Biden signals possible withdrawal from 2024 elections amid pressure from Democrats
Around 20 House Democrats and one senator have urged president to withdraw from presidential election race
July 18, 2024
Following pressure from a top Democrat on Wednesday, President Joe Biden is all set to withdraw from his re-election bid in the forthcoming elections only if doctors prescribe him to rest.
This statement came for the first time from Biden over quitting the White House race, shortly after Representative Adam Schiff, a key ally from California, urged Biden to "pass the torch."
"If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody, if the doctors came and said, 'you've got this problem, that problem,'" Biden told the Black Media outlet BET in an interview taped Tuesday, when asked what could make him rethink.
The 81-year-old has been fighting for political survival since his disastrous performance in the presidential debate, in which his confused responses sparked concerns about his age.
Moreover, Schiff, who is expected to win a Senate seat this year, was the first Democrat to step forward and ask Biden to withdraw from the presidential election race.
"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," Schiff said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times.
Meanwhile, around 20 House Democrats and one senator have urged the president to withdraw from the presidential election race. However, Biden considers him to be the best fit for defeating his opponent, Donald Trump.
Speaking to the NBC on Monday, the Democrat mentioned that his mental health is ‘pretty good’ and he is all set to win the forthcoming elections.
With pressure on Biden mounting, Democrats said on Wednesday they plan a virtual nomination for the president in the first week of August, ahead of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on August 19.
Nevertheless, several lawmakers are against the virtual nomination and have criticised this decision.
Biden insists that Democratic voters support him, but a poll by the Associated Press and the NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research said Wednesday that nearly two-thirds want him to step aside.
