Top Democrat Adam Schiff calls on Joe Biden to exit US presidential race
The Californian, who is expected to win a Senate seat this November, is one of the party’s most influential members and a key ally in the legislature for the White House.
He served as chairman of the House intelligence panel when Democrats had the majority in 2019 and shot to nationwide prominence as lead prosecutor during then-president Trump’s first impeachment trial.
In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, Schiff aired the worry gripping the party, although often in private, that questions over Biden’s age and health will doom him in the November election.
Those concerns rocketed after Biden performed badly in a televised debate with Trump last month, often looking confused or unable to articulate.
Since then, Biden has repeatedly said he intends to stay in the race, arguing that he remains the best person to defeat Trump. Polls show a tight overall contest, but with Trump pulling ahead in key swing states.
Schiff called Biden “one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history”.
However, “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”.
Biden should “secure his legacy” by stepping aside, he said.