First House Democrat Asks Biden to Step Aside

Lloyd Doggett on Tuesday said what a lot of other people have been saying—President Biden should bow out of the 2024 race. The difference is that Doggett happens to be a Democratic congressman, and he is the first such member of his party to make his request on the record, reports the Hill.

• "I represent the heart of a congressional district once represented by Lyndon Johnson," said the Texas representative. "Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw. President Biden should do the same." Doggett is 77, four years younger than Biden.
• Doggett referenced last week's debate, notes Politico. "Instead of reassuring voters, the President failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments and expose Trump's many lies [during the debate]," he wrote. "Too much is at stake to risk a Trump victory. … President Biden saved our democracy by delivering us from Trump in 2020. He must not deliver us to Trump in 2024."

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• Friction: There was no immediate response from the Biden campaign. The Washington Post previously reported that the campaign has belittled post-debate critics as being part of the "bedwetting brigade," angering Democrats. "I really do criticize the campaign for a dismissive attitude towards people who are raising questions for discussion," said Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont, per Semafor. "That's just facing the reality that we're in."
• Pelosi weighs in: Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on MSNBC Tuesday that critics are posing a "legitimate question" about Biden that deserves to be answered, reports Politico. She suggested Biden do at least two unscripted interviews with journalists to demonstrate how he performs without a teleprompter.

(More President Biden stories.)