Schiff urges Biden to step aside as Democrats face tough election

Adam Schiff, congressman and aspiring Democratic senator, has called on Joe Biden to withdraw his candidacy in the upcoming presidential election. Schiff, previously regarded as a close ally of Biden, expressed concerns about whether the sitting president has a chance to defeat Donald Trump.

Biden "has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history, and his lifetime of service as a Senator, a Vice President, and now as President has made our country better. But our nation is at a crossroads. A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November," wrote the congressman from California, who is running for a Senate seat this year, in a statement issued on Wednesday.

Schiff, former head of the House Intelligence Committee, is known for being the main lead in Trump’s first impeachment. He is the 20th member of the House of Representatives and the 21st member of Congress to call on Biden to withdraw his candidacy. Until now, these have mostly been lesser-known politicians, primarily from the most at-risk electoral districts.

According to the "New York Times," Schiff was reported to have stated during a recent meeting with donors that the party is "likely to lose not only the White House but also down-ballot races" if Biden remains the candidate.

The Puck News portal reports that during a recent virtual meeting between Biden and dozens of congressmen—which took place just before the attack on Trump—the president engaged in a heated argument with some of them. He was said to have performed "even worse than the debate (with Trump - ed.)" and, according to one quoted participant, had the attack on Trump's life not occurred an hour later, 50 Democrats would have called for Biden's resignation.

There is also a dispute within the party about when to select the Democratic presidential candidate formally. The party planned to do so in a virtual vote before the convention, possibly even this week. This was related to local law in Ohio, which set the deadline for nominating a candidate before August 7, just ahead of the Democratic convention starting on August 19.

Critics argue that this rule has been changed and that the party does not need to rush. On Wednesday, Democrats assured that the vote would not begin before the end of July.

The first nationwide poll conducted after the attack on Trump, commissioned by Reuters to Ipsos, suggests that the event did not affect voter sentiment. Trump maintains a 2 percentage point lead over Biden (47-45 percent), similar to before the debate.