![A number of the president's former allies have called on him to quit his campaign for re-election](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/world-news/2024/07/12/TELEMMGLPICT000385368548_17208031156410_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqqVzuuqpFlyLIwiB6NTmJwfSVWeZ_vEN7c6bHu2jJnT8.jpeg?imwidth=680)
All the Democrats who have called on Joe Biden to quit
Concerns about the president’s recent performance are escalating in the party
![A number of the president's former allies have called on him to quit his campaign for re-election](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/world-news/2024/07/12/TELEMMGLPICT000385368548_17208031156410_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqqVzuuqpFlyLIwiB6NTmJwfSVWeZ_vEN7c6bHu2jJnT8.jpeg?imwidth=680)
A growing number of Democrats are urging Joe Biden to conclude his bid for re-election and make way for a younger contender after a series of stumbling performances on stage.
Concerns about his recent debate performance have escalated within the party, drawing criticism from politicians, donors and other insiders.
Figures of interest
- Peter Welch, Vermont senator
- Lloyd Doggett, Texas congressman
- Mike Quigley, Illinois congressman
- George Clooney, actor and fundraiser
- Abigail Disney, Disney heiress and Democratic donor
- Reed Hastings, Netflix co-founder and Democratic donor
- Bill Ackman, fund manager and Democratic donor
Critics in the House of Representatives and beyond are now adding their voices to those pushing for a reconsideration of Mr Biden’s candidacy.
Donors
George Clooney
George Clooney, a prominent Democratic donor and friend of Mr Biden, publicly called on the president to end his re-election campaign as the latter welcomed world leaders to a Nato summit in Washington, DC.
Mr Clooney expressed concerns that Mr Biden is not the “same” as he was in 2010 nor during his candidacy in 2020, urging the Democratic Party to address the situation at its upcoming national convention.
Calling for the party to “figure it out”, he said: “We are not going to win in November with this president.”
Abigail Disney
The heiress to the Disney fortune withdrew her financial support, saying that the Democrats would “not receive a single dime” until they “bite the bullet” and replace Mr Biden.
![Abigail Disney](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/world-news/2024/07/12/TELEMMGLPICT000384493122_17208004366770_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq5OfOyGyQUEUQ-BQLtG-J10AmFLvnfxVnJMaRlC8_iQg.jpeg?imwidth=350)
“Biden is a good man who has served his country well, but the stakes are far too high to allow timidity to determine our course of action,” Ms Disney, who has long been a major Democratic donor, said on July 4.
Gideon Stein
Gideon Stein, philanthropist, revealed that he would pause planned donations of $3.5 million to the Biden campaign.
“Joe Biden has been a very effective president, but unless he steps aside my family and I are pausing on more than $3 million in planned donations to nonprofits and political organisations aligned with the presidential race, with the exception of some down-ballot work,” Mr Stein said.
“Virtually every major donor I’ve talked to believes that we need a new candidate in order to defeat Donald Trump.”
Reed Hastings
Reed Hastings, the Netflix co-founder and a major Democrat donor, called for Mr Biden to withdraw from the presidential race in an article for the Economist on July 3.
Alongside his wife Patty Quillin, Mr Hastings has donated more than $20 million in recent years, including roughly $1.5 million to Mr Biden during his 2020 campaign.
“Biden needs to step aside to allow a vigorous Democratic leader to beat Trump and keep us safe and prosperous,” he said in an email to The New York Times.
Bill Harris
Bill Harris, a former chief executive of Intuit and PayPal, announced that he is leading a small group of Democratic donors who have committed $2 million to support funding for presidential debates among potential nominees, should Mr Biden choose to step aside.
“It’s not that we have to protect ourselves from chaos and drama,” Mr Harris said. “We need drama and a little chaos. I think it can be refreshing and energising.”
Whitney Tilson
Whitney Tilson, author and investor, ordinarily gives around £100,000 per year to the Democrats, but he said he was reconsidering his support after Mr Biden’s stumbling performances.
“I feel deceived. For months my Republican friends have been sending me videos from Twitter and Fox ‘News’ that appear to show Biden’s dementia,” Mr Tilson wrote X, formerly known as Twitter, at the end of June.
“If it’s as bad as what we all witnessed on Thursday night, then he needs to put his country first and step aside immediately,” he added.
Rick Caruso
Rick Caruso, a Los Angeles developer and former mayoral candidate, was a Democratic donor and co-hosted a multi-million-dollar fundraiser for Mr Biden in December.
