Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) called on President Joe Biden to bow out of the presidential race this past Wednesday over fears he cannot beat former President Donald Trump in 2024.
Schiff’s push comes amid a growing number of Democrats asking Biden to step down from the ticket after one particularly brutal debate performance against Trump last month, which unleashed weeks’ worth of overwhelmingly negative news stories for the party.
“President Biden has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history, and his lifetime of service as a Senator, a Vice President, and now as President has made our country better,” Schiff told The Los Angeles Times. “But our nation is at a crossroads. 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 also noted that, while the choice remains Biden’s to make, it was time for him “to pass the torch” and “secure his legacy of leadership” by allowing another Democrat to beat Trump.
“I will do everything I can to help them succeed,” Schiff said. “There is only one singular goal: defeating Donald Trump. The stakes are just too high.”
Dr. Tom Pitts, a Democrat and neurologist, commented on Biden’s seemingly recent decline, saying, “You notice when he turns it’s kind of end-block turning; it’s not a quick turn. That’s one of the hallmarks of Parkinson’s; it’s rigidity and bradykinesia, slow movement, and he has that hallmark, especially with the low voice they said was a cold; hypophonia, small monotone voice like this over time is a hallmark of Parkinsonism. I could have diagnosed him from across the mall.”
“Shuffling gait, we call that ‘little steps,’” he continued. “Loss of arm swing from the rigidity; when we walk we have a nice cadence, he doesn’t really swing his arms, and end-block turning, meaning he kind of pivots around his foot. If you said, ‘Hey, President Biden,’ he wouldn’t go like this,” he said, swiftly turning to look behind him.