Senator Peter Welch urges Biden to quit 2024 race, as Democrats challenge him to prove re-election viability

Joe Biden's troubles seem to have no end. The 81-year-old presumptive Democratic Party presidential candidate for US Elections 2024 has been facing public ire for his advanced age and the alleged inability to lead America.

Since his dry-as-dust, halting performance in the debate against rival Donald last month, Biden has faced calls from young Democrat leaders to step aside. Rumours suggested that senior leaders of the party were also pressuring him in private to do so. Now, a senior Democrat, Senator Peter Welch, a long-serving member of Congress from Vermont, has publicly asked Biden to withdraw from the presidential race.

This comes as Democratic Party leaders challenged the US President to provide convincing evidence of a viable path to his re-election.

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"For the good of the country"

Writing for the Washington Post, Senator Peter Welch said he was worried about the November elections.

"I have great respect for President Biden. He saved our country from a tyrant," wrote Welch, with a thinly veiled reference to Donald Trump.

"He is a man of uncommon decency. He cares deeply about our democracy. He has been one of the best presidents of our time...But I, like folks across the country, am worried about November's election."

Welch notes that the "stakes could not be higher" and said that Biden's "disastrous debate performance" cannot be unseen and that the "valid questions raised since that night," cannot be ignored or dismissed.

"For the good of the country, I'm calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race," stated Senator Welch.

With this, Welch has become the first Senator to publicly call on Biden to withdraw. As per the Guardian, more Democratic Senators, including Virginia’s Mark Warner, have till now kept their doubts private.

Biden fights back

As Democrats toughen their stance against his nomination as Presidential nominee, Biden has taken to fighting back.

On Monday (Jul 8), a fiery-sounding Biden phoned into liberal-leaning MSNBC network's Morning Joe programme and said he's "getting so frustrated by the elites."

"I'm not talking about you guys — the elites in the party, 'Oh, they know so much more,'" he ranted.

Putting out an open challenge to the Democrats against his presidential re-run, he added,"Any of these guys that don't think I should run — run against me. Announce for president, challenge me at the convention."

(With inputs from agencies)