Rep. Mike Levin reportedly tells President Biden directly he should exit race

The Orange County congressmember becomes the first local House Democrat to call for Biden to step aside.

Rep. Mike Levin joined the growing chorus of Democrats who are asking President Joe Biden to forgo his re-election bid and reportedly told Biden how he felt directly in a virtual meeting Friday.

Levin, a San Juan Capistrano Democrat, said on Friday after that meeting that he was “naturally concerned” following Biden’s debate performance last month, and expressed his concerns with House Democratic leadership.

“Making this statement is not easy. 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,” said Levin.

“We must prevail against the incalculable threat Donald Trump poses to the American institutions of freedom and democracy,” he added. “Donald Trump actively seeks a bleak authoritarianism and the overthrow of the values which have guided us towards justice and prosperity for nearly two and a half centuries.”

Levin expressed his desire for Biden to drop out of the race directly to the president during a virtual meeting Friday morning before releasing his statement publicly, Politico reported. The meeting, hosted by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ political arm, ended after Levin said it was time for someone else to lead the party, a source familiar with the meeting confirmed to the Southern California News Group.

“Once again, our national mettle must be forged in the crucible of history. It is time to move forward. With a new leader. Together,” Levin said in his statement.

Levin is the first Democrat in the House from Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties to ask Biden to stop his re-election efforts. Rep. Scott Peters, a San Diego Democrat, on Thursday called for a new candidate at the top of the Democratic ticket following Biden’s solo news conference Thursday evening.

“The stakes are high, and we are on a losing course,” Peters said. “We must find a candidate from our deep bench of talent who can defeat Donald Trump.”

Levin and Peters are part of more than a dozen House Democrats who have called on Biden to drop out of the race, a number that has grown in recent days.

Democrats have grappled with whether Biden could – or should – continue to run for a second term following a disastrous debate performance last month. Since that televised debate, where Biden, 81, stumbled verbally and appeared at times to lose this train of thought, the president has faced mounting questions about his health and mental competency.

As Democratic lawmakers, activists and donors weigh whether Biden is the best to go head-to-head with former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, Biden held a highly anticipated solo news conference Thursday. He gave opening remarks on NATO, using a teleprompter, and then fielded questions from selected journalists that ranged from foreign policy and the NATO summit to his health and mental competency.

Biden said he plans to stay in the race. “I believe I’m the best qualified to govern. I believe I’m the best qualified to win,” the president said.

Meanwhile, Rep. Lou Correa, D-Anaheim, has remained steadfastly supportive of Biden.

In an interview earlier this week, Correa acknowledged that Biden has struggled a bit recently, particularly in the debate with Trump, but maintained he was “picking up steam again.”

He also said all the drama surrounding Biden’s re-election plans should serve as a wake-up call for Democrats.

“It really has shocked Democrats into knowing that now we have a real race,” he said. “I think this is good. You don’t want to wake up on Nov. 1 and say, ‘Oh my God, this thing is a real race.’ You want to wake up in early July … because it gives you time to work hard, and Democrats have never been afraid to work hard.”

A spokesperson for Rep. Katie Porter, an Irvine Democrat who is leaving office early next year, pointed to earlier statements she’s made calling for Biden to meet with House Democrats.

Biden met with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries at the White House on Thursday, the New York Democrat told colleagues in a letter Friday.

“On behalf of the House Democratic Caucus, I requested and was graciously granted a private meeting with President Joe Biden,” said Jeffries. “In my conversation with President Biden, I directly expressed the full breadth of insight, heartfelt perspectives and conclusions about the path forward that the Caucus has shared in our recent time together.”

This is a breaking news story and has been updated.