He announced in a July 6 interview that he would halt his efforts to support Mr Biden’s re-election until he can obtain more clarity on the matter.
“The question is not only can you be a viable candidate, but also do you have the ability to be the president of the United States?,” Mr Caruso said.
He added on X that stepping aside was the “honourable thing for president Biden to do”.
Damon Lindelof
Damon Lindelof, Hollywood showrunner and longstanding Democratic donor, wrote an article in Deadline urging Mr Biden to step down from the race early in July.
![Damon Lindelof advised fellow Democrats to cease funding Mr Biden](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/world-news/2024/07/12/TELEMMGLPICT000002604536_17208036371110_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqgGkfkDQxy4meE2pwF2fWRL1sOJ801p-4uzH5zpdMH78.jpeg?imwidth=350)
He advised fellow Democrats to cease funding a candidate who should withdraw from the campaign.
“I am a lifelong Democrat and I love my complicated, glorious country. I am not writing this anonymously because I’m asking others in positions of influence to do the same.
“I don’t know if what I have to say will matter, but I know what my eyes and my ears and my heart tell me,” he added. “I’ve been asleep at the wheel and it’s time to wake the f--- up.”
Rob Reiner
The film director, whose credits include Spinal Tap, said on X: “It’s time to stop f—ing around,” the director wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “If the convicted felon wins, we lose our democracy. Joe Biden has effectively served the US with honour, decency, and dignity. It’s time for Joe Biden to step down.”
A long-time donor to the Democrats, he is one of Hollywood’s most prominent party supporters.
Bill Ackman
Bill Ackman, a billionaire fund manager who backed Dean Phillips for the nomination has blamed Jill Biden for her husband not stepping down.
“I no longer blame Biden for not stepping aside. He no longer has the mental acuity to make important judgments about himself. It is becoming increasingly clear however that the fault lies with Jill Biden.
![Bill Ackman (pictured) has blamed Jill Biden for her husband not standing down](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/world-news/2024/07/12/TELEMMGLPICT000293327087_17208005520250_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqA7N2CxnJWnYI3tCbVBgu9T0aesusvN1TE7a0ddd_esI.jpeg?imwidth=350)
“First lady Jill Biden becomes irrelevant the moment her husband is no longer president. No more Air Force One. No more glamorous life. No more White House dinners for dignitaries. No more being treated like a queen when travelling the world.”
Mr Ackman is now likely to back Donald Trump.
Representatives and Senators
Peter Welch
Peter Welch, a veteran Democratic senator from Vermont with over two decades of service, became the first senator to publicly urge Mr Biden to withdraw from the presidential race on July 10.
Mr Welch told the Washington Post: “We need him to put us first, as he has done before,” he said. “I urge him to do it now.”
Adam Schiff
Senior Democrat Adam Schiff, a former chair of the House intelligence committee, said he has “serious concerns” about Mr Biden’s ability to beat Trump and called on him to drop out of the race.
“While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch,” he said.
“In doing so, [he would] secure his legacy of leadership by allowing us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election.”
Sherrod Brown
Sherrod Brown of Ohio became the fourth Democrat in the Senate chamber to ask Mr Biden to drop out of the race.
Mr Brown said many Ohioans had contacted him over concerns that defeat to Donald Trump would jeopardise Democrat plans to “grow jobs in our state, give law enforcement the resources to crack down on fentanyl, protect Social Security and Medicare from cuts, and prevent the ongoing efforts to impose a national abortion ban”. He called on Mr Biden to “end his campaign”.
Martin Heinrich
Martin Heinrich, a senator for New Mexico, on Friday said Mr Biden should drop out. He called the president “one of the most accomplished presidents in modern history” but said that “this moment in our nation’s history calls for a focus that is bigger than any one person”.
Jon Tester
Jon Tester called on Mr Biden to drop out of the race after the US President was forced off the campaign trail with Covid-19 in mid-July.
The Montana senator, who faces a tough re-election battle this year, told a local news outlet: “While I appreciate his commitment to public service and our country, I believe President Biden should not seek re-election to another term.”
Jim Costa
Jim Costa, a California congressman and former leader of the Blue Dog Democrat faction, said the party needed to “deliver their strongest team to the American people in this election”.
Echoing other Democrats’ appeals to legacy and patriotism, he said: “For the good of the country, I think it is time for the President to pass the torch to the next generation to carry on the legacy he started.”
