Rep. Jerry Nadler is reportedly standing with four high-ranking House Democrats who say President Biden should step aside in the presidential race.
A Nadler spokesperson declined to comment on the reports, which focused on a private call led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The Manhattan Democrat was backed up by Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and Rep. Joe Morelle (D-Rochester), NBC News reported. None of the four released public statements on the matter.
Prior to the call, five House Democrats had publicly called on Biden to step down following his disastrous June 27 debate performance and less-than-reassuring ABC News interview on Friday.
Biden, 81, tweeted Friday he has no plans to stop campaigning. In the ABC interview, he said he would only step aside “if the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get out of the race.’”
Several Democrats on Sunday’s call also voiced concerns about Biden’s viability as a candidate but stopped short of saying he should step aside, according to Politico. Those representatives included Reps. Jim Himes (Conn.), Zoe Lofgren (Calif.), Don Beyer (Va.) and Rick Larsen (Wash.)
Nadler, 77, is the highest-profile House Democrat to call on Biden to step aside. He is the ranking Democratic member of the House Judiciary Committee, while Smith, Takano and Morelle hold similar positions on other committees.
Still, the top Democratic representatives, including Jeffries, have stood by Biden as the Democratic nominee for president. Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) both reaffirmed their support for Biden in recent days.
The Democrats on Sunday’s call generally agreed if Biden drops out of the race against Donald Trump, 78, then Vice President Kamala Harris would be the best candidate to replace him, according to NBC News.
“President Biden has devoted his life to fighting for the people of our country,” Harris wrote Friday on Twitter. “In this moment, I know all of us are ready to fight for him.”