President Joe Biden is facing a fresh wave of defections from within his own party, as Democratic lawmakers publicly call for him to leave the presidential race. This comes even as his campaign seeks to project a message that he isn’t going anywhere.
According to a report from CNN, nearly a dozen lawmakers, including Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and California Rep. Zoe Lofgren, have added their names to the list of congressional Democrats who want Biden to step aside. This brings the total number of Democratic defectors to more than 30.
The defections come just one day after the Republican National Convention, and are being attributed to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her belief that it is critical for the president and his allies to understand that the effort to push him aside is not going away.
Biden is reportedly “seething” at Pelosi, and his sentiment only grew when Lofgren, Pelosi’s longtime close lieutenant, released her letter urging Biden to step aside.
The dynamic has played out repeatedly this week, as more and more Democrats have made public their desire for Biden to leave the race, even as the president repeatedly says he has no intention to drop out.
Ted Cruz, a Republican Senator from Texas, has weighed in on the situation, saying that Democrats don’t care about protecting the country from a demented Commander-in-Chief, they’re just worried about losing elections.
“Look, everyone who was paying attention knew a year ago, two years ago, three years ago that Biden’s mental capabilities had diminished,” Cruz said in an interview with Fox News. “You’re right. No Democrat cared. They didn’t care until they believed he was going to lose.”
Cruz went on to say that there comes a time when you need to take the keys away from grandpa—in Biden's case, those keys are attached to ICBMs.
As the defections continue to mount, it remains to be seen whether Biden will heed the calls to step aside, or if he will continue to press forward with his campaign.
Sources:
cnn.commrctv.orgoutkick.com