(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A senior White House official, speaking anonymously to the New York Times, has advocated for President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race, citing concerns over his declining health.
The official, who has worked closely with Biden since his vice presidency, expressed doubts about Biden’s ability to defeat former President Donald Trump.
The newspaper, far from a right-wing outlet, wrote that after “watching Mr. Biden in private, in public and while traveling with him, the official said they no longer believed the president had what it took to campaign in a vigorous way and defeat Donald J. Trump.”
The outlet added, “The official, who insisted on anonymity in order to continue serving, said Mr. Biden had steadily showed more signs of his age in recent months, including speaking more slowly, haltingly and quietly, as well as appearing more fatigued in private.”
This marks the first instance of a White House insider, albeit anonymously, calling for Biden’s withdrawal from the race amid growing public scrutiny of his cognitive decline, as showcased in a CNN debate.
Journalist Yashar Ali underscored the significance of the official’s statement, noting that the attribution to a “Senior White House official” suggests close proximity to Biden.
Notably this says “senior White House official” and not “senior administration official.”
Senior White House official: a pool of dozens of people.
Senior administration official: a pool of hundreds of people. https://t.co/ZktY8ocDAb
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) July 7, 2024
These remarks come on the heels of six Democratic lawmakers publicly urging Biden to step down, including Reps. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, Scott Peters, D-Calif.; Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz.; Seth Moulton, D-Mass.; Mike Quigley, D-Ill.; Angie Craig, D-Minn.
“Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw,” Doggett said.
Echoing this sentiment, Quigley emphasized, “The only thing that [Biden] can do now to cement that for all time and prevent utter catastrophe is to step down and let someone else do this.”
