Republicans urge Biden to step down after re-election bid ends

More than a dozen Republicans called on US President Joe Biden to resign on Sunday after his re-election bid ended, saying his reluctance to continue campaigning raises questions about his ability to continue governing.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, US Senator J. N. Vance — Donald Trump’s newly nominated running mate in the Nov. 5 election — and other lawmakers urged the 81-year-old incumbent to step down.

Biden stuck to his statement that he would finish out his term, which ends on January 20, 2025, and his fellow Democrats called the calls “ridiculous.”

“If Joe Biden is not fit to run for president, he is not fit to serve as President. He needs to step down immediately. November 5th can’t come soon enough,” said Johnson, who is in line for the presidency after the Vice President. Kamala Harris.

Biden’s fellow Democrats have for weeks called on him to end his campaign after a disastrous June 27 debate against former President Trump in which Biden at times struggled to finish his thoughts.

“If Joe Biden ends his re-election campaign, how can he justify staying in the presidency?” Vance wrote on Twitter.

Others, including Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin, called on Biden’s cabinet to remove him from office citing the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution.

Biden’s cabinet, made up of officials handpicked by the president, is highly unlikely to do so.

Asked about calls for his resignation, Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, a close Biden aide, said: “I think it’s ridiculous.”

White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Biden would continue to serve.

“He looks forward to completing his term and delivering more historic results for the American people,” Bates said. “That includes continuing to cut costs, create jobs and protect Social Security, while standing against the MAGAnomics agenda that would worsen inflation and lead us into recession.”

Republican Sen. Rick Scott and Reps. Elise Stefanik, Tim Burchett and Mike Waltz also called on Biden to resign.

Republicans have spent months vilifying Biden on issues like immigration and inflation. House Republicans also filed an unsuccessful impeachment effort against Biden, which found no evidence of wrongdoing.