Republican lawmakers are calling on President Joe Biden to resign after announcing on Sunday that he would not seek re-election.
“If Joe Biden is not fit to run for president, he is not fit to be president,” House Speaker Mike Johnson posted on X after Biden announced his decision. “He must resign immediately.”
Other congressional Republicans, including House Republican Conference Chairwoman Rep. Elise Stefanik and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, echoed Johnson’s message.
Former President Trump’s campaign said in a statement: “Biden poses a national security threat, suffers significant cognitive decline, and is a clear and present danger to every man, woman and child in our country.
“The question posed to (Vice President) Kamala Harris at the time was simple: Knowing that Joe Biden was withdrawing from the race due to his rapidly deteriorating condition, did Harris believe that Joe Biden would remain in the White House for another six years and that the American people would Safe? How many months,” the Trump campaign said.
Some Republican lawmakers have even raised the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment, which sets out the order of succession if a president is no longer able to discharge his duties. Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace said In X’s post She plans to introduce a resolution on Monday urging Harris to invoke the 25th Amendment.
With only days left in Trump’s term, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed a measure in 2021 calling on then-Vice President Pence and Trump’s cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment. Pence refused to do so.
Biden, 81, has faced calls to drop out of the presidential race since a poor performance in a June debate, with his stuttering and hoarseness adding to concerns about his age.
But the president made no mention of these concerns or his age in his statement, which he made clear he will serve out the remaining six months of his term.
“I believe it is in the best interests of my party and the country that I resign and focus on my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in the letter. Letter to X.
After Biden had his annual physical in February, White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor said the president “is a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old man who remains fit to successfully discharge the duties of the Presidency.”
After the debate on June 27, Biden also received a brief visit from a doctor. he told the democratic governor the following week and was told that his health was fine.
The president tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday and is currently in quarantine in Delaware. O’Connor said on Sunday that Biden’s symptoms had improved “significantly.”
“The President continues to tolerate treatment without difficulty and will continue to use PAXLOVID as planned,” O’Connor said. wrote in the latest update. “He will continue to perform all presidential duties.”
Even before the president announced he would not seek re-election, Republicans began calling for Biden to resign.
“If Joe Biden ends his re-election campaign, how does he justify continuing to be president?” Trump’s running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, said on Sunday morning. “Not running for re-election would be a clear admission that President Trump was correct all along that Biden was not mentally unfit to serve as commander in chief.”
But not all Republican members of Congress are calling for Biden to resign. Neither Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell nor House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said in their statements that Biden should serve out the remainder of his term.
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