Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., issued a statement Thursday afternoon suggesting “unelected advisors” are “making important decisions” about the country, rather than President Joe Biden, who she also implied should abandon his bid for reelection in November.
Gluesenkamp Perez said in a statement given to local station KGW8 she has heard her constituents doubt Biden’s health and fitness to do the job over the past two weeks, along with “whether he is the one making important decisions about our country, rather than unelected advisors.”
She stopped short of formally calling for Biden to resign or stop his bid for president, but said “the crisis of confidence in the President’s leadership needs to come to an end. The President should do what he knows is right for the country and put the national interest first.”
Gluesenkamp Perez’s statement comes after seven other House Democrats, one Democratic senator and a number of major donors and celebrities have called on the president to end his reelection bid over concerns about his ability to govern for another four years.
Forbes has reached out to Gluesenkamp Perez’s team for clarity on the statement, and to the White House for comment.
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16. That’s at least how many Democrats in Congress have called on Biden to drop out of the presidential race publicly or privately.
Calls for Biden to leave the race for president have been steadily growing since his poor debate performance two weeks ago. It is widely believed that Biden botched one of the most important campaign events when he fumbled the debate, often losing his train of thought, speaking so softly it was difficult to hear him and giving disjointed answers. The president has insisted he is staying in the race, saying in a letter to Democratic leaders earlier this week: “I wouldn’t be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024.” Polling since the debate has shown former President Donald Trump growing his lead over Biden, and one of the latest surveys showed more than half of Biden’s supporters believe he should exit the race and 81% believe he’s too old for another term.
How Biden performs in a highly anticipated press conference scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The press conference will be a rare solo event for the president following the NATO summit, and it’s expected reporters will use the time to ask him about the calls to end his presidential campaign.
