First Democratic lawmaker calls on Biden to withdraw

WASHINGTON: Lloyd Doggett became the first Democratic US lawmaker to publicly call on Joe Biden to withdraw from the race for the White House Tuesday, following the president´s poor performance in last week´s presidential debate.

“Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden´s first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so,” the Texas Congressman said in a statement.

Nancy Pelosi, a former House speaker and a grandee of the Democratic Party, said in her own statement it was “legitimate” to ask whether Biden´s debate disaster was indicative of a deeper problem rather than a one-off.

She praised Biden´s vision and “strategic thinking” in an interview with cable network MSNBC -- but admitted he had had a “bad night” and said it was fair to raise the mental acuity of “both candidates.”

Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse also asked for reassurances, saying voters needed to know there would be no repeat of Biden´s sub-par showing.

Whitehouse, of Rhode Island, told WPRI-TV he was “pretty horrified” by the president´s performance during the 90-minute CNN match-up, watched by more than 50 million Americans.

Biden has not given a live interview or held a press conference since the debacle, meaning he has not had to give unscripted comments under pressure again. On Monday, at the end of a brief speech about a Supreme Court decision, a journalist asked him if he planned to withdraw from the race for the White House. Biden left the room without answering.