“He should make the painful and difficult decision to retire,” longtime Texas congressman Lloyd Doggett said in a statement on Tuesday. Doggett also referred to the 81-year-old’s appearance at a televised debate with his predecessor and challenger Donald Trump.
According to media reports, Doggett stressed that the fact that he publicly called on Biden to step down does not diminish his respect for the president’s achievements. His call for the head of state to step down was also “respectful”. The 77-year-old Democrat has been a member of the House of Representatives for Texas since 1995.
Biden’s appearance at the televised debate last week raised concerns among Democrats regarding his age and led to calls for him to withdraw from the campaign for the presidential election on November 5. The 81-year-old has refused to do so, and leading Democrats have also rejected this.
Like his predecessor Trump (78), Biden is hoping to win the presidential election in November. So far, much has pointed to a close race, but Biden’s critics see his disastrous performance in the first TV debate on Thursday evening (local time) as confirmation of their view that the Democrat is no longer fit for office and should leave the field to a younger candidate. The debate has gained momentum rapidly, but Biden has so far defied such demands and is trying to limit the damage.