Updated 8:33 p.m.
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, called on President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, saying the stakes are too high and that Biden was damaged by his “disastrous” debate with Donald Trump.
Welch said, The Washington Post Wednesday evening.Elch, a Vermont congressman, was the first Democratic senator to call for Biden to withdraw.
He writes:
I have a lot of respect for President Biden. He saved our country from a tyrant. He is a man of extraordinary decency. He cares deeply about our democracy. He is one of the best presidents of our time.
But I, like many across the nation, am concerned about the November election. The stakes couldn't be higher. We cannot forget President Biden's disastrous debate performance. We cannot ignore or dismiss the legitimate questions that have been raised since that night.
I understand why President Biden wants to run. He saved us from Donald Trump once and he wants to do it again. But he needs to reevaluate whether he's the best candidate to do it. In my view, he's not.
In the interest of the country, I call on President Biden to withdraw from the race.
Biden's fitness has been publicly debated since he debated Trump two weeks ago. The president's poor performance stunned Democrats, who have been debating since then whether Biden should drop out of the race.
A spokesman for Welch said: Seven days To interview the Senator.
Welch said last week that the Biden team needs to do more to address concerns about the president. Biden's deputy campaign manager Rob Flaherty derided those calling for the president to drop out of the race as a “bedwetter group.”
“I really criticize the campaign's disdain for people who raise questions for the sake of debate,” Welch told the news site Semaphore. “It just speaks to the reality of what we're facing.”
Welch: Biden team should address president's health
Welch: Biden team should address president's health
Kevin McCallum
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The day after the debate, Welch Seven days Election campaigns need to reassure voters.
“The president's challenge wasn't to articulate his values and his record – he's on solid ground there,” Welch said. “The issue was addressing the age issue, and he reinforced that concern rather than assuaging it.”
of post The article makes it clear that Welch does not believe Democrats' concerns have been effectively addressed.”“States that were once Republican strongholds are now leaning Republican,” he wrote.
He added:
I deliver this assessment with sadness. Vermont loves Joe Biden. President Biden and VP Harris won a higher percentage of the vote here than in any other state. But ordinary Vermonters are worried that Biden won't win this time, and they fear that Trump will become president again. These are real concerns of ordinary voters I've heard recently – mothers counting on the Child Tax Credit and seniors relying on Medicare.
