By Maria Ortiz
06 Jul 2024, 22:25 PM EDT
Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner is attempting to rally a group of Democratic senators to call on President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race, according to The Washington Post, which cited two people with direct knowledge of the effort.
Warner is concerned that the president will not be able to run a campaign that can beat his Republican challenger, former President Donald Trump, after Biden’s weak performance in the first presidential debate.
As chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Warner is seen as a serious voice privately advocating for the president to step aside in the election. He represents a state that Democrats must win in November to maintain their hold on the White House.
The Democratic senator’s spokeswoman, Rachel Cohen, declined to confirm the report, but said the senator believed “these were critical days for the president’s campaign.”
In an interview with ABC News, Biden repeatedly denied that his mental capacities are diminished at 81 years old and that he is the one best able to beat Trump.
Asked whether he would submit to the will of his party barons, Biden said: “I’m not going to answer that question. It’s not going to happen.”
Warner is close to Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and congressional Democrats are scheduled to meet on Sunday before returning to Washington after the Independence Day holiday to decide how to proceed given the possibility that Biden continues to lose ground in the polls to Trump.
This Friday, Biden reiterated that he will not withdraw from the race in a public appearance in Madison, Wisconsin, despite criticism and accusations that he is too old to run for re-election.
“This is my answer: I am running and I am going to win,” he pointed out at the meeting.
President Biden also said that at least 20 members of Congress support him, and that Warner was the only one pushing for him to step aside from the presidential race.
Keep reading:
• What would be the route to follow to replace Joe Biden if he decides to end his campaign?
• The president avoids the option of undergoing a neurological test to corroborate his mental acuity
• Biden says he would only end his campaign “if the Lord Almighty comes down” and orders him to do so