U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton said Wednesday he has “grave concerns” with President Joe Biden’s ability to defeat former President Donald Trump in November, but the Salem Democrat stopped short of calling for the president to step aside and let someone else run for the White House.
Moulton, who represents much of the North Shore, is the latest Democrat to express dismay after Biden’s damaging debate performance last week sent his party into a panic and the president scrambling to reassure supporters that he is the right man to take on Trump.
Beating Trump is “imperative for the future of our democracy,” especially after the Supreme Court handed the former president a “blank check to act like a king,” Moulton said.
“Winning will require prosecuting the case in the media, in town halls, and at campaign stops all over the country. President Biden needs to demonstrate that he can do that,” Moulton said in a statement. “The unfortunate reality is that the status quo will likely deliver us President Trump.”
“I’ve always said that America needs to elevate a new generation of leaders, and I respect those colleagues who have already spoken out,” he later added. “We should have all viable options on the table.”
Other Massachusetts Democrats, including two sitting state lawmakers, have called on Biden to give up his reelection campaign and allow someone else to take up the party’s fight against Trump.
The state’s congressional delegation has so far only offered warnings and advice for the president.
“[Biden] needs to consult with fellow elected officials and with public opinion research to determine if he is the strongest candidate to defeat Donald Trump in November, which is the unifying imperative for the Democratic Party,” U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss said in an interview with GBH News.
Moulton’s and Auchincloss’ comments came the same day Biden invited governors from the across the country, including Gov. Maura Healey, to the White House in an effort to convince them that he can take on Trump.
More than 20 Democratic governors joined the meeting Wednesday and many of them said they were going to continue to back Biden after the “candid” conversation.
Democratic Governors Association Chair Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota said governors “have his back and we’re working together just to make very, very clear on that.”
“A path to victory in November is the number one priority, and that’s the number one priority of the president,” he said after the meeting.
Biden offered another explanation for his debate performance Tuesday night at a Virginia fundraiser, saying his problem was jet lag after having gone to France, California and then Italy before taking down time in Delaware and at Camp David.
He arrived at Camp David on June 20, seven days before the debate. The presidential retreat is in the Eastern Time Zone, the same as CNN’s studios in Atlanta.
“I decided to travel around the world a couple of times, going through I don’t know how many time zones,” said Biden, adding that he went through “15 time zones” and joking that he “then came back and nearly fell asleep on stage.”
That explanation raised more questions about how long Biden requires to recover from travel.
“I would say I don’t think it’s a new excuse,” Jean-Pierre said of the jet lag, adding that it was a lot of travel before stressing that “we certainly don’t want to explain this away.”
In the aftermath of Biden’s disastrous debate performance, some financial backers were holding off or canceling upcoming fundraisers, according to a person familiar with the plans who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to talk about private discussions.
Biden himself, in the Wednesday night meeting with Democratic governors, acknowledged that he needs to get more sleep and limit evening events so he can turn in earlier to be rested for the job, according to three people familiar with the meeting, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. One person said the president joked that his health was fine, it was his brain that had challenges.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was in the meeting, was asked about the idea that Biden wants to limit events after 8 p.m. and responded: “He did that with a smile on his face. It was more of a rhetorical framework of just being fit and rested.”
After hosting a July Fourth evening barbecue at the White House for military families, Biden is scheduled to campaign in Wisconsin on Friday and sit for an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that will air as a primetime special that night.
Materials from the Associated Press were used in this report.
