Friday 25 / October / 2024
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday faced more doubts about his reelection campaign from lawmakers from his Democratic Party.
Late Wednesday, Senator Peter Welch called on Biden to withdraw from the election, making him the first Democratic senator to do so.
Biden is running for reelection in November, where he is likely to face off against Republican former-President Donald Trump.
The challenges come as 81-year-old Biden welcomes NATO leaders in Washington.
In an opinion piece for the Washington Post, Welch pointed to Biden's performance during a debate with Trump in which the US president spoke in a brittle voice and appeared to lose his train of thought several times.
"We cannot unsee President Biden's disastrous debate performance," Welch said. "For the good of the country, I'm calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race".
Also on Wednesday, two more Democrat lawmakers from the House of Representatives, Pat Ryan and Earl Blumenauer, publicly asked Biden to withdraw his candidacy.
Meanwhile, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stopped short of calling for Biden to stay in the race, saying, "It's up to the president to decide" whether to run.
"I want him to do whatever he decides to do," Pelosi told the MSBNC broadcaster when asked whether she wants Biden to stay in the race.
"We're all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short," Pelosi said.
Hollywood star George Clooney, a major fundraiser for the Democratic Party, also on Wednesday said Biden should drop out of the race in a New York Times opinion piece.
Biden has vowed to continue on with the campaign and has dismissed suggestions he is suffering cognitive decline, describing his debate performance as a "bad episode."
On Thursday, Biden is expected to take part in a press conference with reporters, a moment for the public and the Democratic Party to gauge his mental acuity.
