Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) appears on “Meet the Press” in Washington D.C., Sunday July 7, 2024.
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California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff on Wednesday urged President Joe Biden to exit the 2024 presidential election contest.
Schiff in a statement said that he had “serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November.”
“While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch,” said Schiff, the Democratic nominee for a U.S. Senate seat from California who is a strong favorite to win in November.
“And in doing so, secure his legacy of leadership by allowing us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election,” Schiff said.
Schiff is among the most prominent Democrats to call on Biden to exit the race on the heels of the president’s disastrous debate performance in late June against Trump, the Republican nominee.
Biden has been adamant since that debate in saying he will not drop out, despite concerns that his mental acuity has deteriorated during his three years in the White House.
CNBC has requested comment on Schiff’s statement from the Biden campaign.
Schiff in his statement said that Biden “has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history,” and that the president’s “lifetime of service as a Senator, a Vice President, and now as President has made our country better.
“But our nation is at a crossroads,” Schiff said. “A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November.”
The lawmaker added, “But make no mistake, whoever our party ends up nominating, or if the nomination remains with the president, I will do everything I can to help them succeed.”
“There is only one singular goal: defeating Donald Trump,” he said. “The stakes are just too high.”
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