close
close

25 House Democrats Ready to Call for Biden’s Removal in 2024

Twenty-five Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives are reportedly ready to ask President Joe Biden to end his re-election campaign, according to a Reuters report.

The outlet reports that an unnamed House Democratic aide said they would make that decision if Biden, 81, appeared “unstable” in the “coming days.”

Biden is scheduled to have a high-stakes interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Friday, July 5, and has several upcoming appearances planned.

The Reuters report comes less than a week after Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump held their first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle on Thursday, July 27.

During the debate, Biden appeared shaky and struggled to articulate his arguments. He reflected on his poor performance at a rally in North Carolina the next day. “I don’t walk as easily as I used to. I don’t talk as easily as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know what I know, I know how to tell the truth,” he told the crowd, with much more energy than the day before.

US President Joe Biden during the first presidential debate.

Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg/Getty


Reuters reports that a second House Democratic aide claimed that “moderate House Democrats in competitive districts were bombarded with questions in their districts” after the debate.

The second source went on to say, “It appears the dam has broken,” as calls for Biden to step down grow louder from members of his own party.

On Tuesday, July 2, Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett became the first Democratic member of Congress to publicly call on Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, according to CNN.

In a statement obtained by the outlet, Doggett said: “I represent the heart of a congressional district once represented by Lyndon Johnson. Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw (from the 1968 presidential race). President Biden should do the same.”

He went on to say that Biden should end his candidacy for the good of the country.

“Knowing that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not to himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to step down,” Doggett wrote. “I respectfully call on him to do so.”

US President Joe Biden delivers a speech.

DANIEL COLE/POOL/AFP via Getty


Doggett later told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that he wished he had “said it sooner because I think we needed this decision made much earlier in the process.”

Earlier Tuesday, CNN suggested that the fallout from Biden’s debate could hurt Democrats down the ballot — and potentially “cost Democrats the House in November” — putting additional pressure on Democratic lawmakers.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Wednesday, The New York Times Biden recently spoke to an unnamed key ally about the uncertainty of his political future. The ally said of the conversation, “He knows that if he has two more events like that, we’re going to be in a different situation,” and asserted that the president is aware that his campaign may not be salvageable without a rapid shift in narrative.

A White House spokesman denied the report. Times” report, calling it false.

Biden has now pledged to debate Trump again in September.