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Several prominent Republicans, including vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance, have called on President Joe Biden to resign immediately amid his decision to end his re-election campaign on Sunday (June 21).
Vance shared a post on his X account prior to Biden's official announcement but after reports that the was expected to make a decision to Sunday.
"If Joe Biden ends his reelection campaign, how can he justify remaining President? Not running for reelection would be a clear admission that President Trump was right all along about Biden not being mentally fit enough to serve as Commander-in-Chief. There is no middle ground," Vance wrote.
House Speaker Mike Johnson also shared a similar post on his X account following Biden's decision on Sunday.
“If Joe Biden is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President. He must resign the office immediately,” Johnson wrote. “November 5 cannot arrive soon enough.”
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer argued that "if the Democrat party has deemed Joe Biden unfit to run for re-election, he's certainly unfit to control our nuclear codes."
"Biden must step down from office immediately," Emmer wrote on his X account.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, the chair of the House GOP conference, also claimed that the president was "unable and unfit" to conclude his term.
"If Joe Biden can’t run for re-election, he is unable and unfit to serve as President of the United States. He must immediately resign. The Democrat Party is in absolute free fall for their blatantly corrupt and desperate attempt to cover up the fact that Joe Biden is unfit for office. Every elected Democrat in America owns Joe Biden’s failed and feckless record causing the border crisis, Bidenflation, and chaos and weakness around the world," Stefanik wrote on her X account.
Biden, 81, announced his decision to end his campaign in a letter to Americans shared on his accounts.
"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term," Biden said. "I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision."
Biden expressed his "deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected" and referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as "an extraordinary partner in all this work."
The president's decision came amid reports of uncertainty regarding his re-election campaign following a disastrous performance in the first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump, 78, last month. Biden, the oldest president in history, appeared opposite Trump on the debate stage for the first time since the 2020 election and did little to quell concerns about his vigor and energy.
The president appeared to struggle with his voice, clearing his throat and coughing multiple times, and was often seen open-mouthed and staring when Trump spoke, occasionally struggling to finish sentences. Biden's performance reportedly led to "panic" among Democrats, according to longtime Democratic operative and CNN senior political commentator David Axelrod, which was followed by several Democratic members of Congress calling for him to step down.