"Passing the torch" Most powerful Democrat to date calls on Biden to withdraw

The pressure on Biden continues to mount. Now the most influential Democrat to date has called on him to withdraw. Adam Schiff calls on the US President to "pass the torch".

DPA

17.07.2024, 21:05

17.07.2024, 21:07

dpa

The well-known US Democrat Adam Schiff has called on President Joe Biden to withdraw from the race for the White House. Although this is Biden's decision alone, he is of the opinion that it is time for him to "pass the torch", Schiff said in a statement on Wednesday. If Biden does so, he could secure his legacy of leadership by "enabling us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election".

Schiff is the highest-profile Democrat to call on Biden to withdraw. The president has faced doubts about his mental freshness for a second term since his disastrous performance in the televised duel against his Republican challenger Trump. Almost 20 Democratic members of Congress have already called on the 81-year-old incumbent to step aside in favor of another candidate.

Horror poll in the election campaignAlmost two-thirds of Democrats want Biden to withdraw

Party leadership wants to bring forward nomination

As recently as Wednesday, a survey by the AP news agency and the Norc Center also revealed that two thirds of Democratic supporters want Biden to withdraw from the presidential race.

The party leadership nevertheless wants to press ahead with plans for an early nomination of Biden as candidate for the election in November. A virtual vote should take place before August 7 and thus before the party convention, it said on Wednesday in a letter to members of a committee that sets the rules for the nominating party convention planned for mid-August. The committee wants to discuss the plan this Friday and make a decision next week.