Brittany Pettersen
Brittany Pettersen, a congresswoman for Colorado, on Friday called on Mr Biden to “pass the torch”.
“Joe Biden saved our country once, and I’m joining the growing number of people in my district and across the country to ask him to do it again,” Pettersen said in a statement posted on X.
“Please pass the torch to one of our many capable Democratic leaders so we have the best chance to defeat Donald Trump, who is the greatest threat to the foundation of this country that we have ever faced.”
Mike Levin
Southern California congressman Mike Levin directly confronted Mr Biden during a virtual meeting on Friday with a group of Democratic lawmakers. Mr Levin asked Mr Biden in the call to make way for a younger leader.
“Making this statement is not easy,” Mr Levin said. “I have deep respect for President Biden’s five plus decades of public service and incredible appreciation for the work we’ve done together these last three and a half years. But I believe the time has come for President Biden to pass the torch.”
Hillary Scholten
Hillary Scholten serves as the US representative for Michigan’s 3rd congressional district and has typically supported Mr Biden’s legislative agenda on issues such as healthcare, immigration reform, and economic policies. Following the first presidential debate, she said she was “concerned” by Mr Biden’s performance.
But after Mr Biden’s speech on July 11, she withdrew her support, writing: “It has become clear over the last several weeks that a change needs to be made.”
Greg Stanton
Greg Stanton, a Democratic member of the US House of Representatives, has generally supported Mr Biden and his administration’s agenda.
In a statement on July 11, Mr Stanton touted himself as one of Biden’s early supporters in 2020, but that the stakes in the election “could not be higher”.
He added: “For our country’s sake, it is time for the president to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders.”
Scott Peters
Scott Peters, a representative for California’s 52nd congressional district, is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, a group of 100 centrist Democrats in the House.
![Scott Peters: 'The stakes are high'](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/world-news/2024/07/12/TELEMMGLPICT000385311006_17208034929780_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqWqpbAtgKJyHaMBh-yZTXbeDb_zHeougPJk0-Rsnxim0.jpeg?imwidth=350)
He asked Biden to withdraw from the presidential campaign because “the stakes are high, and we are on a losing course”, in a statement released on July 11.
“My conscience requires me to speak up and put loyalty to the country and to democracy ahead of my great affection for, and loyalty to, the president and those around him,” he added.
Eric Sorensen
Eric Sorensen, a representative for Illinois, said he is “hopeful” that Mr Biden will step aside.
“In 2020, Joe Biden ran for president with the purpose of putting country over party. Today, I am asking him to do that again,” he said on July 11.
Brad Schneider
Brad Schneider, a representative for Illinois, said that he “loved” Mr Biden and was “forever grateful for his leadership and service to our nation”.
But he added on July 11: “The time has come, however, for president Biden to heroically pass the torch to a new generation of leadership to guide us to the future he has enabled and empowered us to pursue.”
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
Marie Gluesenkamp of Washington issued a statement on the afternoon of July 11 in which she suggested “unelected advisers” are “making important decisions” about the country, rather than Mr Biden. She also implied the president should abandon his re-election bid.
“Americans deserve to feel their president is fit enough to do the job,” she said. “The crisis of confidence in the president’s leadership needs to come to an end. The president should do what he knows is right for the country and put the national interest first.”
Jim Himes
Jim Himes of Connecticut is a high-ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee.
On July 11 he wrote: “The 2024 election will define the future of American democracy, and we must put forth the strongest candidate possible to confront the threat posed by Trump’s promised MAGA authoritarianism.”
Ed Case
Ed Case from Hawaii broke ranks with the rest of the state’s congressional delegation when stating that Mr Biden should end his re-election bid.
“Difficult times and realities require difficult decisions,” he wrote, adding “my guidepost is what is the best way forward for our country”.
Pat Ryan
Pat Ryan, representing a vulnerable seat in New York State, urged Mr Biden to fulfil his earlier promise to act as a bridge to a “new generation” of leaders and to step aside “for the good of our country” on July 10.
Earl Blumenauer
Earl Blumenauer is a long-time Leftist who is set to retire at the end of his long term. He said on July 10 that he hoped Mr Biden would end his bid because the 2024 race was “not just about extending his presidency but protecting democracy”.
Mikie Sherrill
Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, who is typically centre-Left, wrote that “the stakes are too high – and the threat is too real – to stay silent” because Democrats “cannot allow Trump to return to the White House”.
Adam Smith
Adam Smith of Washington, a high-ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, expressed concerns that Mr Biden was no longer able to “clearly, articulately, and strongly make his case to the American people”.
