WASHINGTON — Some Republicans reacted immediately to President Joe Biden’s announcement that he won’t seek re-election in November by demanding that he resign the presidency as well.
“If Joe Biden is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President. He must resign the office immediately. November 5 cannot arrive soon enough,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a statement shortly after Biden revealed his decision.
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, the conference chair and fourth-ranking House Republican, added: “If Joe Biden can’t run for re-election, he is unable and unfit to serve as President of the United States. He must immediately resign.”
It was a widespread response within the Republican Party, with multiple others reacting similarly, including Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas:
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., the chair of the Senate GOP campaign arm, said he is “formally calling on President Biden to resign from office ... out of concern for our country’s national security.”
“If Joe Biden is no longer capable of running for re-election, he is no longer capable of serving as President. Being President is the hardest job in the world, and I no longer have confidence that Joe Biden can effectively execute his duties as Commander-in-Chief,” Daines said in a statement.
Biden said in his Sunday statement that he will “stand down” from the presidential race and “focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.” While many Democrats called on Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race, none have pushed for him to quit the presidency early. The skeptical Democrats have not taken issue with Biden’s ability to do the job, but rather with his declining communication skills and ability to wage a vigorous campaign leading into November after his poor debate performance.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., proposed that Biden be forcibly removed from office through the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, which governs succession if a president cannot fulfill his duties.
“If Joe Biden is unfit to run for re-election, he is unfit to carry out his term,” Mullin said on X. “25th Amendment.”
Far-right Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said: “How is he strong enough to continue serving as Commander in Chief of the strongest nation in the world? Joe Biden ought to step down.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., accused Democrats of contradicting the will of voters who chose Biden as their nominee in a statement, adding, "We cannot afford four more years of failure."
But McConnell, 82, a longtime friend of Biden's who is himself stepping down at the end of this term, did not join GOP calls for the president to resign before his term ends.
Some Republicans, including Johnson, slammed the Democratic Party for Biden’s decision to withdraw and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris to be the standard-bearer this fall.
“Having invalidated the votes of more than 14 million Americans who selected Joe Biden to be the Democrat nominee for president, the self-proclaimed ‘party of democracy’ has proven exactly the opposite,” Johnson said in his statement, seeking to undercut a major Democratic attack line against Donald Trump this campaign season — that the former president has worked to undermine U.S. democracy.
“The party’s prospects are no better now with Vice President Kamala Harris,” Johnson added.
Other Trump allies responded by saying Trump has been running against not just Biden, but an entire party and system.
“Presidents Trump has never just been running against Joe Biden. He’s been running against the destruction of America brought by Democrats and their policies,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said on X, adding that Democrats waged “a coup” against Biden.
Vivek Ramaswamy, a former presidential contender and Trump supporter, said: “We’re not running against a candidate. We’re running against a system.”
