"‘Biden Must Step Down,’ Second Public Resignation Demand by US Democratic Lawmaker"

Another Democratic congressman has publicly called for U.S. President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race after his crushing defeat in the first TV debate.

Raul Grijalva, an 11-term Democratic congressman, said in an interview with The New York Times (NYT) on the 3rd (local time), "What he (Biden) needs to do is take responsibility for holding that position (the presidency)," adding, "Part of that responsibility is to quit the election."

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

The 76-year-old Grijalva raised doubts about whether President Biden, who has been embroiled in controversies over his age and cognitive decline, can defeat former President Donald Trump. He said, "If President Biden is the presidential candidate, I will continue to support him," but emphasized that the decision to withdraw should be made based on the interests of the presidential race. He then defined former President Trump as an "anti-democratic authoritarian dictator" and expressed concern that a second Trump administration would be "very, very dangerous."

This is the second time a Democratic federal lawmaker has publicly called for President Biden to withdraw from the candidacy. Earlier, Lloyd Doggett, a 15-term Democratic congressman, stated in a press release the day before, "President Biden's top priority promise has always been for the country, not himself," and "I hope he makes the painful and difficult decision to withdraw from the race."

Grijalva's public call for withdrawal drew attention especially after a joint poll conducted by NYT and Siena College showed that the gap in support between President Biden (41%) and former President Trump (49%) widened by 3 percentage points compared to a week earlier. In the survey, 74% of respondents said President Biden is too old to serve as president.

Since last week's first TV debate, there has been a strong movement within and outside the Democratic Party to replace the candidate. The NYT noted that Grijalva and Doggett, who publicly called for withdrawal one day apart, are 76 and 77 years old respectively, similar in age to President Biden, who is 81 this year. Grijalva did not specify who should be the Democratic presidential candidate instead of Biden but mentioned Vice President Kamala Harris as a possible candidate.

Currently, within the House Democrats, there are reports that if President Biden withdraws, the idea of selecting a candidate through a mini-primary is being considered. The Democratic Party plans to hold a convention in Chicago from the 19th to the 22nd of next month to confirm the presidential candidate.