On Wednesday, Vermont Sen. Peter Welch made headlines by becoming the first Democratic senator to publicly call for President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.
In an op-ed published in The Washington Post, Welch expressed concern about the high stakes of the upcoming election and warned of a potential extreme Republican agenda.
“The stakes could not be higher. We cannot unsee President Biden’s disastrous debate performance. We cannot ignore or dismiss the valid questions raised since that night,” Welch wrote. “For the good of the country, I’m calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race.”
Welch’s call adds to a growing chorus of doubts about President Biden’s chances for re-election.
According to Scripps News analysis, eleven Congressional Democrats have urged the president to withdraw, while an additional 28 lawmakers have expressed concerns about his ability to win without explicitly calling for his withdrawal.
In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennett also publicly questioned President Biden’s campaign strategy and prospects for victory.
“Donald Trump is on track, I think, to win this election, and maybe win it by a landslide, and take with him the Senate and the House,” Bennett said in the interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.
“The White House, in the time since that disastrous debate, I think, has done nothing to really demonstrate that they have a plan to win this election,” Bennett added.
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Concerns about President Biden’s re-election extend beyond Congress to the international stage.
Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group and GZERO Media, revealed that several international leaders at the recent NATO summit in Washington have doubts about Biden’s ability to serve a second term.
“In NATO, these are leaders that like Biden,” Bremmer said on “The Race” with Scripps News’ Chance Seales.
“There’s not a world leader that I’ve spoken with this week that believes that President Biden can serve out another four years,” Bremmer highlighted.
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