Senior House Dem calls on Biden to step aside, slams campaign's 'be quiet and fall in line' strategy
A sixth House Democrat is now asking President Biden to duck out of the 2024 White House race and accusing his campaign of dismissing concerns from fellow members of his party.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, told CNN host Jake Tapper point-blank on Monday afternoon that he believes the 81-year-old president is not the best candidate to beat former President Trump in November.
"I think he should step aside. I think it's become clear that he's not the best person to carry the Democratic message," Smith said.
He maintained that Biden did "a great job" so far, citing the U.S.'s economic rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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"And then on the other side, we've got Donald Trump, who's a complete disaster," Smith said. "We've got a good message. The president has shown he's not capable of delivering that message…in an effective way."
Smith also pushed back on Biden allies' pleas to get the topic of Biden's fitness for office out of the news cycle.
"A lot of Democrats are saying, 'Well, let's move on. Let's stop talking about it.' We're not the ones who are bringing it up. We're not the ones who said ‘Anytime, anyplace,’ and only Joe Biden was on that stage with Donald Trump," Smith said.
"Our constituents are bringing it up, the country is bringing it up. The…campaign strategy of 'Be quiet and fall in line and let's ignore it' simply isn't working right now."
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He's one of several national-level Democrats urging Biden to step aside after his disastrous performance in the CNN Presidential Debate last month. Even some of Biden's allies raised concerns after he spoke with a hoarse voice, which he said was due to a cold, and stumbled over his own answers several times during the prime-time event. Viewers also observed him appearing tired and noticeably less sharp than he looked the last time he faced Trump in 2020.
"There were concerns leading up to it," Smith said when asked if that event alone made him doubt Biden. "And it hasn't gotten better since the debate."
The Washington state Democrat also emphasized he was not calling on Biden to resign from the Oval Office early. He added, however, that he could support Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.
For his own part, the president has refused to step aside multiple times since the debate.
He also wrote to Congressional Democrats earlier on Monday making clear that he was not budging.
"The question of how to move forward has been well aired for over a week now," Biden wrote. "And it's time for it to end. We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump."
Other Democrats calling on Biden to step aside are Reps. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., Angie Craig, D-Minn., Mike Quigley, D-Ill., and Seth Moulton, D-Mass.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Biden campaign for comment.
Smith's CNN interview comes before House Democrats are all slated to be in one room together for the first time since the debate, for their regular Tuesday morning caucus-wide meeting.