Report: Democrat Reps Call for Biden to ‘Step Aside,’ Throw Their Support Behind Kamala Harris Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
A group of Democrat congressmen reportedly called for President Joe Biden to “step aside” during a private phone call Sunday afternoon, throwing their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
John Bresnahan, the co-founder of Punchbowl News, wrote in a post on X that Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Mark Takano (D-CA), Don Beyer (D-VA), and Adam Smith (D-WA) had stated that Biden “should step aside” as the presidential nominee for the Democrat party during a “private leadership call” Sunday.
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“Most said Kamala Harris should be the nominee,” Bresnahan added in his post.
Bresnahan issued a correction in a separate post noting that a “Beyer aide” said Beyer “is with Biden but would support Harris” as a presidential nominee if Biden stepped aside.
NEWS from @heatherscope @JakeSherman & me: Reps. Jerry Nadler, Mark Takano, Don Beyer and Adam Smith said Biden should step aside as Democratic nominee during a private leadership call this afternoon. Most said Kamala Harris should be the nominee
— John Bresnahan (@bresreports) July 7, 2024
Jake Sherman, the founder of Punchbowl News, clarified in a post on X that during the phone call Beyer had reportedly described Biden as being “very fragile” and having “trouble putting two sentences together.”
“He’s clearly very, very fragile,” Beyer was reported as having said, according to Sherman. “Fragile physically, although his handshake is very firm. Also really has trouble putting two sentences together.”
Here are some of Beyer’s exact, word-for-word quotes from the call:
“He’s clearly very, very fragile. Fragile physically, although his handshake is very firm. Also really has trouble putting two sentences together.”
“I also believe Kamala is in a great position to win in… https://t.co/b4nNLkVBz7
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) July 7, 2024
Sherman added that Beyer had expressed that he believes “Kamala is in a great position to win in November.”
“I also believe Kamala is in a great position to win in November, probably a much better position than Joe,” Beyer was reported as having said. “My perfect world is Joe – in deciding after talking to Leader Jeffries, Majority Leader Schumer, others – steps aside now, let Kamala run as the incumbent, which I think makes her even stronger. With that, I’m a team player. I’ll do whatever the team wants.”
In another post, Bresnahan reported that Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY) was among the group of House Democrats calling for Biden to step aside.
Add @RepJoeMorelle to this list. Says Biden can’t win https://t.co/tIkXfYWXX8
— John Bresnahan (@bresreports) July 7, 2024
“Add @RepJoeMorelle to this list,” Bresnahan wrote. “Says Biden can’t win.”
In the aftermath of the presidential debate on June 27, between Biden and former President Donald Trump, several Democrats, donors, and voters have brought up the idea of replacing Biden and have questioned whether Biden would be able to serve another term as president.
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While the president and his campaign have remained adamant that he is still running and is not dropping out, several Democrats such as Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) have called for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race.
Other Democrats such as Adam Frisch, a candidate in the 3rd Congressional District in Colorado, and former Obama administration Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro have also called for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race.
In a post on X, Castro wrote that Biden was “not the campaigner he was in 2020 — and looks very likely to lose to Trump.”
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