Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) is advising that President Joe Biden seek guidance from outside his inner circle on whether to remain in the presidential race against former President Donald Trump.
Schiff would not say whether Biden should step aside — leaving it to the president — but did express his concern about Biden’s disastrous debate performance last month and the fallout, while on NBC News’s Meet the Press on Sunday.
“What I would advise the president is seek out the opinions of people you trust,” Schiff said. “He’s obviously talked to his family about this, and that’s important, but he should seek out people with some distance and objectivity.”
“He should seek out pollsters who are not his own pollsters. He should take a moment to make the best-informed judgment. And if the judgment is run, then run hard and beat that S.O.B.,” he added.
Schiff noted that age has become the paramount concern for voters since the debate, arguing that Biden should be winning handily against Trump — noting the former president’s criminal conviction in New York.
“Given Joe Biden’s incredible record, given Donald Trump’s terrible record. He shouldn’t be mopping the floor with Donald Trump. Joe Biden is running against a criminal. It should not be even close, and there’s only one reason it is close,” Schiff said.
The California congressman, who looks likely to win in the race for one of the state’s U.S. Senate seats in November, added that he believes Biden will make the correct decision on whether to drop out.
“I think if the president takes the time to consult people and has an open mind about this, he will do what Joe Biden always does — which is he will make the right decision. You make the decision in the best interest of the country. That’s what he has always done, and I’m confident that’s what he will do here,” Schiff said.
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Biden has faced mounting calls to step aside from the presidential race, as the fallout from the Atlanta debate against Trump more than a week ago continues.
Five House Democrats have called on Biden to step aside, and reports have swirled that several other House Democrats and Senate Democrats are debating on calling on the president to step aside.
