Schiff Concedes Debate ‘Rightfully Raised Questions’ About Biden’s Ability to Defeat Trump

 Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), a high-profile Democrat who is running for a seat in the Senate, left room for uncertainty on Sunday about whether President Joe Biden can beat former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

The recent CNN debate in which Biden appeared confused and lost his train of thought has created a vulnerability for an otherwise accomplished executive, Schiff contended during an interview on NBC’s “Meet The Press.”

“He’s done more in one term than most presidents ever do, no matter how many terms they get,” Schiff said of Biden after listing jobs, NATO, manufacturing, and climate change as areas in which the president has succeeded.

Moments later, Schiff conceded, “But the performance on the debate stage, I think, rightfully raised questions among the American people about whether the president has the vigor to defeat Donald Trump.”

 

Following the debate less than two weeks ago, a growing number of Democrats in Congress have begun to call for Biden to drop out of the race to allow someone else to take on their party’s nomination.

Vice President Kamala Harris is catching up to Biden in the betting markets for the nomination. California Governor Gavin Newsom, another potential contender, is also gaining momentum.

Although Biden, 81, has so far indicated that he has no intention of stepping aside, polls have found that voters are increasingly doubtful that the president is fit to continue serving well into his 80s.

The interview Biden did with ABC News on Friday “didn’t put concerns to rest,” said Schiff, who added that no single interview would accomplish such a feat.

Schiff said he would be “happy” if both the president — as well as Trump — took a cognitive test. But he also insisted Biden “alone” will be the decision maker as to whether it is time to step aside.

Biden should “seek out” the opinion of people he trusts — beyond members of his family — “with some distance and objectivity,” Schiff said. He suggested independent pollsters as an example.

Schiff cast the 2024 presidential election as an “existential race” in which Biden needs to “win overwhelmingly or he has to pass the torch to someone who can. It’s as simple as that.”

Schiff declared that whatever choice Biden makes could be “the most important” of his presidency, with possible down-ballot implications for the House and Senate as well as “the future of the country.”