“I think it’s become clear that he’s not the best person to carry the Democratic message,” he said on July 8.
Angie Craig
Angie Craig of Minnesota, representing a swing district, voiced concerns about Mr Biden’s debate performance and subsequent “lack of a forceful response”.
She cautioned that time was running out to select a replacement, emphasising the urgency of the situation.
“I do not believe that the president can effectively campaign and win against Donald Trump,” she said on July 6.
Lloyd Doggett
Lloyd Doggett, a congressman from Texas serving his 15th term, was the first House Democrat to publicly call for Biden to step aside.
The 77-year-old member of the influential House Ways and Means Committee, expressed his respect for “all that president Biden has achieved”, but criticised him for failing to “effectively defend his many accomplishments” on the debate stage.
“The need for him to step aside is more urgent tonight than when I first called for it on Tuesday,” he said on July 5.
Mike Quigley
Mike Quigley, an Illinois congressman heavily involved in planning the Democratic National Convention, made a direct plea to Mr Biden, acknowledging his legacy, but urging him to “let someone else do this” at this critical juncture.
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“I would say: Mr president, your legacy is set. We owe you the greatest debt of gratitude. The only thing that you can do now to cement that for all time and prevent utter catastrophe is to step down and let someone else do this,” he said on July 5.
Seth Moulton
Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, a former 2020 presidential candidate, has said that he no longer had confidence in Mr Biden’s ability to defeat Trump.
“President Biden has done enormous service to our country, but now is the time for him to follow in… George Washington’s footsteps and step aside to let new leaders rise up and run against Donald Trump,” he said on July 4.
On July 3, he had expressed “grave concerns” about Mr Biden’s ability to defeat Donald Trump.
Raul Grijalva
Raul Grijalva, Arizona progressive, told the New York Times that the Biden campaign was in a “precarious” state and emphasised that Mr Biden must now bear the responsibility of maintaining control of the White House.
“What he needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat – and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race,” he said on July 3.
Jared Huffman
Jared Huffman was one of four Democrats to plead with Mr Biden to withdraw on July 19.
He represents California’s 2nd Congressional District and previously spoke out against Mr Biden in an interview with CNN on July 18.
“We’ve got to acknowledge that this was not just one bad night. This is a pretty pervasive and widespread perception that’s been dragging President Biden down in the polls for many months. We’ve got to figure this out. I think we have a couple of weeks to do it, but we’ve got to do it,” Mr Huffman said.
He added the narrative around Mr Biden’s age is “going to be pretty difficult for the president to undo it” as it is “pretty well established now”.
Marc Veasey
US Representative Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, was also part of the four and the second House Democrat from Texas to urge Mr Biden to step aside.
Mr Veasey is the first member of the Congressional Black Caucus to publicly make this call.
Chuy Garcia
Chuy Garcia, of Illinois, a progressive who describes himself as a “proud immigrant”, was another US Representative to call for Mr Biden to step down on July 19.
Following Mr Biden’s debate with Mr Trump, Mr Garcia said it was a “tough 90 minutes to watch”.
He added that Mr Biden “has a very important decision to make over the next few days about whether he can continue and complete the campaign and, of course, lead the country forward”.
Mr Garcia has previously hit out at Mr Biden for using the word “illegal” when describing immigrants.
Mark Pocan
Wisconsin US Rep. Mark Pocan became the first top Wisconsin Democrat to call for Mr Biden to exit on July 19.
It marks a shift in Wisconsin, where top officials have largely backed Mr Biden in recent weeks.
Mr Pocan is a progressive Democrat and is affiliated with several organisations, including Wisconsin Citizens Action, the American Civil Liberties Union, Fair Wisconsin, and the Midwest Progressive Elected Officials Network.
Morgan McGarvey
Morgan McGarvey of Kentucky called Mr Biden an “incredibly effective and empathetic leader,” praising his record on job growth and climate issues. However, he said that the party could not “risk the focus of the campaign being anything other than Donald Trump” and his ilk.
Gabe Vasquez
Gabe Vasquez, a congressman for New Mexico, said that while Mr Biden is “an honourable public servant who has dedicated his career to bettering the lives of all Americans,” he believes there is too much at risk in the election and said he should “step aside”.
Mr Vasquez is running for a second term in a swing district along the US border with Mexico where partisan control has flipped in each of the last three elections.
Governors
No Democratic governors have yet called on Mr Biden to step aside.