Welch calls on Biden to drop out for 'good of country,' joins Kunin in call to end campaign

This story has been updated.

U.S Senator Peter Welch, D-Vt., is calling for President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race "for the good of the country," according to an op-ed in the Washington Post published late Wednesday, July 10.

Welch came to the conclusion after the president's "disastrous debate performance" two weeks ago against Republican rival Donald Trump − during which Biden seemed to struggle cognitively.

In his op-ed, Welch spoke highly of Biden and described him as "one of the best presidents of our time," but added that Americans "cannot ignore or dismiss the valid questions raised since that night."

"He needs to reassess whether he is the best candidate" to face Trump, Welch wrote. "In my view, he is not."

Welch said that the "national conversation" is centered around on Biden's "age and capacity," rather than the risk of another Trump presidency, a distraction "only he can change."

"We need him to put us first, as he has done before," Welch wrote. "I urge him to do it now."

Before his Wednesday op-ed, Welch had previously scolded the president's campaign for their “dismissive attitude towards people who are raising questions for discussion,” according to news outlet Semafor, but neglected to explicitly call for Biden to step aside.

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Former Vermont Gov. Madeleine Kunin – who held the Green Mountain State’s highest office from 1985-1991 – is one of the latest voices to plead for President Joe Biden to drop out from the 2024 presidential race.

“I’ve reached the sad conclusion that he should step aside,” said Kunin, 90, in a telephone interview with the Burlington Free Press on Monday, July 8.

Kunin joins a growing number of Democratic politicians calling on Biden to terminate his re-election campaign after a recent debate performance cast doubt on the octogenarian’s mental fitness.

Kunin said Biden has “done a terrific job as president” so far but that his departure from Nov. 5 ballot is “crucial” to defeating Republican rival, former President Donald Trump.

“Admittedly, this is a very tough decision and I arrive at it reluctantly,” she said.

Biden's debate performance 'shocking disappointing'

Kunin vocalized her concerns almost two weeks after the year’s first presidential debate on June 27, where a raspy-voiced Biden struggled occasionally to speak coherently and finish sentences.

This isn’t the first time Biden – who at 81 is the oldest president in U.S history – has faced doubts about his age from both Democrats and Republicans. But his performance late last month has fueled those fears among supporters.  

“His performance during the debate was so shocking and disappointing that it just made me think and ask the question, can this man defeat Trump in that condition?” Kunin said.

Despite the backlash, Biden said almost immediately after the debate that he is not dropping out and argued his performance does not reflect his capabilities as president.

But Kunin isn’t convinced his campaign can be salvaged.

“I know that there’s been an effort to show he’s really alert but I think the impression in the debate is really stuck in people’s minds and will be repeated again and again in the campaign” by Trump’s allies, she said.

Who would replace Biden as the Democratic nominee for president?

Like others in the Democratic party, Kunin recommended Vice President Kamala Harris replace Biden on the ballot.

“I think she’d be the logical choice,” Kunin said, arguing Harris has the most name recognition and that she “would be the first person to rally behind.”

However, Kunin said she’s not opposed to the Democratic party fielding other candidates.

“I think whoever does step in, Democrats must unite,” she said. “I know it’s a tall order to ask Democrats to come together, but in this crisis, there is certainly urgency to do so.”

Kunin said there is “so much is at stake” with another Trump presidency, including abortion rights, environmental protections and future Supreme Court rulings. “There’s a risk that Trump may control all three branches of government.”

“Biden has to come to this conclusion himself and right now he’s not ready to do that,” Kunin said. “My hope is that he will be ready the sooner the better.”

What Bernie Sanders, Howard Dean, Becca Balint are saying?

Outside of Welch and Kunin, however, few prominent Vermonters have explicitly demanded Biden drop out of the race.

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean encouraged the president to continue his campaign. The former DNC chair and Democratic presidential candidate told National Public Radio on July 1 that Biden should “hang in there.”

“It would be incredibly ugly to try to change nominees now,” Dean said, adding that Biden is the objectively better candidate. “I mean, this is a bit of a no-brainer, so I think one bad night in a political campaign does not make a loser, and I think Biden can win, and I think he will win.”

In a statement to Seven Days, U.S Rep. Becca Balint, Vt.-D, failed to address Biden's debate performance but, like Dean, emphasized the current president's moral superiority over Trump, a felon.

Biden is "an honest, decent President with a proven track record of fighting for working families," Balint told Seven Days.

Other Vermont politicians, such as Sens. Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch, expressed concern about Biden’s mental facilities but fell short of asking him to step down.  

Sanders, Vt.-I, told the Associated Press that Biden’s debate performance was “painful” and that he’s uncertain if Biden will be re-elected, but admitted he wants the president to stay in the race.

“A presidential election is not a Grammy Award contest for the best singer or entertainer,” Sanders said. “It’s about who has the best policies that impact our lives. I’m going to do everything I can to see that Biden gets re-elected.”

Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at mstewartyounger@gannett.com.