Joe Biden Might Be Asked by 25 House Democrats to Step Down

Dozens of House Democrats are reportedly considering issuing a public demand that President Joe Biden drop out of the 2024 presidential race.

Biden's troubling debate with former President Donald Trump last week inspired a massive wave of criticism and speculation over whether he could be replaced as the Democratic Party's nominee before November.

Only one Democratic House member—Lloyd Doggett of Texas—had publicly suggested that Biden should step aside as of Tuesday, while the president continues to campaign and has given no indication that he intends to exit the race.

However, at least 25 U.S. House members on Tuesday were "preparing to call for Biden to step aside" if he "seems shaky in coming days," according to a Reuters report based on the comments of an anonymous Democratic House aide.

The aide reportedly indicated that "a lot was riding on" Biden's performance in a scheduled interview with ABC this week, with the House Democrats expected to watch closely to see if the president "can handle rapid-fire questions and not just orchestrated campaign appearances."

An additional aide told Reuters that Democratic representatives from competitive congressional districts were concerned about being inundated with questions about Biden's fitness from constituents, saying that "it looks like the dam has broken."

Newsweek reached out for comment to the Biden campaign and the White House via email on Tuesday night.

Doggett said in a statement earlier on Tuesday that Biden should leave the race in the interest of avoiding "a long, dark authoritarian era" under Trump.

Democratic Representative Jared Golden of Maine also wrote in an opinion article on Tuesday that it was "clear" Trump will win the election with Biden as the Democratic candidate, a scenario that he said he was "OK with."

Other sitting Democratic lawmakers, including Representative Nancy Pelosi of California—the former speaker of the House—have questioned whether Biden is fit to serve following the debate but stopped short of calling for him to drop out.

Pelosi said during an MSNBC interview on Tuesday that it was a "legitimate question" to ask if the president's debate performance was indicative of "an episode" or "a condition."

Former Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio called on Biden to step down and for Vice President Kamala Harris to become the 2024 nominee instead, while describing the president's debate performance as "deeply troubling" and "heartbreaking" in a Newsweek opinion article.

Ex-Obama Housing Secretary Julián Castro told MSNBC on Tuesday that "another Democrat would have a better shot at beating Trump" and that "Democrats would do well to find a different candidate."

Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer are among the names floated as potential replacements if Biden does step down, despite all of them professing their support for his reelection following the debate.

Newsom, Whitmer and other Democratic governors were expected to join the president for a meeting virtually and in person at the White House on Wednesday to discuss concerns raised by the debate performance.

Biden blamed his poor execution on failing to "listen" to his staff and instead deciding "to travel around the world a couple of times" before the debate, telling supporters at a fundraiser in Virginia on Tuesday that he "almost fell asleep on stage."