'Path To Failure': Rep. Moulton Reissues Call For Biden To Step Aside

SALEM, MA — U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Salem) remained outspoken in his call for President Joe Biden to drop out of a presidential race he said is "on a path to failure" following a Thursday press conference in which Biden vowed to remain in the campaign and defeat former President Donald Trump for re-election.

Speaking on WGBH-FM's Boston Public Radio on Friday, Moulton said that while Biden's latest public appearance "wasn't a disaster ... that can't be the bar" for what is considered a successful campaign.

"The president is not ahead," Moulton said. "This is not a race where he needs to hold his own. He needs to claw his way back.

"Right now we're on the pathway to losing. The stakes are too high to allow Donald Trump another term."

He said that, in private, a majority of Washington Democrats have told him they believe Biden should step aside even though Moulton remains one of a small group of representatives and senators to publicly call for Biden to withdraw.

"It's time to be honest about this with my constituents and with the president," he said. "As a representative, I owe it to the people to share my honest views."

Moulton called Biden a mentor of his and said it was "painful" to make these statements but that "this is bigger than one man."

"It's not about President Biden," he said. "This is about winning this race."

Moulton ran against Biden during the 2020 primary but withdrew early in the campaign when his candidacy failed to gain traction in a crowded field.

He did not back a replacement candidate, though he did call Vice President Kamala Harris "underrated."

Moulton concluded by saying that his call for Biden to relinquish the nomination is not based on his current capacity to lead the government but solely on how his age affects his chances of winning the election.

"We don't like to talk about it but we're talking fundamentally about his age," Moulton said. "Joe Biden is getting older. This is not going to get better.

"This should be the easiest election for us ever."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)