Adam Schiff challenges Biden to see if he can beat Trump

President Joe Biden is the only person who can decide whether he is the strongest candidate to beat Donald Trump in November, Rep. Adam Schiff said on “Meet the Press” Sunday, as many other Democrats have noted. While praising Biden’s performance as president, the Democratic congressman told host Kristen Welker, “Given Joe Biden’s incredible record, given Donald Trump’s terrible record, he should crush Donald Trump. Joe Biden is running against a felon. It shouldn’t even be close. And there’s only one reason it’s close, and that’s the president’s age.”

“My advice to the president is to seek advice from people he trusts,” Schiff continued. “He’s obviously talked to his family about this, and that’s important. But he should seek out people who have some distance and some objectivity. He should seek out pollsters who aren’t his own. He should take a moment to make the best judgment he can, and if that judgment is sound, then he should run hard and beat the bastard.”

Schiff also highlighted Vice President Kamala Harris’s chances of winning against Trump if she becomes the Democratic nominee in November. “I think the vice president would be a phenomenal president,” Schiff told Welker. “I think she has the experience, the judgment, the leadership, the ability to be an extraordinary president … I think she could very well win a landslide victory.”

The representative admitted that Biden had yet to “put his concerns” about his age to rest after his ABC interview Friday, but also said, “No interview could have done that… If the president takes the time to consult with people and has an open mind about this, he will do what Joe Biden always does, which is he will make the right decision. He will make the decision that is in the best interest of the country. That’s what he’s always done, and I’m confident that’s what he’ll do here.”

Reaction to Biden’s interview with George Stephanopoulos was mixed. At one point, Biden said the upcoming election was not about whether he won or lost, but “whether he gave it his all,” Welker noted before asking, “Is that what this is about? Did that answer satisfy you?”

“No, that’s the answer that worries me the most. It’s not just whether he did his best to succeed in college, it’s whether he made the right decision in running or passing the torch,” Schiff said. “That’s the most important decision he has to make right now. It’s whether this country remains a democracy or whether we’re headed toward some kind of pseudo-dictatorship.”

“It all comes down to that and I know people feel some urgency. I feel some urgency,” Schiff said.

You can watch the full interview with Adam Schiff in the video above.