Mike Levin (CA) is the most recent House Democrat to demand President Joe Biden withdraw from the presidential election, weeks after his performance at the debate.
In a statement on Friday, Levin said that it was “time” for Biden to “pass the torch,” adding that he had been “naturally concerned” about Biden’s performance at the June 27 presidential debate against former President Donald Trump.
During the debate, Biden appeared to freeze, spoke hoarsely, and had trouble getting through his prepared closing statement without making errors.
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“Like so many of you, I was naturally concerned about President Biden’s performance in the recent debate,” Levin said in his statement, according to ABC 10 News. “Since then, I’ve made my opinions known in the appropriate manner with House Democratic leadership and my colleagues.”
Levin added that he had “called upon all Americans” to give Biden a chance to “make an expeditious decision about” remaining in the presidential race.
“First, let me say that President Biden has been an outstanding leader, not only of our nation, but of the entire free world,” Levin continued:
Making this statement is not easy. I have deep respect for President Biden’s five plus decades of public service and incredible appreciation for the work we’ve done together these last three and a half years. But I believe the time has come for President Biden to pass the torch.
The California congressman added that Democrats need to “prevail against the incalculable threat” that Trump “poses to the American institutions of freedom and democracy.”
Levin’s statement comes a day after Biden held a NATO press conference where he mistakenly referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as Trump and mistakenly introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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In the weeks following Biden’s debate performance, several Democrats have called for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race.
Several donors, such as Reed Hastings, the co-founder of Netflix, and other top Hollywood donors have also called for Biden to drop out.
Most recently, actor George Clooney released an op-ed in the New York Times, saying that he did not believe Democrats could win in November with Biden at the top of the presidential ticket. The op-ed from Clooney came weeks after he hosted a star-studded fundraiser for Biden.
Several sources revealed to CBS News that dozens of Democrats are reportedly planning to release more statements calling for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race.