Rhino: Agencies – A growing number of Democratic members of Congress are calling for US President Joe Biden to end his re-election bid, after a poor performance in the debate between the 81-year-old president and his Republican rival Donald Trump.

On Friday, a number of lawmakers expressed their discomfort with Biden’s continued candidacy, while others expressed their support for the current president’s plans.

Senator Peter Welch of Vermont wrote in an op-ed in the Washington Post: (For the good of the country, I call on President Biden to withdraw from the race), and Welch was the first US Democratic senator to call on Biden to withdraw from his re-election bid in the presidential elections.

Representative Brad Schneider of Illinois said in a statement: “The time has come, however, for President Biden to bravely pass the torch to a new generation of leaders, to lead us to the future he gave us the ability to strive for.”

Representative Hilary Scholten of Michigan said on social media: “For the sake of our democracy, I believe it is time for him to step down from the presidential race and allow a new leader to rise… It is imperative that we have the strongest possible candidate at the top of the ticket, not only to win, but to govern.”

Representative Pat Ryan, who flipped the Republican-held New York district in 2019, said in a social media post: “Joe Biden is a patriot, but he is no longer the best candidate to defeat Trump. For the good of our country, I am asking Joe Biden to step down, to fulfil his promise to be a bridge to a new generation of leaders.)