U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Sunday urged President Joe Biden to "talk to people outside his immediate circle" and decide quickly whether he should drop his reelection bid against former President Donald Trump.
In the latest sign of Biden's rapidly eroding support among Democrats, Schiff also warned that Biden needed to be able to "overwhelmingly" beat Trump or "pass the torch to someone who can."
"Joe Biden's running against a criminal. It should not even be close," Schiff said. "And there's only one reason it is close, and that's the president's age."
During an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," Schiff said Biden's recent ABC News interview "didn't put concerns to rest" following his dismal debate performance last month and he suggested that Biden, 81, wasn't getting the best advice from those around him.
"I think Joe Biden should take the time to talk to people outside his immediate circle," he said. "Talk to people he respects, people with objectivity, people with distance, and make the right decision for the country."
Schiff, the front-runner for an open California U.S. Senate seat, didn't say what he thought that decision should be, but said that "it needs to be made promptly."
He also noted that "down ballot" Democatic candidates for the House and Senate were "running well ahead of the president" but added that "you can only run so far ahead of the president" without losing.
Schiff's comments added to the growing chorus of Democrats who've voiced fears about Biden's ability to beat Trump or openly called on him to drop out of the race.
At least five Democratic House members have said Biden should quit his campaign, with Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota becoming the latest on Saturday morning.
"This is not a decision I've come to lightly, but there's simply too much at stake to risk a second Donald Trump presidency," Craig said.
In a Saturday column for CNN, former President Barack Obama's chief campaign strategist, David Axelrod, said Biden was "likely headed for a landslide defeat," and summed up his refusal to acknowledge it as: "Denial. Delusion. Defiance."
"The stakes are as great as Biden describes. And if he believes it, as I think he does, he will eventually do what duty and love of country requires, and step aside," Axelrod wrote.
