After Biden’s press conference, Moulton reiterates call for new candidate

U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton said Friday that President Biden’s highly-anticipated press conference did not assuage concerns he had regarding Biden’s age and his ability to defeat Donald Trump in November. 

Moulton, who represents Massachusetts’ 6th District, was the third sitting member of Congress to urge Biden to step aside following the president’s disastrous debate performance on June 27. Since going public with his worries last week, Moulton has been joined by a growing chorus of Democratic lawmakers who say that it is time for Biden to pass the torch. 

Biden spoke to reporters Thursday evening for about an hour, looking to demonstrate that he has not cognitively declined and can handle lengthy, unscripted situations. Many who have stood by the president so far said the press conference was a general success, despite gaffes like referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.” But it did not stop the bleeding, and three more House members called on him to exit the race after he stepped away from the podium. 

Moulton, in an interview with GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” Friday morning, said that the press conference was not a “disaster,” but that “that can’t be the bar” by which the country measures Biden’s fitness to run again. Biden would be 86 at the conclusion of a second term. 

“He needs to show how he can turn this around, not how he can just hold his own, not how he can get through a press conference without a disaster, but how he can start really winning his way back, turning around this campaign, showing a pathway to win, because right now we’re sadly on a pathway to losing, and the stakes are too high in this election to allow Donald Trump a second term,” Moulton said on GBH. 

But the congressman appears to have largely given up hope that Biden and his campaign team can demonstrate that they are prepared for such a comeback. 

Most Democratic lawmakers in Washington are still either publicly supporting the president or giving noncommittal answers to the press. But the sentiment behind the scenes, Moulton said, is very different. After his initial call for a new candidate, Moulton said that many colleagues privately thanked him. 

“They’re making political calculations ,” Moulton told GBH hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan when asked about why others have not been as public as he has. “I just decided it’s time to be honest about this.”

In addition to Moulton, GBH reached out to Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, as well as Reps. Katherine Clark, Stephen Lynch, and Ayanna Pressley to ask them to be interviewed Friday, Braude said. Only Moulton responded. 

Moulton said that, before he came out with concerns publicly, he tried to be “respectful” and meaningfully engage with Biden’s inner circle. He was stymied, he said. 

Moulton agreed with the sentiment that some Democrats are now doing what Republicans have been doing for years: privately expressing doubt about their party’s standard-bearer while publicly pledging complete loyalty. 

“Trump is terrible. And Republicans aren’t all idiots, they know this too, but they refuse to say anything. I’m not going to be like that,” he said. 

Moulton brushed aside the idea of using the 25th amendment to force Biden out of the White House, and said that the press conference confirmed that Biden is still able to do the job of being president for the remainder of his term. 

He called Biden an “amazing mentor” who held a rally for him after his first, contentious primary. Moulton recalled being invited to have breakfast with Biden when he was vice president, and said that Biden would call after hearing Moulton conduct successful interviews as a new congressman. 

Moulton avoided specifics on what should happen if Biden were to step aside, but did say that Harris has often been underestimated as a political force and that the Democratic party has a deep roster of talent. Moulton briefly ran for president in 2019. He did not express any interest in seeking the nation’s highest office again this year.  

He ended his GBH interview by talking about broader concerns he has regarding the state of the Democratic party. Despite a Republican “civil war” over who would become the new Speaker of the House and the disdain many Americans have for Trump, Democrats are struggling across the board. 

“This should be the easiest election for us, ever. We should be cleaning up from school boards to president of the United States, and we’re not,” he said. “So what does that say about us? How have we lost touch with so many people in America?”