be lost by the party, but also all other elections. But his public statement on Wednesday was a more dangerous step towards that path.
He said he would vote for the Democratic ticket if Mr. Biden remained at the top of the ticket, but he thinks it would be better if he stepped aside and “passed the torch.”
A spokesman for Mr. Biden was not reachable for his comment regarding the issue at hand.
Mr. Schiff’s statement joins the chorus of at least 20 House Democrats who are urging Mr. Biden to quit the race. Some have said this in private interviews, and others have said explicitly that they think that they should resign, as reported by The New York Times.