Some Republicans have called for President Joe Biden to resign from office immediately after he announced that he will not seek re-election in the upcoming November election.
Biden’s announcement on Sunday has sparked intense reactions from both sides of the United States political spectrum and beyond.
House Speaker Mike Johnson was one of the first to respond, issuing a strong statement: “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.”
Echoing similar sentiments, 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.”
Senator Steve Daines, the chair of the Senate GOP campaign arm, expressed concern for national security in his call for Biden’s resignation. “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 stated.
LEADERSHIP reports that President Biden, in a letter to Americans on Sunday evening, emphasised his commitment to fulfilling his duties for the remainder of his term, stating that he will “stand down” from the presidential race to “focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President.” While many Democrats had urged Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race following recent poor debate performance, they have not demanded his resignation from the presidency. Their concerns primarily revolved around his communication skills and campaign vigour rather than his capability to govern.
Senator Markwayne Mullin proposed invoking the 25th Amendment to forcibly remove Biden from office. “If Joe Biden is unfit to run for re-election, he is unfit to carry out his term,” Mullin declared on X (formerly Twitter). “25th Amendment.”
Far-right Rep. Andy Biggs questioned Biden’s ability to lead the nation, saying, “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.”
However, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, while critical of the Democratic decision to replace Biden as the nominee, did not join the calls for Biden’s immediate resignation. McConnell stated, “We cannot afford four more years of failure,” but he did not endorse an early end to Biden’s presidency.
House Speaker Johnson also criticised the Democratic Party’s decision to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the upcoming election. “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, aiming to undermine a key Democratic criticism of Donald Trump.
Other Trump allies, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and former presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy, framed the political battle as one against the broader Democratic agenda. Greene claimed that Democrats waged “a coup” against Biden, while Ramaswamy stated, “We’re not running against a candidate. We’re running against a system.”
