AOC breaks her silence on whether she backs Biden as Democrats melt down after rocky debate fallout
Progressive Squad leader Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez broke her silence on whether Joe Biden should run again in 2024.
After Biden’s disastrous performance during the June 27 debate against former President Donald Trump, questions have been raised about the 81-year-old president’s physical and mental health, including whether he should withdraw from the race.
So far, only a small group of Democratic lawmakers have called on the president to withdraw from the race, while many more have backed Biden.
The Squad leader confirmed Monday that she supports the president’s leadership.
‘I spoke with [Biden] expanded,’ AOC revealed. ‘The case is closed. Joe Biden is our nominee.’
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive leader of the Squad, came out in support of President Joe Biden, while some Democrats have publicly opposed his re-election
AOC said she spoke to Biden over the weekend and that he made it clear to her that he was not dropping out of the race.
“He made it clear then and he’s made it clear since then that he’s in this race,” she continued.
“He’s taking part in this race and I support him,” the team leader said.
The full endorsement from the most popular progressive lawmaker comes at a crucial time as Democrats turn against the president’s re-election campaign.
AOC’s support for Biden was echoed by House Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who said she also supports Joe at this time.
“I think it’s important that we make sure that our candidate is the strongest, and right now Biden is our candidate.”
“Until that changes, I think it’s best if we have these conversations in private,” she continued.
Still, her view of Biden after the debate was not entirely rosy.
“I think it would be hard not to worry,” she added. “I think this was not a good debate performance.”
“And I think it was very difficult for all of us to watch.”
Immediately after the two presidents debated, criticism of Joe Biden from within the Democratic Party began circulating on social media and cable news
The first elected Democrat to cut ties with Biden was Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett.
On July 2, five days after Biden’s disastrous performance at the CNN debate, Doggett released a statement calling on the president to withdraw from the race.
Doggett, a veteran Democrat who has been running since 1995, wrote that Biden promised to be a “transition candidate.” He said the president has made good on his promise and should end his candidacy.
A day later, on July 3, Arizona Congressman Raúl Grijalva told the New York Times that he too believes Joe Biden should withdraw from the race.
“If he is the candidate, I will support him, but I think this is an opportunity to look elsewhere,” Grijalva said.
Several other influential lawmakers also raised concerns about Biden’s competence during a call between members of Congress on Sunday.
Democratic Reps. Mark Takano of California, Jerry Nadler and Joe Morelle of New York, and Adam Smith of Washington all indicated at the conference that they want Biden to step aside.
Rep. Adam Smith called on President Joe Biden to withdraw from the race on CNN on Monday
On Monday, Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, openly said on CNN that he wants Biden to withdraw from the race.
“We have a good message,” Smith said of the Democrats’ political position.
“The president has demonstrated that he is unable to communicate that message effectively,” he added, indicating that there were concerns in the run-up to the debate.