California Congressman Adam Schiff is calling on Joe Biden to cease his presidential campaign due to “serious concerns” the president won’t be able to beat Donald Trump a second time, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
“A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the president can defeat Donald Trump in November,” Schiff, a top House Democrat running for Senate, said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times Wednesday.
While praising Biden for a “lifetime of service” Schiff told the Los Angeles Times he believes its time for the 81-year-old president to “pass the torch.”
Schiff met privately with donors over the weekend and had previously said that if Biden remained the party nominee, it could not only cost Democrats the presidency but also races down the ballot. With Schiff, the number of Democrats in the House calling for Biden to drop out of the race is now at least 20, according to the New York Times.