Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) speaks to reporters outside the Capitol in Washington on June 14, 2024. In a private meeting with donors to his Senate campaign on July 13, Schiff reportedly said that his party was likely to suffer overwhelming losses in November if President Joe Biden remained at the top of the ticket. (Eric Lee/The New York Times)
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Rep. Adam Schiff of California said that President Joe Biden should end his campaign, restarting a drip of opposition within the Democratic Party that had paused after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump over the weekend.
Biden “has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history, and his lifetime of service as a senator, a vice president and now as president has made our country better,” Schiff said in a statement to The Los Angeles Times. But, he 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.”
BREAKING: Current CNN projections show DJT winning by a landslide. pic.twitter.com/ZAlb0zmG9N
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) July 16, 2024
Related Story: AP-NORC Poll: Nearly Two-Thirds of Democrats Call for Biden’s Withdrawal
Schiff had said over the weekend, in a private meeting with donors, that if Biden remained the party’s nominee, Democrats were likely to lose not only the White House but also down-ballot races. But his public statement Wednesday was a significant escalation.
He emphasized that he would support the Democratic ticket, even if Biden stayed at the top, but said he believed it would be better for Biden to “pass the torch.”
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Biden’s campaign pointed to the letter he sent to congressional Democrats last week, in which he said he was “firmly committed to staying in this race” and added, “I can respond to all this by saying clearly and unequivocally: I wouldn’t be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024.”
The campaign also noted that Biden has retained the support of many members of Congress, including leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and that some of them have been with him on the campaign trail.
Schiff’s statement brings the number of House Democrats who have called on Biden to end his campaign to at least 20. Others have said privately that he believe he should step aside.
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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
By Maggie Astor/Eric Lee
c.2024 The New York Times Company
