President Joe Biden is at a crucial juncture in his reelection campaign as more Democrats urge him to withdraw from the 2024 race, despite his attempts to
quell these demands.
A lackluster debate performance against Donald Trump has reignited concerns about Biden's age and ability to effectively campaign and serve another term. Biden has firmly stated he is staying in the race, telling lawmakers this week that he is not stepping down.
Meanwhile, Trump, who had been relatively low-profile while Democrats voiced their concerns, resumed his campaign activities with a rally in Florida on Tuesday.
New York Representative Pat Ryan, a moderate Democrat, has joined the calls for Biden to withdraw as the Democratic nominee.
"Trump is an existential threat to American democracy; it is our duty to put forward the strongest candidate against him," Ryan wrote on X. "Joe Biden is a patriot but is no longer the best candidate to defeat Trump. For the good of our country, I am asking Joe Biden to step aside -- to deliver on his promise to be a bridge to a new generation of leaders.”
Despite her comments, Biden implied he still has Nancy Pelosi’s support for his reelection campaign.
“Is Nancy Pelosi still behind you?” Biden was asked after taking a family photo with NATO leaders.
Following a day of private Democratic meetings where lawmakers seemed to accept that Biden would remain the party's presumptive nominee, new comments on Wednesday reignited the debate about Biden's viability.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was noncommittal about whether she wanted Biden to continue his campaign, despite Biden's insistence that he is staying in the race.
"It's up to the president to decide if he is going to run," Pelosi said on MSNBC. "We're all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short."
Additionally, George Clooney, in a poignant New York Times op-ed, suggested Biden should step aside.
"It's devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe 'big F-ing deal' Biden of 2010," Clooney wrote. "He wasn't even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate." Photo by The White House, Wikimedia commons.