The Democratic Party is increasingly beginning to abandon President Joe Biden as rumors ramp up that he may drop out of the 2024 presidential race because of health concerns.
Several Democrats voiced their concerns to the Washington Post over Biden's declining physical and mental health, saying death is "imminent" for people at the president's age— who will be 81 years old in November.
"He is in a period of his life where passing and death is imminent," the leader of the Democratic Party in Lorain County in Ohio, Sharon Sweda, said. "We are all on a ticking clock. But when you're at his age, or Trump's age, that clock is ticking a little faster, and that's a concern for voters."
This week, Biden has sparked more concern about his age and health after repeating the same story twice within minutes during a private fundraising event in New York.
The same week, the 80-year-old president nearly knocked down the Brazilian flag while addressing the country's president. He also relied on notecards and a pre-written script while speaking to the foreign country's leader.
Another Democratic lawmaker confided in the Post that the "nightmare scenario for Democrats" would be if Biden secured the nomination and then had to drop out of the race due to health problems.
"The worst-case scenario is we get past the nominating process with President Biden as the nominee, and then he's no longer able to continue as the nominee," the lawmaker said.
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According to an Associated Press poll last month, 77 percent of voters believe Biden is too old to be in office for another four more years. This includes 69 percent of Democrats who feel the same way.
Democratic strategist James Carville also expressed worrisome that Biden would become a liability for the Democratic Party, saying these fears surrounding the president's age "could lower voter turnout."
"The voters don't want this, and that's in poll after poll after poll," Carville told the New York Times.
Meanwhile, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) said he believes "there are other candidates who have a far better chance and don't have the actuarial risk that the president has."
A CNN poll found that two-thirds of Democratic voters want an alternative to the party's candidate. At the same time, only a quarter of Americans feel that Biden had the stamina and sharpness to serve effectively as president.
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