2024 Election Live Updates: Democrats Wrestle With Biden’s Political Future Amid Presidential Race
An Ohio House Democrat said Thursday he is “getting closer and closer” to calling on President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race because his ability to win reelection “may be too high a hill for him to climb.”
Landsman, who won a Republican-held seat in 2022, added: “I had hoped — and still hope, to some extent — that (Biden) would come out and argue that Donald Trump is unfit to be president, that he will undermine, if not destroy, our democracy, but I think that is becoming increasingly — less likely.”
The background: Congressional Democrats are concerned about Biden’s chances of winning reelection, particularly after his disastrous CNN debate last month, and that having him at the top of the ticket could also hurt the party in down-ballot races this fall. Most Democrats have been reluctant to publicly call for Biden to step aside, but a growing number are saying so out loud, even as Biden went on the offensive this week to shore up support. He told congressional Democrats in a letter Monday that he will continue his reelection bid despite growing concerns, while also railing against party “elites” in an interview.
Landsman told Hunt that Biden could be an American hero and say, “Look, ‘I need to resign now.’” The Ohio Democrat also echoed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s argument that it is ultimately up to Biden to continue his reelection bid, but warned that he “doesn’t have much time.” He also warned that a second term under former President Donald Trump “would be dangerous.”
Biden will hold a highly anticipated news conference on Thursday, marking another high-stakes moment for the president to showcase his ability to answer questions in an unscripted setting.
Outlining his concerns about a second Trump presidency, Landsman wondered aloud whether Biden will be able to make that argument convincingly to the American people.
“Being able to make the case against this person, the former president, shouldn’t be that hard. Biden has to do it. If he can’t do it, then he has to let someone else do it,” Landsman said.
