Dem. Sen. Welch Calls on Biden to Withdraw: ‘Cannot Unsee’ His ‘Disastrous Debate Performance’

Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) called on President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race in an opinion piece on Wednesday, stating that Americans could not “unsee” Biden’s “disastrous debate performance.”

In an op-ed written in the Washington Post, Welch wrote that while he had “great respect” for Biden, he is “worried” about the upcoming presidential election between Biden and former President Donald Trump.

“I have great respect for President Biden,” Welch wrote. “He saved our country from a tyrant. He is a man of uncommon decency. He cares deeply about our democracy. He has been one of the best presidents of our time.”

Welch continued to reference Biden’s lackluster debate performance on June 27, where he appeared to freeze, spoke with a hoarse voice, and was unable to get through his prepared closing statement without errors.

My thoughts on the state of the presidential campaign.https://t.co/BEaSVhKh42

— Peter Welch (@WelchForVT) July 10, 2024

“But I, like folks across the country, am worried about November’s election,” Welch added. “The stakes could not be higher. We cannot unsee President Biden’s disastrous debate performance. We cannot ignore or dismiss the valid questions raised since that night.”

The Vermont senator added that while he understood why Biden wanted to run again, he believes Biden “needs to reassess whether he is the best candidate” to defeat Trump in November:

I understand why President Biden wants to run. He saved us from Donald Trump once and wants to do it again. But he needs to reassess whether he is the best candidate to do so. In my view, he is not.

For the good of the country, I’m calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race.

Since Biden’s performance at the presidential debate, the president has faced calls to “step aside” and withdraw from Democrats, donors, and voters.Other Democrats, such as Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and former President Barack Obama have continued to support Biden and his decision to remain in the race.During an interview with CNN, Welch dodged a question regarding whether he believed Biden was fit to serve as president currently.