Immediately after Joe Biden dropped the bombshell that he was dropping out of the presidential race, congressional Republicans started to openly call for him to resign from the White House now.
Speaker Mike Johnson said in forcing Biden off the ballot that “the self-proclaimed ‘party of democracy’ has proven exactly the opposite” and called for Biden to resign immediately.“
“If Joe Biden is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President. He must resign the office immediately. November 5 cannot arrive soon enough,” Johnson said in a statement.
Johnson argued that swapping Biden for Vice President Kamala Harris would do nothing to better their electoral prospects, calling her a “gleeful accomplice” for the administration’s policies.
“If Joe Biden can’t run for re-election, he is unable and unfit to serve as President of the United States. He must immediately resign,” Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), a member of House GOP leadership, posted on X.
GOP leadership in the House wasn’t alone.
“Doesn’t have the mental acuity or cognitive ability to run a political campaign but can serve for 6 more months as president? He should resign,” wrote Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.).
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who’s running to succeed Mitch McConnell as leader of the Senate Republican conference, echoed those calls in a statement.
“Let me be clear, if Joe Biden can’t run for re-election, he is not capable of serving as president for the next six months and needs to resign today,” Scott said. “While we welcome the news that one of America's most destructive presidents will be denied a second term, it changes very little as to the stakes of this election.”
The head of the Senate GOP campaign arm, Montana's Steve Daines, called on Biden to resign immediately.
“If Joe Biden is no longer capable of running for re-election, he is no longer capable of serving as President," Daines said in a statement. "Being President is the hardest job in the world, and I no longer have confidence that Joe Biden can effectively execute his duties as Commander-in-Chief."
Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), chair of the largest House GOP caucus — the Republican Study Committee — echoed those calls, as well. Similar calls came from lawmakers including Sen. Markwayne Mullin (Okla.) and Rep. Carlos Gimenez (Fla.).
“If Joe Biden is unfit to be the Democrat nominee for president, he’s unfit to be president for the rest of his term,” Hern said. “For the good of the country, Joe Biden should resign immediately.”
