The two top Democrats joined a growing list of party faithful going public with concerns over Biden's candidacy.Ting Shen/AP
As the crisis over President Biden’s candidacy following a disastrous debate performance extends into a second week, more top Democrats are publicly voicing their deep concerns over Biden remaining in the race against Donald Trump.
“Given Joe Biden’s incredible record, given Donald Trump’s terrible record, he should be mopping the floor with Donald Trump,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said during an appearance on Meet the Press on Sunday.
“Joe Biden is running against a criminal. It should not be even close,” he added.
Urging the president to consult the advice of advisers who are not in his immediate circle, Schiff appeared to suggest that he was concerned over multiple reports that Biden’s inner circle and family members, including his son Hunter Biden, are having an outsized—and potentially damaging—influence on the president’s defiance in staying in the race.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) also appeared frustrated on Sunday, expressing disappointment with Biden’s interview with George Stephanopoulos that aired on Friday night.
“I don’t know that the interview did enough to answer those questions,” Murphy said on CNN’s State of the Union. “This week is going to be absolutely critical. I think the president needs to do more.”
Like Schiff, Murphy stopped short of calling on Biden to step aside. But the pair of remarks, both by prominent Democrats and close allies of the president, adds substantial weight to the growing list of Democrats going public with serious doubts over Biden’s chances of defeating Trump this November. Though it’s been reported that the president has privately weighed the question of stepping aside, publicly, Biden has remained defiant. Some might even say delusional.
