Rep. Adam Schiff becomes latest Democrat to call for Biden to drop out of race

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff , D-Calif., is calling on President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 election, becoming the most prominent Democratic lawmaker so far to publicly push for a different presidential nominee.

In a statement Wednesday reported by the Los Angeles Times , Schiff said he has "serious concerns" that Biden can't beat former President Donald Trump in the November election.

Schiff, who is running for U.S. Senate in California , said 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,” he added. “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.”

Schiff, the former chair of the House Intelligence Committee, rose to national prominence when he led Trump's first impeachment trial. He's a close ally of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was noncommittal last week on whether Biden should be the nominee, saying it's "up to the president to decide if he is going to run."

Schiff joins at least two dozen of his Democratic congressional colleagues who have publicly called for Biden to withdraw from the election after Biden's June 27 debate with Trump raised concerns about his mental fitness and whether he can beat Trump, who has led in most polls throughout the race.

Schiff said the choice to withdraw from the race is "President Biden's alone." Although he did not say who should replace Biden at the top of the ticket, Schiff said it is time to "pass the torch" to a different Democrat who can secure Biden's legacy by defeating Trump.

Still, Schiff emphasized he would support whoever is ultimately the Democratic nominee including Biden. “I will do everything I can to help them succeed. There is only one singular goal: defeating Donald Trump. The stakes are just too high," he said.

Biden has made clear repeatedly that he's not dropping out, and has disputed polls that show him losing to Trump.

Biden told BET in an interview Tuesday that he would consider dropping out only if "some medical condition" emerged. Biden has maintained he is healthy and fit to be president.

"I made a serious mistake in the whole debate," Biden said. "Look, the reason I ran, you may remember, is I said I was going to be a transitional candidate. And I thought that I'd be able to move from this to pass it on to someone else. But I didn't anticipate things getting so, so, so divided.

"And quite frankly, I think the only thing age brings is a little bit of wisdom," he said, adding that he's also demonstrated he can "get things done."

The Democratic National Committee is moving ahead with plans to confirm Biden as the party's nominee during a virtual roll-call vote ahead of its convention, set for Aug. 19 to 22, to resolve meeting ballot deadlines of several states.

But the DNC said Wednesday that a virtual nomination vote won't take place until at least Aug. 1, easing concerns of Biden's Democratic detractors who feared they might nominate Biden as early as next week.

Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly Twitter, @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rep. Adam Schiff becomes latest Democrat to call for Biden to drop out of race