A moderate House Democrat said Thursday that President Biden's tenure in the White House must “come to an end,” the most significant expression of opposition to his leadership by a member of his own party yet.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., previously said she believed Biden would lose to Trump, but she is now the 15th congressional Democrat to call on the president to end his reelection bid.
“I've spent the last two weeks listening to my constituents express their concerns about the president's age and health,” she said in a statement to local outlet KGW, an NBC affiliate.
“Americans deserve to feel that their president is fit enough to do his job. The crisis of confidence in the president's leadership must come to an end. The president must do what he knows is right for the country and put the national interest first.”
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President Biden is under increasing pressure to drop out of the 2024 race (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Gluesenkamp Perez is one of the most vulnerable Democrats in this election cycle and has frequently distanced herself from her own party on voting issues.
Meanwhile, Biden is fighting for his political life in the wake of his disastrous debate performance against former President Trump late last month.
Biden spoke in a hoarse voice, which he attributed to a cold, and stumbled over his answers several times during the prime-time event. Viewers also saw him looking tired and noticeably less sharp than the last time he faced Trump in 2020.
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This raised concerns among members of his party that he would lose to Trump in November and might not be fit to serve another four years.
Gluesenkamp Perez told KATU after the debate: “About 50 million Americans tuned in and watched that debate. I was one of them for a very painful five minutes. We all saw what we saw, you can't undo that, and the truth, I think, is that Biden is going to lose to Trump.”
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., is the latest Biden critic to come forward publicly. (Bill Clark)
Biden, for his part, has repeatedly maintained that he will not give in.
Gluesenkamp Perez's statement comes just hours before Biden's 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time news conference. It's a crucial event for the president, who is seeking to dispel doubts that he is not physically or mentally fit for the White House.
House Democrats left the Capitol around noon Thursday to return to their districts for a weeklong break.
Before that, left-wing lawmakers spent the week meeting in groups and smaller groups to discuss the path forward for Biden.
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President Joe Biden (R) and Republican presidential nominee former U.S. President Donald Trump participate in the CNN presidential debate at CNN studios on June 27, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who has said he backs the presidential ticket, told reporters early Thursday that he did not believe Biden would be a drag on vulnerable Democrats.
“Right now, House Democrats are engaged in conversations with other House Democrats. Those conversations have been frank, clear and thorough, and that's important to us as a House Democratic caucus family. And as long as those conversations are ongoing, I'm going to respect the sanctity of those conversations until we conclude that process,” he said.
