Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) called for President Joe Biden to step back from his presidential campaign in a statement on July 19.
“It is time for President Biden to step aside and allow us to nominate a new leader who can reliably and consistently make the case against Donald Trump and make the case for the future of America,” Landsman wrote in a press statement.
Landsman’s statement comes as calls for Biden to drop out of the 2024 race ramp up nationwide; the 81-year-old President also announced he’d tested positive for COVID-19 on July 17, limiting his ability to campaign publicly on the heels of the Republican National Convention.
Key Democrats, such as Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Former President Barack Obama, are reportedly telling allies that they believe Biden should step aside.
Currently, 25 other House Democrats and three Senate Democrats have urged Biden to leave the election.
After Biden’s shaky debate performance on June 27 spotlighted his struggle to maintain focus and articulate his ideas, Democrats became split on their support for the current president. But Biden has maintained that he will stay in the race for the presidency.
On July 2, Biden’s press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre answered questions from reporters about Biden’s stumbles at the debate.
“I know that he had a cold,” Jean-Pierre told reporters. “Look, we all have bad nights or bad moments. It is not unusual.”
When reporters asked if Biden had been diagnosed with dementia, Jean-Pierre answered point-blank.
“It’s a no,” she said. “And I hope you’re asking the other guy the same question.”
Landsman didn’t comment on Biden’s fitness for the presidency after the debate, instead releasing a thread of statements on X (formerly known as Twitter) on July 8, asserting that “Trump is unfit to be president.” Landsman highlighted that Trump “tried to overturn an election,” supported reversing Roe v. Wade and is currently a convicted felon.
Landsman maintained these assertions in his new statement, saying that Trump’s speech at the RNC “proved again that he is unfit to be president of the United States.”
In his statement, Landsman expressed his respect for Biden and his dedication to democracy. However, he said Biden may not be a strong enough candidate against Trump in this time of “great risk.”
“We have to be able to make [the] case to the American people about the change we need and the country we all deserve,” Landsman said. “After weeks of consideration and hundreds of conversations with constituents, I have come to the conclusion that Joe Biden is no longer the best person to make that case.”
Democrats must nominate their candidate for President during the Democratic National Convention, which is scheduled to start on Aug. 19 in Chicago.
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This article appears in Jul 10-23, 2024.