Joe Biden might be asked by 25 House Democrats to step down

Dozens of House Democrats are reportedly considering issuing a public demand that President Joe Biden drop out of the 2024 presidential race.

Biden’s troubling debate with former President Donald Trump last week inspired a massive wave of criticism and speculation over whether he could be replaced as the Democratic Party’s nominee before November.

Only one Democratic House member—Lloyd Doggett of Texas—had publicly suggested that Biden should step aside as of Tuesday, while the president continues to campaign and has given no indication that he intends to exit the campaign.

However, at least 25 U.S. House members on Tuesday were “preparing to call for Biden to step aside” if he “seems shaky in coming days,” according to a Reuters report based on the comments of an anonymous Democratic House aide.

An additional aide reportedly told the news outlet that House Democrats from competitive congressional districts were concerned about being inundated with questions about Biden’s fitness from constituents, saying that “it looks like the dam has broken.”

Doggett said in a statement earlier on Tuesday that Biden should leave the race in the interest of avoiding “a long, dark authoritarian era” under Trump.

Democratic Representative Jared Golden of Maine also wrote in an opinion article on Tuesday that it was “clear” Trump will win the election with Biden as the Democratic candidate, a scenario that he said he was “OK with.”

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.