Drumbeat

First US Democrat calls on Biden to withdraw!

Joe Biden is currently a controversial candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.(Bild: AP)

In the USA, the first Democrat congressman has called on President Joe Biden to withdraw from his re-election campaign. "He should make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw," said longtime Texas Congressman Lloyd Doggett in a statement on Tuesday. 

Doggett also referred to the 81-year-old's appearance in a televised debate with his predecessor and challenger Donald Trump. He emphasized that the fact that he publicly called on Biden to withdraw did not diminish his respect for the president's achievements.

His call for the head of state to withdraw was also "respectful". The 77-year-old Democrat has been a member of the House of Representatives for Texas since 1995.

Lloyd Doggett has sat in the House of Representatives for Texas since 1995.(Bild: AP)

Disastrous performance against Trump
Biden's appearance at the televised debate last week raised concerns among Democrats about his age and led to calls for him to withdraw from the campaign for the presidential election on November 5. The 81-year-old rejects this, and leading Democrats have also rejected it.

Like his predecessor Trump (78), Biden is hoping to win the presidential election in November. So far, there have been many indications of a close race, but Biden's critics believe that his disastrous performance in the first TV duel on Thursday evening (local time) confirms their view that the Democrat is no longer suitable for the office and would be better off leaving the field to a younger candidate.

Biden tries to limit the damage
The debate has rapidly gained momentum, but Biden has so far defied such demands and is trying to limit the damage. Recently, however, his campaign team had to calm down angry donors who were worried about his poll ratings.