Rep. Adam Schiff, the leading candidate for California’s Senate seat, called on President Joe Biden on Wednesday to “pass the torch” and end his bid for re-election.
“Joe 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.
“But our nation is at a crossroads,” he added. “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.”
Schiff’s comments come just one day after leaked audio from a call with donors saw him air his concerns for his party if Biden stays atop the ticket.
“While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch,” he said Wednesday. “And in doing so, secure his legacy of leadership by allowing us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election.”
Schiff is the most prominent Democrat to call for the president to step aside in the following his disappointing debate performance in June.
Biden has repeatedly said he is not dropping out of the race, both in public and in private. Still, that has not stopped members of his own party from applying pressure on him from doing so.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has left the door open to the possibility Biden exiting the race, saying on MSNBC that he needs to decide quickly about his future.
Schiff gave the Biden campaign notice before publicly calling on him to drop out, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The Biden campaign refused to give a statement on Schiff’s comments, instead pointing to the support the President has from Democratic lawmakers, including from prominent Black leaders such as his close ally Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.).
